COLMI P86 Smart Watch Review: Curved AMOLED Display That Looks Like It Costs Twice the Price

The COLMI P86 Smart Watch has one feature that immediately sets it apart from every other watch in the COLMI lineup: a curved AMOLED display. While most budget smartwatches use flat screens, the P86's curved panel wraps gently around the face of the watch, creating a more immersive, premium visual experience that significantly closes the perceived gap between a £45 budget watch and a £300 flagship. Combined with a 12-day battery life, comprehensive health monitoring, 100+ sports modes, and IP68 water resistance, the P86 makes a compelling case for anyone who wants premium aesthetics at an accessible price.

This review covers everything: the curved display in practice, build quality, health tracking accuracy, battery performance, smart features, and who should choose the P86 over other COLMI models.

What Makes a Curved Display Different?

Most smartwatch displays are flat glass panels sitting flush with or slightly raised above the watch case. A curved display — as found on the P86 — has glass that curves gently at the edges, flowing into the case sides rather than meeting them at a sharp right angle. This design approach has several practical and aesthetic effects:

• Premium appearance: Curved displays are associated with high-end devices. The Galaxy Watch series, premium iPhones, and flagship OLED televisions all use curved or edge-to-edge displays as markers of luxury. On the P86, this association is immediate and powerful — it simply looks more expensive than a flat-screen watch at the same price.
• More immersive viewing: The gentle curve means the display extends closer to the case edge, reducing the visual impact of the bezel and creating a more seamless appearance when viewing the watch face.
• Comfortable fit: The curved edges reduce the sharpness of the watch's profile against the wrist, making it feel slightly more contoured and natural during wear compared to flat-edged devices.
• Edge visibility: Content at the very edge of the display curves slightly away from the viewing angle, which can reduce visibility of edge elements when looking at the watch from straight ahead. Modern software accounts for this by keeping important information away from the extreme edges of the screen.

For the P86, the curved display is the primary visual differentiator and the reason most buyers choose it over the flat-screened P80 or P81. It's a genuine design choice with real-world impact on how the watch looks and feels, not just a spec sheet bullet point.

Design and Build Quality

The P86 has a clean, contemporary design that leans sophisticated rather than sporty. The curved display is the focal point, and COLMI has wisely kept everything else understated — slim bezels, minimal case decoration, and a strap-to-case transition that flows cleanly without protruding buttons or aggressive styling elements.

Available in multiple colour options with silicone straps, the P86 suits a wide range of tastes and settings. The silicone strap is soft and comfortable against the skin, and the standard 20mm strap attachment means you can swap to a third-party leather, mesh, or alternative silicone band easily and inexpensively if you want a different look for different occasions.

Build quality is excellent for the price point. The case construction is solid without any flex or hollow feeling, the crown button has a satisfying click response, and the curved glass sits flush and smooth against the edges of the case without any rough transitions. Holding the P86, you'd be hard-pressed to identify it as a budget device by feel alone — it competes credibly with devices costing significantly more.

IP68 water resistance is standard, providing protection against daily moisture exposure including sweat, rain, hand washing, and brief accidental submersion. Extended swimming is not recommended with IP68 — for that use case, the COLMI P76 (3ATM rated) is the better choice.

The Curved AMOLED Display in Daily Use

The display is exceptional for a sub-£45 smartwatch. AMOLED technology already produces superior picture quality to the IPS LCD found on most budget devices — true blacks, vivid colours, high contrast, and good sunlight performance. The curved form factor adds visual sophistication on top of this already impressive foundation.

Watch faces on the P86 are genuinely beautiful. Dark-themed faces in particular take full advantage of AMOLED's true-black capability and the curved edges to create a visual effect that looks far more premium than the price would suggest. The Da Fit app provides a library of downloadable watch faces across a range of styles, and the P86's display does justice to all of them.

Touchscreen responsiveness is excellent. Navigation between screens, scrolling through menus, and interacting with health data all feel smooth and accurate. The curve doesn't cause any issues with touch registration along the edges, and the auto-brightness adjustment works well across indoor and outdoor conditions. In direct bright sunlight, readability is good — better than most IPS LCD watches at this price and on par with higher-end AMOLED devices.

Health and Fitness Monitoring

Continuous Heart Rate Monitoring

The P86 monitors your heart rate continuously 24/7 using optical sensors on the back of the watch. Real-time readings are available on demand from the watch face, and trend data is stored in the Da Fit app for historical analysis. Heart rate zone monitoring during workouts allows you to ensure you're training at the right intensity for your goals. High and low heart rate alerts are configurable and provide passive health monitoring throughout the day.

Blood Oxygen (SpO2) Monitoring

On-demand SpO2 measurements take approximately 30 seconds and provide blood oxygen saturation readings suitable for general wellness monitoring. Results are stored in the Da Fit app alongside your other health data, giving you a comprehensive health picture over time.

