As promised, we’re releasing the latest instalment in our buyer’s guide series! In case you missed it, we recently published two buyer’s guides—one to cover conventional smartwatches, and another guide for affordable fitness bands. Today, we’ll be talking about “pseudo-smartwatches”, a term that isn’t really widely-used yet, but a type of device that really deserves its own category.
So, why pseudo? Smartwatches are… well, smart wearables that cover a wide range of functionality: fitness, health, and of course, smart compatibility with your smartphone. But something that separates conventional smartwatches such as the Apple Watch Series 6 with pseudo-smartwatches is the ability to install additional apps on the former. With an app market, users can download stuff like watch faces and apps onto their smartwatches, and you basically get a lot more functionality.
Pseudo-smartwatches, on the other hand, are more of a “what you see is what you get” kind of deal. Once you’ve unboxed and set up the wearable, you won’t be able to install any additional apps—and there won’t even be an app market for you to peruse. However, this compromise has a silver lining: battery life. Pseudo-smartwatches generally have very, very impressive battery life figures, and a big reason for that is the simple nature of their operating systems.
In essence, I’ve categorised pseudo-smartwatches as wearables that look and feel like smartwatches—but with more limited functionality, similar to fitness bands. The best of both worlds? Perhaps. It really depends on what your needs and wants are with your daily wearable. If you’re on a relatively tight budget, and you want a basic fitness tracking device, pseudo-smartwatches are generally a lot nicer to use (and look at) than fitness bands.
Plus, if you don’t need the extra (and sometimes unnecessary) functionality that an app market can offer, pseudo-smartwatches can be an affordable, stylish, and overall great wearable for daily wear.
And that brings us to today’s guide! If this is your first time on one of our buyer’s guides, it’s pretty simple. Each device recommended by us in the list below is discussed in individual listings (which you can click on in the table below), and we’ll also be providing links to official stores where you can make purchases.
At the end of the guide, if you still can’t decide, head over to the editor’s choice section! There, I’ll list the top three pseudo-smartwatches in this guide, and there will also be a comparison table to give you a side-by-side glance at the key specs of each device.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way: this is SoyaCincau’s best pseudo-smartwatches you can buy right now.
[nextpage title=”Honor Watch GS Pro”]
The Honor Watch GS Pro is the company’s latest smartwatch, and its greatest strength is probably the rated battery life of up to 25 days. That’s pretty impressive by any account, and this makes this the battery champion within this guide—so keep that in mind. Basically, Honor has built upon the success of the Magic Watch 2 here, with some some significant upgrades.
For one, Honor promises that the GS Pro’s rugged-looking design makes it ideal for “urban adventurers” who enjoy outdoor activities. The watch case is made out of reinforced polymer, while a stainless steel bezel gives this a nice, premium touch. The ruggedness promised by Honor isn’t just aesthetic—the Watch GS Pro has passed 14 categories of MIL-STD-810G U.S. military-grade certifications.
The rest of its specs are very similar to the Magic Watch 2, which means the same Kirin A1 chip under the hood, and a 1.39″ AMOLED display pushing a 454×454 pixel resolution. You do get SpO2 monitoring capabilities, which basically means that you can use the Watch GS Pro to measure the oxygen saturation in your blood.
Meanwhile, like most of Honor’s watches, there is also 4GB of onboard storage for you to store MP3s for offline playback. However, do note that none of the major music streaming services (Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer) are supported on Watch GS Pro, so you’ll literally have to download (through legal means, of course) tracks—like the old days.
It’s certainly one of the pricier options in this guide, but it offers everything you really need in a pseudo-smartwatch. The main question you have to ask yourself here is: is this too big?
To find out more, click here.
Honor Watch GS Pro – RM999
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Honor retailers, Honor online store
[nextpage title=”Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite”]
The Mi Watch Lite, to me, is a new breed of wearable, one is more of a fitness band, while retaining the look of a smartwatch. Let me explain: when you look at the Mi Watch Lite, you see a smartwatch. But once you’ve set it up, and you use it, it’s an experience that is… very similar to a fitness band. For example, the interface running on Xiaomi’s wearable feels very, very lightweight, and when swiping through menus, there are literally no animations at all.
