Update: we've published our full Realme Watch review – check out our thoughts on the $50 smartwatch.
The second coming of the budget smartwatch is truly upon us, as Realme has launched the Realme Watch.
The first smartwatch from the company follows the rip-roaring success of the Realme Band, it’s $20 fitness tracker launched earlier this year. And while the watch launched in India, it's already been confirmed for Europe, and is available on the RealMe site for €54.99.
In the time-honoured tradition of budget smartwatches, the Realme’s design apes the Apple Watch as closely as possible.
It has a square design with a 1.4-inch, 320 x 320 LCD display, although from the press pictures it seems to have a hefty chunk of black space around the usable display area.
It’s not running a named OS, so we’ll just assume it’s Android – and Realme promises 20 days battery life between charges, using a 160mAh battery. However, we’d take that with a pinch of salt – as even Amazfit devices regularly overstate quoted battery life.
There’s a Goodix’s GH3011 heart rate monitor and this also packs an SpO2 sensor for the detection and monitoring of blood oxygen. This is one of the most in vogue features now, and after being enabled across Fitbit devices, it’s now a budget smartwatch staple.
The Oppo Watch and Huawei Watch GT2e have both managed it, the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 will feature SpO2 – and Realme hasn’t been left out of the pulse ox party.
It will track heart rate 24/7 and during exercise, and you’ll find 14 sport profiles built in. And as this smartwatch is headed for India, you’ll find badminton and cricket with dedicated profiles. There’s also running, walking and yoga too.
But the key piece of information is how much this costs. It’s going on sale from 5 June and will cost Rs. 3,999, which works out to $50. You can bag it from Flipkart and Realme.com.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.