Realme Watch review - An unpolished experience - Android

Now that both Xiaomi and Realme have cornered the affordable fitness tracker market, a smartwatch is the next logical progression. Enter the Realme Watch, the company’s first attempt at a large-screen smartwatch at an affordable price point.

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The Realme Watch isn’t a full-blown Wear OS smartwatch; instead, it is positioned as a step up from an entry-level fitness tracker. Does it cut the mustard or is it another dud like the Realme Band? Let’s find out in the Android Authority Realme Watch review.

Design: Yet another Apple Watch clone

I won’t say much about it, but the design is highly inspired by the Apple Watch. Apple’s hardware essentially set the standard for what a smartwatch should deliver, and it isn’t surprising to see the copycat design in the affordable, aspirational-buy category. The design is familiar, identifiable and makes it an easy sell to an audience that wants something similar to a premium product without spending top dollar.

The Realme Watch employs a 1.4-inch display set in a black plastic frame. Compared to the OLED displays of some fitness trackers in the category, the Realme screen errs on the dull side. Indoors, viewing angles hold up, but peak brightness is far too low to compensate for bright sunlight. Add to that the glossy, reflective shell and you’ll struggle to see the display outdoors. Moreover, the Realme Watch does not support automatic brightness control, though that’s to be expected at this price point.

The only button, which doubles as a power switch and acts as a back key for user interface navigation, is on the right side of the watch.

The heart rate and SpO2 sensors are on the bottom, as are the pogo pins for the magnetic charging dock.

I can overlook the copious use of plastics in the Realme Watch for the price it commands, but the company definitely skimped on the strap materials. After just a few days, the silicon strap started attracting sweat marks. I don’t expect it to last beyond a few months.

The quality of the included straps is mediocre, but the lightweight design of the watch stands out.

What I do like about the Realme Watch is its weight, or the lack thereof. I found it comfortable to wear both during the day and at night, which is relevant if sleep tracking functions are important to you. Weighing a mere 31g, the Realme Watch packs a 160mAh battery that is rated to last up to seven days with heart rate tracking. My testing showed that to be right in line. With heart rate monitoring set to 24 hours, the battery dropped to about 30% over five days.

Is the Realme Watch a good smartwatch?

The Realme Watch isn’t a smartwatch in the traditional sense. It runs a custom operating system and beyond the baked-in features, there is no provision to add additional apps. In fact, the watch won’t even let you reply to notifications. This is exactly the same as with the Realme Band.

The highlight feature is the workout app with a provision to track fourteen different kinds of activities. Elsewhere, you’ll find dedicated apps to take SpO2 and heart rate readings, as well as to track previous activities and sleep data. The major value adds are apps to control music playback on your phone, another to work as a remote shutter button for your phone’s camera. Finally, an alarm, stopwatch, and weather app round things off.