Xiaomi is preparing to sell three versions of essentially the same smartwatch within a few months of each other, and the cheaper of the two newcomers costs almost 30% less than the model that just launched. A fresh leak lays out full specs, colors and European pricing for the Redmi Watch 6 Active and Redmi Watch 6 Lite, the budget siblings joining the Redmi Watch 6 that only reached global shelves this spring.
The pricing has a twist. The Active, despite its name, is the cheaper of the two new models. That quirk points at something bigger than a naming slip: Xiaomi is plugging every gap on the budget shelf before rivals can claim the space, and it is doing so just as Google prepares to push its own smartwatch upmarket.
Three Watches, One Family, Three Price Rungs
The leak traces back to 91mobiles, which credited tipster Sudhanshu for the renders, color options and European pricing on both watches. Techgenyz and NotebookCheck independently reproduced the same specs within a day, and the pattern lines up across every outlet that has seen the sheets.
The Redmi Watch 6 Active gets a 1.85-inch AMOLED display at 390 by 450 pixels, Bluetooth 5.3 with calling support, and tracking for heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep, distance and calories burned across more than 140 sports modes. It runs on a 470mAh battery, works with both Android and iOS, and is expected in black, gray and pink for around EUR 50 (about $58).
The Redmi Watch 6 Lite sits a notch higher. It carries a bigger 1.96-inch AMOLED panel at 410 by 502 pixels, the same tracking suite as the Active, plus a 9-axis motion sensor, multi-system satellite positioning and a built-in speaker for calls. It shares the Active’s 470mAh cell and lands in black and beige for roughly EUR 60 (about $69).
| Model | Display | Battery | Sports Modes | Extra Hardware | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmi Watch 6 Active | 1.85 inch, 390 x 450 | 470mAh | 140+ | Bluetooth calling, pedometer | EUR 50 (~$58) |
| Redmi Watch 6 Lite | 1.96 inch, 410 x 502 | 470mAh | 140+ | 9-axis sensor, GPS, speaker | EUR 60 (~$69) |
| Redmi Watch 6 (standard) | 2.07 inch | 550mAh | 150+ | GNSS, 5 ATM rating | CNY 599 (~$82 in China) |
Design-wise, both new models share a square dial. That is a departure from the standard Redmi Watch 6’s official product listing, which shipped in Moonlight Silver, Elegant Black and Misty Blue with a rounder, curved-edge case.
What Xiaomi Cut to Hit EUR 50 and EUR 60
Getting to those prices meant trimming real hardware. NotebookCheck reported the Active’s digital crown has been removed entirely, leaving button-only navigation. Battery capacity drops 14.5%, from the standard watch’s 550mAh to 470mAh, which NotebookCheck estimated works out to roughly ten days of normal use or twenty days in power-saving mode, well short of the standard model’s rated 24 days.
Sports mode counts shrank too. The standard Redmi Watch 6 tracks more than 150 activities. Both new models top out around 140. Screen size shrank the most on the Active, down to 1.85 inches from 2.07 inches on the regular watch, while the Lite splits the difference at 1.96 inches and keeps the satellite positioning and speaker that the Active drops entirely.
Blocking Realme Before Realme Can Move
Techgenyz, a gadget-leak outlet that reviewed the same spec sheets, framed the strategy plainly. The site described the leaks as painting a picture of flooding every tier of the budget wearable market, arguing the goal is to box out rivals like Realme before they can grab share at any single price point.
That reasoning tracks with how Xiaomi has run this playbook before. The company undercut competitors on charging hardware with its 67W Power Bank 5i pricing ahead of its India launch, using the same approach of stacking a cheap, a cheaper and a cheapest option in one category rather than leaving room for a rival to own an entire price bracket.
The Pixel Watch 5 Is Headed the Other Way
While Redmi pushes prices down, Google is pushing its own smartwatch up. Leaked pricing reported by French outlet Dealabs, citing leaker billbil-kun, shows the Pixel Watch 5 starting at $399 for the base 41mm Wi-Fi model, a $50 jump from the Pixel Watch 4’s $349 starting price. It would be the first series-wide increase since the original Pixel Watch launched in 2022.
- 41mm Wi-Fi: $399, up $50 from the Pixel Watch 4
- 41mm LTE: $499
- 45mm Wi-Fi: $429, up $30
- 45mm LTE: $529
Those leaked renders show the price climbing across every configuration, putting the entry model in line with Apple Watch Series 11 pricing. Samsung moves first regardless: its Galaxy Unpacked event today is set to reveal the Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2, both expected to carry their own price increases, giving Samsung a three week head start before Google’s August 12 event.
A Market Splitting at the Top and the Bottom
The numbers back up what the leaks suggest. Global smartwatch shipments grew 4% year over year in the first quarter, and the average selling price climbed 6% over the same stretch, driven largely by premium features and health sensors rather than unit volume.
China told a different story at the low end. Domestic Chinese smartwatch shipments rose 15% in the same quarter, with Huawei holding around 40% of that market, followed by Imoo and Xiaomi. Two forces are pulling at the same category from opposite ends: premium buyers paying more for sensors and software, budget buyers getting finer and finer price slices of the same basic hardware.
Who Actually Wins When Every Tier Gets Cheaper?
Buyers shopping under $100 gain real choice: a caller-focused tracker, a GPS-equipped fitness watch, or the fuller-featured original, each priced to match exactly what it includes. That is a genuine upside, and it costs Xiaomi very little to offer since the hardware differences are mostly display size and one or two sensors.
The cost lands elsewhere. Three watches this close in spec and price cannibalize each other before a single unit ships, and rivals chasing the same $50 to $70 band lose room to differentiate on price alone. None of the three has a confirmed launch date or region outside the leaked European figures, so the near-term effect on any actual rival is still theoretical rather than measured.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Redmi Watch 6 Active cheaper than the Redmi Watch 6 Lite?
The Active drops the 9-axis motion sensor, satellite positioning and speaker that the Lite keeps, along with a smaller display. Despite the name suggesting a sportier, pricier model, the Active is the stripped-down option, while the Lite carries the extra hardware that pushes its price to EUR 60 against the Active’s EUR 50.
Will the Redmi Watch 6 Active and Lite launch in India or the United States?
Neither the leak nor Xiaomi has confirmed markets beyond Europe so far. The standard Redmi Watch 6 followed a similar pattern, launching in China first before reaching Thailand, Poland and other regions in the following months, so a wider rollout for the Active and Lite is plausible but unconfirmed.
How does battery life compare across the three Redmi Watch 6 models?
The standard Watch 6 is rated for up to 24 days on its 550mAh cell. The Active and Lite share a smaller 470mAh battery, with NotebookCheck estimating roughly ten days of typical use or twenty days in power-saving mode, a real trade-off for the lower price.
What is Xiaomi’s actual strategy behind three watches in one family?
Beyond blocking rivals like Realme on price, the move lines up with market share data. Counterpoint Research’s full-year 2025 tracker placed Xiaomi’s global smartwatch share at around 9%, well behind Apple’s 23% and Huawei’s 17%, giving Xiaomi a clear incentive to compete on price breadth rather than premium features.
Xiaomi has not set a launch date for the Redmi Watch 6 Active or Lite. Google makes its own numbers official on August 12.
