Realme Watch S Pro Quick Review: Feature-Rich Fitness Tracker That Lacks Basic Wearable Functions

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Realme has managed to create a highly profitable wearable business in a short time. If we go by the brand's findings and IDC's India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker (October 2020 release), the Realme Watch is the most shipped wearable watch device/model in India in Q2 and Q3. The product alone is touted to have captured a 21.4% market share in Q2 and 24.2% market share in Q3 2020. These are huge figures and suggest that Indian consumers have received the smartwatch very well despite some of its shortcomings.

 
Realme Watch S Pro Quick Review

Building on this success, Realme has now extended the portfolio with new wearables. The company has announced two new smartwatches- Watch S Pro (Rs. 9,999) and Watch S (Rs.4,999) in the Indian market. The Watch S Pro will have the first flash sale on December 29 from 12:00 P.M. on realme.com and Flipkart whereas the Watch S will go on sale on December 28 from 12:00 P.M. on realme.com and Flipkart.com.

We will be focusing on the Realme Watch S Pro today which competes with the likes of the recently launched Mi Watch Revolve. Similar to the Mi Watch Revolve, Realme Watch S Pro has also been announced in the lone 46mm variant, which is disappointing as Realme could have learned from Xiaomi's mistake and should have launched the wearable in at least two different screen sizes to tap on a wider user base.

Nevertheless, the Watch S Pro's spec-sheet is compelling and it seems to offer most of the features that a mid-range wearable should offer in 2020. Let's find out what Realme has offered this time with its new premium wearable.

Design- Huawei Watch GT 2 Lookalike With Stainless Steel Circular Dial

Design- Huawei Watch GT 2 Lookalike With Stainless Steel Circular Dial

The Watch S Pro reminds me of Huawei's Watch GT line-up. It looks identical to the Watch GT 2's all-black variant. The circular stainless steel dial with analog markings around the bezel, two crown ls (back key and shortcut button for workouts) on the right side, and all-black color make it tough to differentiate the Watch S Pro from Huawei's smartwatch line-up. You can pair the circular dial with a variety of straps to change the look and feel according to your preference and occasion.

Customize As You Like
 

Customize As You Like

The silicon strap will be available in black, blue, orange, and green colors whereas the leather straps will have brown, black, blue, and green color options. The Watch S Pro's silicon straps are very soft on the wrist and offer a comfortable wearing experience. In comparison to the Realme Watch S pro, the Mi Watch has a sleeker and more captivating design. It just looks more elegant on the wrist.

 

No 42mm Variant

No 42mm Variant

While the 46mm variant weighs just 63.5 grams with straps and feels very light on the wrist, the brand should have also introduced the smaller 42mm variant. Xiaomi did this mistake and Realme should have corrected it to make this watch a bit more appealing to consumers, especially buyers with smaller wrists. We are not sure if Realme will introduce a smaller variant in the coming months. Moving on, the Watch S pro has a 5ATM water resistance rating which makes it water-resistant for swimming sessions.

 

1.39-inch Circular AMOLED Screen With Corning Gorilla Glass Layer

1.39-inch Circular AMOLED Screen With Corning Gorilla Glass Layer

The Watch S Pro also flaunts a 1.39-inch circular display. The screen uses an AMOLED panel with 454 x 454 pixels resolution and 326 PPI. Colors look vibrant and the screen displays crisp text and graphics. I found the AMOLED display fairly touch responsive and bright. It reaches 450nits peak brightness which is adequate for a comfortable viewing experience outdoors. Thanks to the AMOLED panel, the Watch S Pro also features an Always-On display mode. A 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass layer prevents the AMOLED screen from scratches and damages.

Realme has offered a range of colorful watch faces that look good on the AMOLED display. You can choose from 100+ watch faces and Realme mentions that an upcoming OTA update will add another 100 watch faces for better customization.

Lackluster Software

Lackluster Software

The Watch S Pro runs on a Realme's in-house wearable OS that offers several useful features but lacks some basic ones. You would need the Realme Link app to enable all features and to view your complete health data on your smartphone. It allows you to control music from your wrist, set a timer, check weather data, enable a flashlight, uses a stopwatch, set an alarm, etc.

Sadly, you cannot receive an incoming call and cannot reply to notifications from the wrist. For now, you can only disconnect an incoming call on the Watch S Pro which seems to be limiting the entire purpose of smart wearable. It's not just Realme; Xiaomi and Huawei smartwatches also lack such basic features. These half-baked wearable operating systems from Chinese brands need to evolve to offer a full-fledged wearable user-experience.

Up to 12-Days Battery Life

Up to 12-Days Battery Life

Similar to the Mi Watch Revolve, the Watch S Pro is also powered by a 420mAh battery cell which as per Realme can last up to 14 days on a single charge. The smart wearable seems to have a long charging time since the brand mentions that the battery cell takes 2 hours to refuel from flat to 100% via the bundled magnetic charger. We will test the company's claims and will also compare the Watch S Pro's battery lasting abilities to Mi Watch Revolve.

Health Features

Health Features

The Watch S Pro comes equipped with a 6-axis accelerometer sensor and a Heart rate sensor that provides 24-Hour heart rate measurement and Automated heart rate measurement. The sensor also measures Resting heart rate, Exercise heart rate, offers Heart Rate Alert, and also takes Blood Oxygen measurement. Additionally, the Watch S Pro can monitor your sleep, steps throughout the day, calories, distance, provides water reminders, sedentary reminders, and keep a tab on your activity records. It can monitor your outdoor/indoor run and other physical activities including walking, cycling, spinning, hiking, swimming, basketball, yoga, rowing, elliptical, cricket, strength training, and free workout exercises.

Should You Consider Buying The Realme Watch S Pro?

Should You Consider Buying The Realme Watch S Pro?

Realme Watch S Pro is undoubtedly a great addition to the sub-15K smartwatch market; however, the brand seems to have repeated the same mistakes that Huawei and Xiaomi did with their respective wearables. While the hardware is compelling, it is the software that's restricting the functionality of these mid-range wearables. The brands' in-house wearable operating systems are trying to offer everything and somehow ignoring the basics.

All things considered, if you are looking for a sub-10K fitness tracker with a smartwatch-like appearance, the Watch S Pro is worth considering. But if you desire a full-fledged smart wearable experience, look further and invest in Samsung or Apple smartwatches; however, be ready to spend a couple of extra thousands and to compromise on the battery life.

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