Realme Watch review: Gets the job done

Brand: Realme

Product: Realme Watch

Key specs: 1.4-inch display, 160mAh battery, Bluetooth 5.0, 14 sports modes, heart rate monitor, SpO2 sensor.

Price: ₹3,999

Rating: 3.5/5

Realme is gradually expanding its non-smartphone portfolio. Already, it has launched wireless earbuds and a smart TV. The latest offering is a smartwatch. Called Realme Watch, the device is targeted at the entry-level smartwatches segment. 

As you can see in the image, Realme Watch looks quite like the popular Apple Watch but without the crown. After having used a variety of smartwatches and fitness bands, Realme Watch does not seem like a disruptive product that the non-Apple smartwatch segment has longed for. But it does one thing right – gets the job of a basic smartwatch done.

That said, Realme Watch is not the only smartwatch that is an Apple Watch clone. Of late, we have seen similar designs from Amazfit and Noise. It has a smaller 1.4-inch display which is coloured and supports touchscreen. But you have to press the side button if you want to turn the screen on. Colours on the display look pretty toned and you can also adjust the brightness. It was quite visible even outside with strong sunlight.

The touchscreen is pretty responsive and the menu is quite easy to navigate. It won’t take long for you to get used to it. You need the Realme Link to connect the smartwatch and customise additional controls. There’s a set of 12 watch faces to choose from and honestly I didn’t like any of them. Hopefully, Realme will add better watch faces in the future or make it possible for users to add their own.

Also, the Realme Link app is available only on Android so the Realme Watch won’t work with an iPhone.

The smartwatch supports notifications for apps and calls. There’s a read option that appears whenever a new notification pops up but you can’t really read it. You can’t answer calls on the smartwatch either since it doesn’t have a loudspeaker.

One major issue I had with the Realme Watch was with WhatsApp notifications. If you have unread chats, the smartwatch will alert you of those repeatedly whenever there’s a new WhatsApp notification. It became so annoying to the point that I had to disable WhatsApp notifications on the Realme Watch.

More so because the vibration on the Realme Watch is crazy strong. You can choose a low vibration mode which I chose to prevent those untimely shocks on my wrist.

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The Realme Watch’s connectivity is pretty good. There was no lag in receiving notifications and it responds fast for music playback controls as well. The Realme Watch ran for around 7 days on full charge. It can continue for up to 9 days theoretically.

The smartwatch has a heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor to monitor your blood-oxygen level. This feature is pretty helpful especially now with the pandemic. It also supports 14 sports modes like cycling, football, basketball, yoga, badminton and table tennis. These are mostly outdoor sports so you probably won’t be able to try them out now.

Battery life on the Realme Watch is also very dependable. On regular usage it will last you well around a week. The Realme Watch is claimed to run up to 9 days.

Verdict

To sum it up, Realme Watch gets the job done. I did have my qualms with notifications but otherwise it does well in the rest of the areas. And it’s pretty affordable at ₹3,999. The Realme Watch doesn’t have built-in GPS. So, if you’re someone who wants to keep track of your pace and distance you might want to go for something more premium.