This might be a turn off for some, but this simplicity of the OS is probably one of the compromises that Xiaomi (or probably Huami, the manufacturer behind many Mi wearables) had to make to keep the price down to an affordable RM249. Regardless, the hardware on this is actually decent, especially considering its price.
You get a 1.4″ TFT LCD—not as vivid as an AMOLED, but still bright enough to view under sunlight. Meanwhile, the Mi Watch Lite also comes with built-in GPS, which means that the watch will be able to track your runs or hikes without the need to bring a paired smartphone. However, the watch misses out on SpO2 functionality, a feature that is already present on many fitness bands, which is rather disappointing.
Battery life is good, too, especially when you take into account how small the Mi Watch Lite is: up to nine days on a single charge. And of course, Xiaomi’s pseudo-smartwatch is rated at 5ATM for water resistance, so you’ll be able to take this on swims (and track your swims, too).
To find out more, click here.
Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite – RM249
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Xiaomi retailers
[nextpage title=”Realme Watch S”]
The Realme Watch S, like many of the company’s products, focuses on cramming as many specs as possible into an affordable package. This includes blood oxygen monitoring, IP68, support for 16 sports modes, and up to 15 days of battery life on a single charge. Up front, you’re looking at a 1.3″ LCD display.
However, something that the wearable misses out on is built-in GPS—which might be a deal-breaker for some.
Without built-in GPS, you’ll need to bring along a smartphone with you whenever you intend to track you journey. This is something that is perhaps more understandable for fitness bands due to their smaller sizes, but on a pseudo-smartwatch, it’s very disappointing to miss out on GPS for the Realme Watch S.
At a price of RM369, it’s an affordable option, and you do have most basic smart features that you’d expect, but perhaps you should consider the Mi Watch Lite if you’re on a shoestring budget.
Realme Watch S – RM369
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Realme retailers
[nextpage title=”Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro”]
The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is essentially an updated version of the 2019 Huawei Watch GT 2, although they’ve made a number of significant upgrades. The biggest of these is the addition of wireless charging support on the GT 2 Pro, and you’ll be able to use any Qi-compatible wireless charger to charge the watch—or even smartphones with revere wireless charging.
Its similarities with the Watch GT 2 also means that you get the same 14-day battery life, 1.39″ AMOLED display (454×454 pixels), and 4GB of onboard storage to store songs. However, you should note that the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro does not have support for Spotify/Apple Music/Deezer, so music playback will have to be via downloaded MP3s.
Like all of Huawei and Honor’s smartwatches in recent times, the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro runs on LiteOS, which is an easy-to-use, sports-focused, but limited interface. Still, there are over 100 workout modes supported, and there is even a “route back” feature which allows you to retrace your steps with GPS data.
You pretty much get everything you really need on a pseudo-smartwatch with the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro, I’d say. There’s even SpO2 monitoring to measure the saturation of oxygen in your blood, and as you would’ve guessed from the “route back” feature, built-in GPS.
However, this is the most expensive pseudo-smartwatch within this list. At RM1,199, you might be better off if you go for an actual smartwatch (with an app market)—such as the identically-priced base model for the Apple Watch SE. But remember—fully-fledged smartwatches won’t come close to matching the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro’s battery life.
Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro – RM1,199
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Huawei retailers
[nextpage title=”Amazfit GTR 2″]
Amazfit is the brand under which Huami sells their wearables. This is a significant piece of information, because Huami is also the manufacturing partner of Xiaomi’s wearables. This also possibly explains why Amazfit’s range of pseudo-smartwatches has so much variety—and value.
The GTR 2, in any case, comes in two variants: Classic and Sports. The former uses a stainless steel body and a leather strap, while the sports-focused version has a watch case made of aluminium alloy, along with a silicone strap. That aside, the rest of the specs are identical, including an SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen monitoring, a 1.39″ AMOLED display, and 14 days of battery life.
There’s even a built-in microphone, which you can use to answer calls. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a voice assistant that you can use on the Malaysian official version; XiaoAi is available for China models, while Amazon Alexa support does not extend to Malaysia. For a full list of supported regions for Alexa support on the GTR 2, click here.
You also get built-in GPS, along with 12 indoor and outdoor sports modes. 4GB of onboard storage should be enough for up to 600 songs, according to Amazfit, although there isn’t any mention of offline support for Spotify or other music streaming services. Other specs are pretty much standard: 5ATM water resistance, sleep tracking, and of course, smart compatibility with both iOS and Android smartphones.
