Realme Watch 5 Review: Surprisingly Good, But Not Perfect

When it comes to affordable smartwatches in Nepal, we already have plenty of options from brands like Zeblaze, MWC, Ultima, and Amazfit. Realme isn’t new to this space either, and we have seen a few of its watches in Nepal over the years. This time, I have been using the new Watch 5 to see how it holds up in everyday use.

Priced at NPR 10,999, it comes with a big AMOLED display, built-in GPS, Bluetooth calling, and the usual health and fitness features. On paper, it sounds pretty good, but I wanted to see how well all of this actually works in day-to-day use. 

And…after spending some time with it, here’s what I found.

Realme Watch 5 review: Specifications

• Case: 42.5mm with silicon strap (22mm universal)
• Color options: Black, Orange, Silver
• Dimensions and weight: 271 x 42.5 x 11.7 mm, 50.5 gm
• Durability: IP68 rating
• Display: 1.97-inch AMOLED panel, Panda glass protection
• Processor: Unspecified
• Memory: 30MB (for song storage)
• Software and UI: Proprietary OS
• Sensors: Accelerometer, heart rate, SpO2, compass sensor, GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS
• Companion app: Realme Link (Android | iOS)
• Battery: 460 mAh

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Realme Watch 5 Review

Design: Apple Watch Ultra Vibes

• 42.5 case (plastic build), 22mm universal strap
• IP68 dust/water resistant

Just look at the design of the Watch 5!

It has this big, boxy look that’s clearly inspired by the Apple Watch Ultra, and honestly, I don’t mind it because it actually looks pretty good. The plastic body does remind you that this is still a budget smartwatch, but it doesn’t look or feel particularly cheap. At 50.5 grams, it is fairly large, but I never found it too heavy or cumbersome on my wrist.

The watch also comes with a aluminium-alloy functional crown on the side, which makes scrolling through menus and navigating the UI a bit easier. It also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, so I didn’t have to worry too much about rain or accidental splashes.

However, I did run into one issue with the strap. During the first few days, I started getting some rashes on my wrist, which I think were caused by the strap. They went away after a few days, and I haven’t had the issue since, but if you have sensitive skin, it’s something worth keeping in mind.

The strap quality itself is pretty decent for the price, but I found the locking mechanism a little annoying. When my hands were wet or sweaty, it was difficult to put the watch on and lock the strap properly. It’s a small thing, but it can get frustrating at times.

Overall, though, I think the Watch 5 has a pretty good design for its price.

Display

• 1.97-inch AMOLED panel
• 60Hz refresh rate, 600 nits peak brightness
• Panda glass protection

This is where the Watch 5 really shines!

The 1.97-inch AMOLED display looks genuinely good. It’s big, sharp, and the 60Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through menus and switching between watch faces feel smooth. Touch response is also pretty quick, although I did notice some occasional lag while navigating through the UI.

The bezels are where I have a bit of a love-hate relationship. They’re quite large, but at least they’re symmetrical on all four sides, so they don’t look too distracting. I mostly used a black-themed watch face, and honestly, I barely noticed them during my time with the watch. Viewing angles are also good, with very little color shifting when looking at the screen from different angles. The display is also protected by Panda Glass, which is a nice addition on a budget watch.

Outdoor visibility is decent, but I wouldn’t call it impressive. The screen is still readable under direct sunlight, although there were times when I had to look a little more carefully. It goes up to 600 nits, and I think Realme could have pushed that a bit higher, closer to 1,000 nits. At night, though, it gets dim enough to use comfortably.

For everyday use, we get an Always On Display, plenty of watch faces through the Realme Link app, and a raise-to-wake feature that worked consistently for me. My main complaint here is the lack of auto-brightness and we have to manually adjust the brightness between 20 and 100 percent, which can get annoying when moving between different lighting conditions.

Health and fitness tracking

• 108 workout modes
• Heart rate, stress, SpO2, sleep tracking
• Single-band GPS 

Okay, let’s talk about one of the most important parts of a smartwatch: health and fitness tracking. This is usually where budget smartwatches cut corners, so I was curious to see how the Watch 5 would perform.

