Realme Watch S Review: This battery is a survivor

Destiny’s Child once sang: 

I’m a survivor, I’m not gon’ give up,

I’m not gon’ stop, I’m gon’ work harder.

And even though this banger was released a full decade before the Realme Watch S, somehow it was written about this watch’s battery.

Even now, after wearing the Watch S for 18 days straight, it still sits on my wrist sporting 11%. Normally this kind of number would have me stressed without ya charger, but I’m chillin’. 

While the wearable does have a power-saving mode, which ultimately removes the smarts from this smartwatch and just leaves a digital clock face, I haven’t had to use it. For the past 18 days, I’ve worn the device all day, used the exercise tracker on most days, tracked my sleep at night, kept notifications on, and have regularly played around with the options on the screen. It has been put through the toughest of paces and now, you know I’m not gon’ dis the Realme Watch S on the internet (‘cause my testing taught me better than that).

Even if we put the stellar battery life to the side, the Watch S still represents great value in the smartwatch realm. When it comes to advanced smartwatches and fitness trackers, you can easily throw $400 at Apple or Suunto but more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. 

Apple Watches are the clear exception here - if you’re ingrained in the Apple ecosystem then an Apple Watch is going to be your best bet - but if you’re looking to explore other brands - price is not synonymous with quality.

Earlier this year when we reviewed the Suunto 7 we found that despite the $600 price tag, it wasn’t the best option for most users thanks to a dismal battery and software bugs. Even the Fitbit Versa 3, which will set you back $400, had performance issues. And although the Realme brand isn’t big in Australia yet, and the price point of $169 might have some people label the Watch S as cheap, I prefer it over the aforementioned devices.

For an affordable cost, you’ll get a solid range of fitness tracking options, sleep tracking, blood oxygen levels, easy compatibility with Android devices, a remote camera button, a stunning display, and of course battery life that’s gon’ make it. NFC is missing, which is a downright shame but apart from that you really get everything that most people need in a smartwatch. 

Realme’s sister company OPPO released a watch late last year, and it was a solid first try for a wearable. Unfortunately, the OPPO Watch is among many other Android smartwatches that run a combination of Wear OS and its own bespoke skin over parts of the functionality. This duality creates more problems for users because you’re getting two sets of data - one from your Google apps and another from your device which you can't see in one simple location. It ruins the user experience.

Realme’s Watch S however is powered by the brand's own in-house operating system, making it a simpler device to use than many other affordable (and not so affordable) Android run watches out there.

So, we’ve got great software, an excellent range of features, and fantastic battery life - you’re probably wondering where the ‘budget’ aspect comes in. Well, it’s the hardware for the most part.

Looking at the Watch S, you can tell that it doesn’t come from money. Although the chrome looking face is in fact aluminium it has a plasticky look, and as standard, you’ll get a removable silicon strap that kind of rubs on your skin if you have it on too tight. You can switch out the strap, I tried a vegan leather option but even that left some marks on my wrist and kind of looked out of place against the plastic face.

The overall look of the device is a strange juxtaposition next to the wearable’s screen. The display is quite frankly stunning - the colours and animations are crisp and bright, and punches well above the price point. There are however a couple of other niggly bits that point out that the Realme Watch S, is indeed a cheaper device.

Fitness tracking can be a touch sluggish, I found that it took around a minute to register major heart rate changes while working out. On several occasions, while doing some intense HIIT training, my heart rate was supposedly hovering around between 80 and 100bpm - and let me assure you that I am NOT that fit. A few minutes later after resting my heart rate jumped up to between 150 and 170bpm, which is far more likely for the work I was doing. It got there in the end, but the delayed tracking means that the calorie count was also somewhat inaccurate.

I also had problems with tracking my outdoor runs. On my first attempt the GPS only picked up 20 metres worth of running, and while I’m not that fit I’m also not THAT unfit. It took some time to figure out that in order for the GPS to track properly I needed to sync my watch with the companion app on my phone before I started my run. After that, the GPS picked up perfectly. Too bad it messed up my average pacing though.

Of course, all tracking done through a smartwatch should be taken with a grain of salt. There are several other factors like sweat, and position of the device on your wrist that can add to these inaccuracies but it was a repeated issue.

Realme Watch S - Final thoughts

Despite some tracking issues, the Realme Watch S is a great starter or intermediate smartwatch. For those looking for a middle ground between smartwatch, and fitness tracker, the longevity, price point, and feature set make the Watch S a serious contender.

On the other hand, if you’re wanting an advanced watch or an earnest fitness tracker then this isn’t the watch for you. It’s unlikely that you’ll find the functionality you’re looking for in a sub $200 watch, but the Realme Watch S flies pretty close.

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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