Amazfit GTR 2 – RM699
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
[nextpage title=”Amazfit GTS 2″]
The Amazfit GTS 2 is very, very similar to the GTR 2. As you might’ve guessed however, the clearest difference here is the square-faced design of the GTS 2, although you get a lot of the same features as its rounder sibling. For one, there are 12 professional sports modes, with Amazfit promising 90 additional modes in the future, along with 5ATM water resistance, SpO2 functionality, and a built-in microphone.
Just like the GTR 2, the GTS 2 does not officially support the XiaoAi voice assistant outside China, and Amazon Alexa support for the global variant does not include Malaysia, sadly. For a full list of Alexa-supported regions, click here. You also get built-in GPS and 4GB of onboard storage for MP3s, but the GTS 2 does have one significant downgrade compared to the GTR 2: battery life.
Here, you’ll be getting something like seven days for typical usage, which is just half of the GTR 2’s promised battery life. Both devices are identically-priced, so if you’re not desperate for a square-faced, Apple Watch-like design, you’ll probably be better off with the GTR 2 over the Amazfit GTS 2.
Amazfit GTS 2 – RM699
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
[nextpage title=”Amazfit T-Rex”]
The T-Rex might be one of the more unique Amazfit wearables around, with a rugged-looking design that brings up memories of classic Casio G-Shocks. Similar to the Honor Watch GS Pro (also within this guide), the robustness of the pseudo-smartwatch isn’t just limited to its aesthetic—12 military certifications have been passed by the Amazfit T-Rex.
This means that the wearable has been tested for its ability to withstand temperatures anywhere between -40°C to 79°C, while the T-Rex can also handle a reasonable amount of salt spray, according to Amazfit. But all of that ruggedness also adds a large amount of heft to the device, and at 58g (without strap), this is one of the heaviest smartwatches within this list.
Up front, you get a 1.3″ AMOLED display, while there is also SpO2 functionality to measure the saturation of oxygen in your blood. Amazfit markets this as an “outdoor watch”, and they’ve also backed that up with built-in GPS to track your journeys—as well as the military certifications, as mentioned earlier.
Up to 20 days of battery life is promised by Amazfit for standard usage, which is very, very impressive. Ultimately, with the Amazfit T-Rex, the main question you should ask yourself is: do I need the ruggedness and battery life? If you enjoy large watches, this is one of the best options on the list, particularly due to its great battery life. However, I’d wager that those with smaller wrists might not enjoy having such a gigantic device on your wrist.
Oh, and apparently, this is pronounced as tee rex (like the dinosaur).
Amazfit T-Rex – RM499
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
[nextpage title=”Amazfit GTS 2 Mini”]
Next up, we have the Amazfit GTS 2 Mini. Shortly after the company released the GTS 2, the smaller, similarly square-faced GTS 2 Mini was launched. But does the Mini moniker mean that specs are downgraded over its larger sibling? Well… inevitably. However, the GTS 2 Mini still offers a lot for what you’re paying for—and a lower price tag than the GTS 2.
Specs include a 1.55″ AMOLED display, while you get a rated battery life of 14 days on a single charge. The pseudo-smartwatch is also rated at 5ATM for water resistance, and you get the popular SpO2 feature that measures the saturation of oxygen in your blood. Built-in GPS is also available, while you should be covered for almost every sport out door with over 70 workout modes supported.
Compared to the larger GTS 2, you’re missing out on a couple of things. For one, the GTS 2 Mini does not have onboard storage (or it isn’t made available), which means that you won’t be able to store MP3s for offline playback. You’ll still be able to control music playback on your phone remotely via the GTS 2 Mini, but you should also note that there is no offline support for popular streaming services such as Spotify.
But at a price of RM399, it’s just over half the price of the Amazfit GTS 2, which means that this might just be the better option for those of you on a tight budget. You’ll need to live without onboard storage, and the GTS 2 Mini has a slightly smaller screen as well. However, the Mini has twice the promised battery life, so you should also keep that in mind.
Amazfit GTS 2 Mini – RM399
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
[nextpage title=”Amazfit Bip U Pro”]
If you’re into the Apple Watch aesthetic, this is certainly a cheaper alternative. The Amazfit Bip U Pro comes with a 1.43″ LCD display, set within a square-shaped watch face. There’s even a digital dial that looks a lot like it was “inspired” by the Apple Watch’s crown, which you can use to navigate through menus on the Bip U Pro.
