COLMI V69 Smart Watch Review: Large 1.85-Inch Display for Under £32

The COLMI V69 Smart Watch makes a clear and direct value proposition: the largest display in the COLMI entry-level range at the lowest price point. The 1.85-inch screen is immediately noticeable when you first hold the watch — it's genuinely large, making it one of the most readable budget smartwatches available at any price. Paired with comprehensive health monitoring, smart notifications, and a clean design, the V69 is the natural recommendation for anyone who has ever squinted at a small smartwatch display and thought there had to be a better option.

This full review covers the V69's design and comfort, display quality, health tracking performance, battery life, smart features, and how it compares to its closest COLMI siblings to help you decide if it's the right watch for your needs.

Design: Built Around the Display

The V69's design philosophy is straightforwardly practical: the case is sized to accommodate the large display without unnecessary bulk elsewhere. The rectangular case has clean, minimal styling with slim side profiles that keep the overall wrist presence manageable despite the large screen. The result is a watch that reads as screen-forward rather than case-forward — the display dominates your visual impression from the moment you put it on.

Available in multiple colour options including Black, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold across different strap configurations, the V69 offers reasonable style variety within its entry-level positioning. The silicone strap is soft and skin-friendly, comfortable for extended wear including overnight use, and uses standard 20mm strap attachment dimensions that allow aftermarket band replacement.

Build quality is solid for the price point. The case construction doesn't flex or creak, the buttons have reasonable tactile response, and there's no obvious quality shortcutting that would make the watch feel flimsy or cheap. IP68 water resistance is standard, handling daily moisture exposure — sweat, rain, hand washing, brief accidental immersion — without concern.

The overall design impression is of a watch that prioritises readability and practicality over fashion-forward styling. Compared to the V72 or V73 with their AMOLED displays and more refined aesthetics, the V69 is the practical choice rather than the stylish one. This is appropriate for its positioning and will suit buyers who prioritise function and readability over visual impact.

The 1.85-Inch Display: Why Size Matters Here

The V69's 1.85-inch IPS display is the largest screen on any entry-level COLMI smartwatch and is the primary reason to choose it over alternatives at a similar price. Here's why screen size matters more than most buyers initially expect:

Readability at a Glance

The fundamental interaction with a smartwatch is a quick wrist glance. You raise your wrist for 2 to 3 seconds, read what you need, and lower it again. A larger display allows more information to be presented at larger text sizes, making this glance interaction faster and less prone to squinting or re-raising the wrist for a second look. For health data — heart rate numbers, step counts, sleep scores — larger text on a larger screen is simply more comfortable and more immediately legible.

Notification Reading

Message notifications on a 1.85-inch display can show longer message previews at a readable size than smaller displays. Caller ID information fills the screen prominently. For users who frequently receive and want to read notifications on their wrist, the V69's larger display is a genuine practical benefit over smaller alternatives.

Older Users and Users With Visual Challenges

For older adults or users who wear reading glasses, a large display smartwatch is often the difference between a wearable that's actually usable day to day and one that requires squinting or glasses to interact with comfortably. The V69's 1.85-inch display is explicitly one of the top recommendations for senior users who want a functional smartwatch without the frustration of tiny text.

The IPS vs AMOLED Trade-Off

The V69 uses an IPS LCD panel rather than the AMOLED displays found on the V72, V73, and other COLMI models. IPS is reliable and produces good colour reproduction and viewing angles, but doesn't match AMOLED in terms of contrast, black depth, or visual punch. At equivalent price points, the V72 offers AMOLED at a comparable price but with a slightly smaller display.

The choice between V69 and V72 therefore comes down to: do you prefer a larger screen with good IPS quality, or a smaller screen with superior AMOLED quality? There is no objectively correct answer — it depends on what you use the watch for and what you find more important in daily use.

Health and Fitness Monitoring

The V69 delivers the core COLMI health monitoring suite consistently across its range:

Continuous Heart Rate Monitoring

24/7 optical heart rate monitoring tracks your pulse throughout the day and night. Real-time readings are displayed prominently on the V69's large screen — one area where the display size genuinely adds practical value is in reading your heart rate number clearly during exercise without needing to hold the watch close or squint. Trend data is stored in the Da Fit app for historical analysis.

Blood Oxygen (SpO2) Monitoring

On-demand SpO2 measurements take approximately 30 seconds and provide blood oxygen saturation readings for general wellness monitoring. The results are displayed on the watch's large screen in a legible format before syncing to the Da Fit app for historical storage.

Sleep Stage Tracking

Automatic overnight sleep detection tracks light, deep, and REM stages, providing a morning sleep quality score and stage breakdown in the Da Fit app. The V69's comfortable silicone strap makes overnight wearing practical and consistent, allowing the sleep tracking to build up a meaningful baseline over the first 2 weeks of use.