Sleep Stage Tracking

Wear the P86 overnight and it automatically detects your sleep and tracks light, deep, and REM stages throughout the night. Morning sleep quality scores and detailed breakdowns help you understand your rest patterns and identify factors affecting your sleep quality. The slim, comfortable profile of the P86 makes it manageable to wear overnight compared to bulkier watch designs.

Stress Monitoring

HRV-based stress monitoring provides an ongoing estimate of your autonomic nervous system state, displayed as a stress score in the Da Fit app. Guided breathing exercises are accessible directly from the watch for active stress management when your score is elevated. Tracking daily stress patterns over weeks helps identify your personal stress triggers and the effectiveness of management strategies.

100+ Sports Modes

The P86 supports over 100 sports modes covering running, cycling, swimming (casual, within IP68 limits), yoga, weight training, badminton, tennis, hiking, dancing, and many more. Each mode adjusts tracking parameters to better reflect the activity being performed and provides calorie burn estimates and duration data. GPS is phone-connected rather than built-in — for standalone GPS, see the COLMI P82 or V76.

Step Counting and Daily Activity

Automatic daily step counting, calorie burn estimation, and active distance tracking provide a comprehensive picture of your overall daily activity level. Sedentary reminders prompt movement if you've been inactive for a configurable period. The Da Fit app tracks weekly and monthly trends, showing your progress over time in a clear, motivating format.

Technical Specifications

• Display: Curved AMOLED touchscreen
• Bluetooth: 5.3
• Water resistance: IP68
• Sports modes: 100+
• Sensors: Optical HR, SpO2, accelerometer, gyroscope
• Battery life: Up to 12 days typical use
• Strap: Silicone, 20mm interchangeable
• Compatibility: iOS and Android
• Companion app: Da Fit (free, no subscription required)

Battery Life: 12 Days Is Outstanding

The P86 delivers up to 12 days of battery life under typical use conditions — health monitoring active, notifications enabled, always-on display disabled. This is one of the longest battery lives in the COLMI lineup and significantly exceeds most AMOLED smartwatches at any price point. Apple Watch lasts under 2 days. Samsung Galaxy Watch lasts 3 to 4 days. The P86 lasts nearly two weeks.

This battery performance is achieved through a combination of the efficient AMOLED panel (which consumes no power for black pixels, the dominant colour in most watch faces), Bluetooth 5.3's improved power efficiency, and optimised power management in the watch's processor. For users who find daily or every-other-day charging burdensome, the P86's 12-day battery is a genuine quality-of-life improvement.

Heavy users who enable always-on display or track multiple GPS-connected workouts daily should expect closer to 6 to 8 days — still excellent, though the AOD option is best reserved for situations where it genuinely adds value. Charging via the magnetic cable takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours from flat.

Smart Features

The P86 connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth 5.3 and supports the full suite of smart notification features:

• Incoming call alerts with caller ID displayed on the curved screen — the caller's name looks particularly sharp on the high-quality AMOLED panel
• SMS, WhatsApp, email, and app notifications with message preview
• Music playback control from the wrist
• Weather forecast display synced from your phone
• Find my phone function
• Remote camera shutter
• Vibration alarm for silent wake-up

Bluetooth calling (voice calls from the watch) is not supported on the P86 — for that feature, the COLMI P71 or P82 are the relevant models.

P86 vs P85: Which Unique Design Is For You?

The COLMI P85 offers a horizontal AMOLED screen orientation (landscape mode) while the P86 offers the curved AMOLED display in standard portrait orientation. Both are distinctively designed watches that stand out from conventional rectangular smartwatches. The P86 is more versatile — the curved display enhances the standard portrait format that all watch faces are designed for. The P85 is more unusual and will appeal to buyers who specifically want a completely different visual format.

P86 vs P82: Design vs Functionality

The P82 at a slightly higher price brings built-in GPS and an even larger 2.13-inch display but with a flat screen. The P86 offers the curved AMOLED aesthetic and 12-day battery life without GPS. If outdoor GPS tracking is important to you, choose the P82. If design quality and long battery life are your priorities without needing standalone GPS, the P86 is the more visually impressive choice.

Who Should Buy the COLMI P86?

• Design-conscious buyers who want a smartwatch that genuinely looks premium at a budget price
• Users who appreciate the visual sophistication of curved displays from flagship devices
• Those who want 12-day battery life combined with AMOLED display quality
• People who want an all-day wearable that transitions elegantly from sport to casual to semi-professional settings
• Gift buyers looking for a watch that looks significantly more expensive than it actually is

Verdict

The COLMI P86 is one of the most visually impressive budget smartwatches available in 2026. The curved AMOLED display is genuinely stunning, the 12-day battery life is exceptional, and the overall build quality punches well above its price class. If you want a smartwatch that looks like it costs £150 and performs like it costs £45, the P86 achieves that rare combination.

For buyers where design is as important as functionality, the P86 sits at the top of the COLMI lineup's aesthetic hierarchy. It earns our strong recommendation as one of the most style-forward budget smartwatches available anywhere in 2026.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 — The best-looking smartwatch in the COLMI range. The curved AMOLED display and 12-day battery life make it exceptional value for money.