Meanwhile, other features include blood oxygen monitoring, built-in GPS, and 5ATM rating for water resistance. At 40.9mm wide, the smartwatch is also relatively compact, and you get up to 9 days of battery life promised on a single charge. For sports, 60 sports modes are available for your choosing, while Amazfit’s BioTracker PPG biological optical sensor can even track menstrual and ovulation cycles for female users.
There’s also a standard Amazfit Bip U, with a couple of small, but significant differences. The two main upgrades that the Pro model has over the regular version is built-in GPS—which is very important if you want to track your journeys—and Amazon Alexa support. However, the latter is basically moot for Malaysian users, with Amazfit only supporting the Alexa voice assistant in a couple of regions (not including Malaysia). For a full list of supported regions, click here.
Ultimately however, the Amazfit Bip U Pro is priced very, very similarly to the regular Bip U. At RM289, the Pro is only more expensive than the regular variant by RM40—so you’d be best advised to go for the range-topping model here.
Amazfit Bip U Pro – RM289
Amazfit Bip U – RM249
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
[nextpage title=”Realme Watch”]
The Realme Watch is essentially an affordable Apple Watch clone—but of course, because of its simple OS, it boasts battery life of up to a week. True to Realme’s branding, it offers quite a lot, despite being one of the more affordable pseudo-smartwatches within this guide.
For one thing, you get SpO2 functionality to monitor the saturation of oxygen in your blood, along with IP68 water and dust resistance. However, you do miss out on built-in GPS, which means that you’ll need to bring along a smartphone with you whenever you plan to track your journeys, such as runs or even hikes.
Meanwhile, there are also 14 sports modes supported, while you get the standard set of smart features such as remote music control, and notifications from popular apps on a paired smartphone. There are 12 built-in watch faces out of the box, and due to the rather limited nature of the OS, there won’t be too many custom options, unfortunately.
Realme Watch – RM299
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Realme retailers
[nextpage title=”Amazfit GTR 2e”]
Fresh off the block, the Amazfit GTR 2e has just been launched at the virtual CES 2021 event, alongside the Amazfit GTS 2e (which we’ll get to in a separate listing in this guide). The GTR 2e uses a round-faced 1.39″ AMOLED display, while you also get Amazfit’s BioTracker 2 PPG optical sensor—which means that the pseudo-smartwatch can handle blood oxygen measurements, sleep quality tracking, and stress monitoring.
Meanwhile, the GTR 2e also features much of the same functionality that the more expensive GTR 2 does, with 90 built-in sports modes, as well as over 50 watch faces that you can use. There’s also an always-on display, although having this feature on will most certainly negatively affect the battery life you can expect out of a single charge. Something worth noting is that the GTR 2e has very, very impressive battery life: rated for 24 days for “typical use” on a single charge.
Built-in GPS is also available, and the XiaoAi voice assistant is available for users in China. Something that the GTR 2e misses out on is support for Amazon Alexa—although all of Amazfit’s smartwatches do not support Alexa in Malaysia, sadly. Other features not available on the GTR 2e include onboard storage for offline music playback, and even support for calls over your wearable. This last bit is rather disappointing for me, but if you can live without the ability to take calls directly from your wrist, perhaps you won’t agree.
Regardless, this is a relatively affordable pseudo-smartwatch with most of the features that you’d want at this price point, so it’s still certainly a good option if you fancy the round-faced, simple design of the Amazfit GTR 2e.
Amazfit GTR 2e – RM549
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
[nextpage title=”Amazfit GTS 2e”]
The Amazfit GTS 2e is basically a square-faced version of the GTR 2e (which you can read about in this guide as well). The biggest difference here is the GTS 2e’s 1.65″ AMOLED display, which supposedly offers clarity and sharpness that’s comparable to the latest smartphones.
Other specs are identical to the GTR 2e. This includes water resistance of 50m thanks to 5ATM certification, while Huami’s BioTracker 2 PPG means that you’ll be able to measure the saturation of oxygen in your blood (SpO2). However, the GTS 2e only promises 14 days of battery life on a single charge, which is a lot worse than the 24-day battery life rated on the Amazfit GTR 2e.
