Full specifications, features and battery life for the REDMI Watch 6 Lite, Xiaomi’s entry-level GPS smartwatch with a 1.96in AMOLED screen and advanced swim tracking.
| Manufacturer | Xiaomi |
| Type | GPS smartwatch |
| Series | REDMI Watch |
| Predecessor | REDMI Watch 5 Lite |
| Successor | None yet |
| Dimensions | 47.1 x 39.6 x 9.9mm |
| Weight | 27.8g, excluding strap |
Specifications and features as at launch.
REDMI Watch 6 Lite
An entry-level watch with its own GPS, underwater heart rate and stroke counting for pool swims.
Expert opinion | Specifications | Battery life | Features | Further reading
Expert opinion
REDMI Watch 6 Lite is a budget GPS watch whose standout feature is swimming. It recognises your stroke, counts laps and records SWOLF and underwater heart rate, with Xiaomi claiming 94.4% lap accuracy. Pool swimmers get more here than from most watches at this price. Parkrunners and newer runners get built-in GPS so the phone stays at home, plus running courses and warm-up guidance among more than 150 sports modes. Bluetooth calls work from the wrist, and the always-on display and automatic brightness are new over the 5 Lite. It is not a dual-frequency watch, and there is no barometer, no ANT+ and no external sensor support, so cyclists and anyone chasing training data will outgrow it. Workout data stays in Mi Fitness. The body is plastic with a metallic finish and weighs under 28g. Battery is a claimed 18 days in light use and about a week with GPS sessions and health tracking switched on, which is shorter than REDMI Watch 6. It suits beginners, gym members and pool swimmers who want GPS on a tight budget.
Specifications
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Type | AMOLED, always-on display, automatic brightness, 2.5D curved glass |
| Size | 1.96in, square |
| Resolution | 410 x 502px, 332 PPI |
| Brightness | Up to 1,500 nits peak |
| Refresh rate | More than 50Hz |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 73.2% |
| Physical | |
| Dimensions | 47.1 x 39.6 x 9.9mm |
| Weight | 27.8g, excluding strap |
| Case material | Plastic frame with metallic spray coating |
| Strap | TPU, quick-release, fits 135 to 205mm wrists |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM (GB/T 30106:2013) |
| Buttons | Raised side button, plus touchscreen |
| Colours | Black, Steel Gray |
| Sensors and positioning | |
| GNSS | Single-frequency, multi-constellation (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS) |
| Optical heart rate | Heart rate sensor with blood oxygen sensor |
| Other sensors | Accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, electronic compass (9-axis motion sensing) |
| © the5krunner. Link required. | |
| Connectivity and battery | |
| Wireless | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Calls | Bluetooth calls via built-in speaker, phone must be connected |
| Operating system | Xiaomi HyperOS |
| Battery | 470mAh |
| Battery, light use | Up to 18 days claimed |
| Battery, normal use | Up to 12 days claimed |
| Battery, heavy use | Up to 6 days claimed |
| Charging | Magnetic charging cable |
| Compatibility | Android 8.0 and above, iOS 14.0 and above |
Battery life
Xiaomi claims up to 18 days in light use, 12 days in normal use and 6 days in heavy use with the always-on display on. All three tests fix screen brightness at 120 nits with automatic brightness off. The light-use figure includes 90 minutes of GNSS-recorded exercise a week, and the normal and heavy figures include 180 minutes. Xiaomi does not publish a continuous GNSS figure. Someone training most days outdoors with health monitoring switched on should expect roughly a week per charge, and less with the always-on display enabled.
Features
Full feature detail is covered on the Xiaomi specifications index.
Sport and training
- A professional swim mode uses the 9-axis sensor to recognise strokes and count laps in the pool.
- Swim metrics include average speed, underwater heart rate changes and SWOLF for post-session analysis.
- Built-in five-system GNSS tracks outdoor workouts without your phone.
- More than 150 sports modes include running, walking and cycling, plus professional running courses.
- Warm-up guidance helps you prepare before a session.
- The raised side button is easy to find mid-workout without looking down.
Health and recovery
- All-day heart rate monitoring offers several modes and abnormal heart rate alerts.
- All-day sleep monitoring records and analyses sleep quality.
- All-day blood oxygen monitoring vibrates when saturation is too low.
- All-day stress monitoring shows a more detailed status display, and guided breathing exercises help you reset.
- Women’s health tracking predicts menstrual cycles.
Smart features
- Bluetooth calling lets you take calls from the wrist while the phone is connected.
- The always-on display shows the time at a glance, and ambient light sensing adjusts brightness automatically.
- Tools include alarm, find my phone, flashlight, stopwatch, weather, calendar, music, and compass.
- Quick-release straps make it easy to swap styles.
Compatibility
- The watch pairs through the Mi Fitness app with Android 8.0 and above or iOS 14.0 and above.
Further reading
- Xiaomi specifications index
- REDMI Watch 5 Lite specifications
- REDMI Watch 6 specifications
- Sports watch specifications
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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