Realme Watch 3 review:
Introduction
Realme entered the smartwatch market over two years ago with its aptly named Realme Watch and since then the maker has consistently expanded its wearable portfolio. The new Realme Watch 3 is its latest offering and it's positioned as a direct successor to last year’s Realme Watch 2 - a watch that brought great battery life and a decent set features for INR 4,125 ($55/€45).
This year’s model gets an overhauled design with a larger screen, squared-off edges and Bluetooth calling while still providing the usual sports and activity tracking for INR 3,500 ($44/€44). How does the Realme Watch 3 stack up against the competition and do the new features make it a worthy upgrade?
Realme Watch 3 specifications:
- Display: 1.8", 240 x 286 pixel color screen, 323ppi pixel density, 500 nits peak brightness, 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3
- Straps: Detachable silicon straps, 22mm width, 130-220mm adjustable length
- Features: IP68 rating, Bluetooth calling, speaker, Real-time heart rate monitor, 24/7 SpO2 monitor, Sleep tracking, Stress monitoring, Sports tracking, VO2 Max, Step Counter, Meditation, Smart Notifications, Idle Alert, Drink Reminder, Phone Finder, Weather Forecast, Music and Camera Control
- Sports Modes: Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Indoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, Indoor Cycle, Strength Training, Football, Yoga and Cricket (100 more in Realme Link app)
- Sensors: PPG optical heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, Rotor Vibration Motor
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, Compatible with Android 5.1+ and iOS 11+
- Battery: 340 mAh
- Colors: Black, Grey
- Dimensions: 45 x 37 x 11.5 mm
- Weight: 40 grams
- Design:
- Realme Watch 3 looks more premium than its predecessor though the body is still entirely plastic. The sides are now flat and feature a shiny finish that looks like a metal alloy from a distance. We have the black color variant for our review here which has an interesting gunmetal loo
Realme is also selling a grey variant that offers a lighter shade on the casing and a lighter-colored watch strap. Speaking of the watch strap it’s made from a durable silicone material and is of the standard 22mm variety so you can swap it for any other band you may have laying around.
The watch weighs just 40 grams, making it comfortable to carry all day. There’s a single button on the right side that can wake up the watch and also act as a back button. You also get a microphone on the same side while the speaker is located on the left.
The LCD panel on Watch 3 has grown to 1.8 inches up from the Realme Watch 2’s 1.4-inch diagonal though the resolution count has taken a hit at 240 x 286 px while last year’s watch had a sharper 320 x 320 px output. To be fair, the difference isn’t noticeable in day-to-day use but it’s still weird that the newer model watch has a lower resolution screen.
Unlike OLED screens on some competing smartwatches, there’s no Always on Display (AoD) functionality on the Watch 3 due to it being an LCD panel. The screen also lacks auto-brightness so you’ll need to manually select how bright you want to screen. There are four brightness options ranging from 20% and I found the 40% option as perfectly usable in most cases even while outdoors and in direct August sunlight. Peak brightness on the Watch 3 is 500 nits which is good enough though last year’s Realme Watch 2 did get brighter with its 600 nits peak brightness.
While Realme Watch 3 is IP68 water and dust resistant, the device is not suited for showers and swimming so take that in mind. The retail package consists of the watch, a proprietary two-pin magnetic charger that ends in a USB-A cable.
Features:
Like most recent smart 
watches, Realme Watch 3 brings 24/7 heart rate monitoring as well as continuous SpO2 tracking, stress and sleep monitoring. The watch also tracks over 110 sports and activities. You can have 16 sports modes on the watch at a time while swapping one mode for another requires going into the Realme Link app on your phone.
watches, Realme Watch 3 brings 24/7 heart rate monitoring as well as continuous SpO2 tracking, stress and sleep monitoring. The watch also tracks over 110 sports and activities. You can have 16 sports modes on the watch at a time while swapping one mode for another requires going into the Realme Link app on your phone.
Realme is also offering over 100 watch faces via the Link app that sync to the watch in a matter of seconds. You can only have four watch faces on the watch at a time though and you’ll have to delete existing ones if you want to add more. The watch also has a bunch of useful features like an alarm, weather widget, reminders app, music controls and the ability to act as a Bluetooth camera shutter.