Besides that, you get the same 90 built-in sports modes and intelligent sport recognition feature, the Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) assessment system, and other health features such as sleep and stress tracking. If you ask me, however, the better option here is the Amazfit GTR 2e—largely thanks to its impressive battery life. If you want a square-faced smartwatch, perhaps the Amazfit GTS 2e might fit the mould, but the near-identical GTR 2e offers more at the exact same price tag.
Amazfit GTS 2e – RM549
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
[nextpage title=”Xiaomi Mi Watch”]
One of the newer wearables on this list is the Xiaomi Mi Watch! Although it was previously announced for other markets, Xiaomi’s latest wearable is now available in Malaysia, and at a very competitive price for what it offers. In fact, the Mi Watch—despite its larger 1.39″ AMOLED display—has even longer battery life compared to the Mi Watch Lite with up to 16 days on a single charge.
117 fitness modes are available out of the box, and there’s also a dedicated “sport button” for easy access to fitness modes. Other specs don’t disappoint, either. You get an optimised PPG heart rate sensor which offers heart rate monitoring, as well as blood oxygen tracking (SpO2). This is a feature that is the go-to for many wearables these days, and it’s also something that’s conspicuously missing on the affordable Mi Watch Lite.
You also get built-in GPS, sleep tracking, stress tracking, and a couple of smart features. These include a camera shutter feature that turns the smartwatch into a viewfinder for your phone’s camera, and you’ll also be able to access messages and notifications directly on your wrist. Xiaomi also promises over 100 watch faces for you to choose from, and the watch is also rated at 5ATM for water resistance—which makes it safe to take on swims.
One thing to note: Amazon Alexa is technically supported on the global model, but we’re told that this functionality will only arrive via an OTA update (~February 2021). However, Amazon Alexa is not supported in Malaysia at the time of writing, so this would negate the voice assistant on the Mi Watch.
To find out more, click here.
Xiaomi Mi Watch – RM469
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Xiaomi retailers
[nextpage title=”Realme Watch S Pro”]
The Realme Watch S Pro is the company’s top-of-the-line option, and while many smartwatches in this price range often utilise plastic or aluminium builds, this one comes with a stainless steel watch case. In fact, this is only one of two options (along with the Honor Watch GS Pro) within this guide to have a steel back, so if you’re looking for something a little more premium (looking), this might be the one for you.
There is one major drawback to steel watch cases, though—the Realme Watch S Pro weighs in at a hefty 63.5g, including the strap.
Specs-wise, you’re pretty much par for course with Realme’s latest smartwatch. That includes a 1.39″ AMOLED display, 14 days of battery life, and a (rather low) total of 15 sports modes that are built in. You get a PPG heart rate sensor that also does SpO2 monitoring—which is apparently a must-have on smartwatches in this day and age. SpO2 basically measures the saturation of oxygen in your blood to give you a better overall picture of your health, and more advanced analysis of the metric should arrive in the months/years to come.
Other features include the ability to control music playback or use the watch as a viewfinder, while you also get built-in GPS and 5ATM water resistance on the Realme Watch S Pro.
To find out more, click here.
Realme Watch S Pro – RM599
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Realme retailers
[nextpage title=”Amazfit T-Rex Pro”]
The Amazfit T-Rex Pro brings over the ruggedness of the T-Rex, but with the “Pro” moniker comes something that isn’t available on many sub-RM1,000 wearables: 10ATM water resistance. According to Amazfit, this means that the watch should be good for 100m of submersion, which means that this is the best choice for those of you who plan to actually dive to depths that are deeper than your average swimming pool.
That aside, you get everything that you’d need on a pseudo-smartwatch: SpO2 tracking, a decently-sized 1.3″ AMOLED display, as well as a plethora (100+) sports modes to choose from. Meanwhile, the T-Rex Pro is also certified for 15 MIL-STD-810G military tests, which means that this should be one of the most durable smartwatches you can get your hands on at this price point.
All of that for a retail price of RM659, although some of you who prefer a simpler look may not appreciate the T-Rex Pro’s chunky, G-Shock-like design.