Stress Monitoring

HRV-based stress level monitoring provides ongoing stress score tracking throughout the day. Guided breathing exercises are accessible from the watch face for active stress management when scores are elevated.

Multiple Sports Modes

The V69 supports multiple sports modes covering running, walking, cycling, swimming (within IP68 limits), yoga, and other common fitness activities. The sports mode selection covers the activities that most users regularly engage in without the 100+ mode breadth of the P-series models.

Step Counting and Daily Activity

Daily step counting, calorie burn estimation, and active distance tracking run automatically. Sedentary reminders prompt regular movement during long inactive periods. The large display makes checking your daily step progress particularly easy — a quick wrist raise shows your count clearly without navigating through menus.

Technical Specifications

Display: 1.85-inch IPS touchscreen
Bluetooth: 5.0
Water resistance: IP68
Sensors: Optical HR, SpO2, accelerometer, gyroscope
GPS: Phone-connected
Strap: Silicone, 20mm interchangeable
Compatibility: iOS and Android
Companion app: Da Fit (free, no subscription)

Battery Life

The V69 delivers approximately 7 to 10 days of typical battery life under standard conditions — health monitoring active, notifications enabled, always-on display disabled. A larger display can potentially consume more power than a smaller one, but COLMI's power management keeps the V69 competitive with other models in the range on battery performance. Most users can comfortably go a full week between charges.

Charging via the magnetic cable takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours from flat to full. The magnetic connection is reliable and straightforward to attach.

Smart Features

The V69 connects via Bluetooth 5.0 and handles all core smart notification features:

Call alerts with caller ID displayed in large text on the prominent screen
SMS and app notifications from WhatsApp, email, and social apps
Music playback control from the wrist
Weather forecast display
Find my phone function
Alarm with vibration for silent wake-up
Remote camera shutter

Bluetooth calling is not supported on the V69. For that feature, the P71 or P82 are the appropriate choices.

V69 vs V72: The Key Choice

The most direct comparison for the V69 is the COLMI V72, which sits at a very similar price point with meaningfully different characteristics. This comparison is worth examining in detail because many buyers will be choosing between exactly these two models.

Display

The V72's AMOLED display produces dramatically better picture quality: true blacks, vivid saturated colours, and high contrast that makes watch faces and data look genuinely premium. The V69's 1.85-inch IPS is larger but doesn't match the visual quality of the V72's AMOLED panel. Side by side, the visual difference is immediately apparent and consistently favours the V72 in terms of picture quality.

However, the V69's display is physically larger, which translates to larger text and more comfortable reading at a glance — a different kind of advantage that some users will prefer, particularly those who value readability over visual aesthetics.

Price

The V69 and V72 are typically priced within £1 to £3 of each other, making the price difference a minor factor. The choice is almost entirely about display preference: size vs quality.

Who Should Choose the V69

Users who specifically want the largest possible display for easy reading
Older adults or users with visual challenges who benefit from large text
Those who prefer a larger wrist presence and the feeling of a more substantial watch
Buyers who check their step count and heart rate frequently and want the clearest possible display for quick glances

Who Should Choose the V72

Users who prioritise display quality and visual impact over screen size
Those who want AMOLED watch faces to look premium and vibrant
Buyers who want Rose Gold colour (V69 may not offer this in all configurations)
Anyone who doesn't specifically need the largest possible display

V69 vs C8 Max: Two Large-Display Entry Models

The COLMI C8 Max is another large-display entry-level watch at a similar price, featuring a 1.93-inch display — even larger than the V69's 1.85-inch panel. The C8 Max is simpler in its feature set and even more focused on accessibility and ease of use. The V69 offers a more complete sports mode selection and slightly more advanced health tracking depth than the basic C8 Max.

For the simplest possible large-display smartwatch: choose the C8 Max. For more complete sports tracking and health features in a large-display package: choose the V69.

Who Should Buy the COLMI V69?

Buyers who specifically want the largest readable display in the COLMI entry-level range
Older adults who find smaller smartwatch displays difficult to read
Users who check their watch frequently and want the most comfortable at-a-glance experience
People who prefer a more traditional, substantial watch presence on the wrist
First-time smartwatch buyers who want a practical, no-fuss large-screen option
Gift buyers for older relatives who need something simple and highly readable

Verdict

The COLMI V69 earns its place in the lineup by doing one thing better than any other model at its price point: providing a large, highly readable display that makes everyday smartwatch interactions comfortable and clear. For users who value readability and screen size over visual sophistication, it's the most practical choice in the COLMI entry-level range.

For buyers who can accept a slightly smaller display in exchange for dramatically better picture quality, the COLMI V72's AMOLED panel represents a superior overall package at essentially the same price. The right choice between them is genuinely a personal preference call, and both are excellent watches at their price point.

Rating: 4.1 / 5 — The most readable budget smartwatch in the COLMI range. The large 1.85-inch display is a genuine differentiator for users who prioritise clarity and accessibility.