Amazfit T-Rex Pro – RM659
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
[nextpage title=”Editor’s choice + comparison table”]
And there we have it! If you’ve gone through the entire guide… and you still can’t make a decision, no judgement here. I’ve spent hours just deciding on the pseudo-smartwatches to include in this buyer’s guide, and I totally understand how difficult it can be to choose the right wearable for you.
In any case, click on the comparison table above to get a side-by-side glance at some of the key specs we’ve discussed. And if you still can’t decide, I’ve also compiled a podium list of three pseudo-smartwatches that—in my humble opinion—are the best of the lot. The three options within this section effectively cater to three different types of users, and I’ve tried to ensure that there’s something here for everyone.
Welcome to the editor’s choice!
On the top step of the podium is the Amazfit T-Rex Pro! To be utterly honest with you, this decision was a very difficult one to make. On the one hand, Amazfit’s rugged pseudo-smartwatch might not be everybody’s cup of tea, and I’d only recommend this to those of you who enjoy using big, chunky watches in general.
But the T-Rex Pro gets the top pick in today’s buyer’s guide, simply because it offers everything that you really need on a pseudo-smartwatch—along with some great battery life. Up to 18 days of battery life is superb, and you also get SpO2 monitoring, built-in GPS, and more than 100 sport modes.
And something that gives this the edge over all the other wearables in this list is the Amazfit T-Rex Pro’s 10ATM water resistance—which means that it should be good for 100m of submersion. And when you add in the 15 MIL-STD-810G categories that the T-Rex Pro is certified for, this is one of the best pseudo-smartwatches you can find around today.
Amazfit T-Rex Pro – RM659
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Amazfit retailers
The Xiaomi Mi Watch offers almost everything you need in a pseudo-smartwatch. A 1.39″ AMOLED display, blood oxygen measurements, built-in GPS, and a wide range of sports modes and watch faces. Xiaomi even includes an always-on display, although personally I’d turn that off to extend the wearable’s battery life on a single charge.
Speaking of battery life, the Mi Watch is promised to last up to 16 days on a single charge. This is a decent figure, and if you prefer the minimalist design of Xiaomi’s wearable over the rugged Amazfit T-Rex Pro, this might be a better option for you. I must say that the lack of a voice assistant (Alexa is not supported on Xiaomi watches in Malaysia… yet) is rather disappointing.
In fact, if Alexa was included, this would probably be sitting on the top step of the podium. Regardless, this is still a really good choice for most users, and personally, I find the design of the Mi Watch to be better suited to daily wear than something like the T-Rex Pro.
To find out more, click here. Read the full review here.
Xiaomi Mi Watch – RM469
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Xiaomi retailers
The final place on the podium goes to Xiaomi’s Mi Watch Lite! You might be a little surprised, but my decision mainly boiled down to one aspect: affordability. At just RM249, this is the cheapest device in this list, but you still get a tonne of functionality, and a respectable battery life of up to nine days.
SpO2 tracking isn’t available on the Malaysian version of the Mi Watch Lite, unfortunately, but there’s built-in GPS, 5ATM of water resistance, and the standard range of health and sports tracking features that you’d expect on a Xiaomi fitness tracker. In fact, the experience of using the Mi Watch Lite is best explained as one that is somewhere in between pseudo-smartwatches and fitness bands—which is probably why the price tag is so affordable.
You will have to live with a 1.4″ TFT LCD, which isn’t as vivid as the AMOLED displays on a lot of the other devices in this guide, but it’s still bright enough to view under sunlight. Plus, the interface on Xiaomi’s wearable feels lightweight, and easy to get used to—but just like fitness bands, there are zero animations whenever you swipe through menus.
I suppose this is the best way to put it: if you’ve enjoyed the experience of using the Mi Smart Band 5, but you’ve always wished it had a larger screen—this is the one for you.
To find out more, click here.
Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite – RM249
Where to buy:
Online: Lazada, Shopee
Store: Authorised Xiaomi retailers
That brings us to the end of today’s buyer’s guide! To recap on some important information: this is one instalment in a series of buyer’s guides that cover the entire spectrum of wearables that are available today. We’ve already published our guides to conventional smartwatches, fitness bands, and now, pseudo-smartwatches. In the weeks to come, we’ll also be releasing a final buyer’s guide for the series—one that covers sports-centric smartwatches that offer advanced insights and features for enthusiasts.
In the meantime, if you think I missed out on any viable contenders for this guide, share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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