And honestly, it surprised me. The Watch 5 did a pretty good job overall. It can automatically detect activities like walking, running, and workouts, so I didn’t always have to start them manually.

We also get the usual health features like heart rate, SpO2, stress, sleep, and cycle tracking, along with 108 sports modes. I tested most of these, and the SpO2 readings were also mostly accurate. The tracking isn’t that perfect, but it was better than I expected.

Built-in GPS, but not the best

The Watch 5 also has built-in GPS, so I could track my outdoor walks and runs without carrying my phone. I used it quite a bit during testing, and it was definitely handy to have.

However, the GPS wasn’t very reliable. It sometimes took a while to lock onto my location, and I noticed it losing the signal more often in places like malls and busy streets. Hopefully, Realme can improve this with future software updates.

To see how the Watch 5 performs in the real world, I took it out for a walk and compared its tracking data with my Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro. I wanted to see how closely the two watches matched on things like distance, steps, and GPS tracking, and the results were quite interesting.

The distance and heart rate readings were quite close, which was good to see. However, the calorie count was much lower on the Watch 5. 

The "step count" was another thing I noticed quite often. The Watch 5 was usually behind by around 500 to 1,000 steps, and in this particular walk, it was about 1,300 steps fewer. That’s a pretty noticeable difference if you regularly keep track of your daily steps.

As for sleep tracking, the results were a bit better. The Watch 5 recorded 7 hours and 18 minutes of sleep, while the Huawei Watch recorded 6 hours and 54 minutes. The sleep stages were a little different, especially the REM readings, but the overall sleep duration was fairly close.

The Realme Link app experience

Now, let’s talk about the Realme Link app.

This is where you manage the Watch 5 and check all the health and fitness data it collects. Since Realme uses the same app for all its devices, it can feel a bit cluttered at times. There’s quite a lot going on, but once you get used to it, finding what you need is fairly easy.

I didn’t have any major issues with the app during my usage, although I think the overall layout could be a little cleaner and more focused. Still, it gets the job done and gives you a decent overview of your daily activity and health data.

Bluetooth Calling and haptics

The Watch 5 comes with a built-in microphone and speaker, so when it’s connected to my phone, I could make and receive calls directly from the watch without taking my phone out. The speaker gets surprisingly loud for a smartwatch, and I had no trouble hearing the other person indoors.

The microphone quality is also pretty decent for Bluetooth calls. People could hear me clearly both indoors and outside. There’s also AI ENC to help reduce background noise, and it worked well in most situations.

Apart from calling, I also liked the haptics on the Watch 5. We can choose between low, medium, and high, and I mostly kept it on medium because that felt good enough for everyday use. The high setting is a bit too strong for me and, honestly, reminds me of those cheap vibration motors you get on budget phones.

Battery

Battery life is another area where the Watch 5 does pretty well. Realme claims up to 16 days with standard use and up to 20 days with light use. In my case, I used the watch throughout the day with regular notifications, health tracking, a few Bluetooth calls, and around 40 minutes to an hour of GPS each day.

Even with all that, I could comfortably get through a full week without charging, which I think is pretty good.

Charging is also decent. The watch takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes to go from 0 to 100 percent using the included magnetic charger. It’s not the fastest, but considering the battery life, I don’t think it’s a major issue.

My only complaint is the charger itself. The magnets are not particularly strong, so you need to be a little careful while charging because it can easily move out of place.

Realme Watch 5 Review: Conclusion

Alright…

After spending some time with the Realme Watch 5, I can say that I genuinely like it, with the AMOLED display being one of my favorite things about the watch, along with its solid battery life, built in GPS, and surprisingly good speaker and microphone.

Of course, it’s not perfect. The occasional UI lag can be annoying, there’s no auto brightness, and the GPS could be more reliable. But after using it for a while, I don’t think any of these are any major deal breakers.

At NPR 10,999, the Realme Watch 5 offers a pretty well rounded experience, and if you want a smartwatch with a good display, long battery life, Bluetooth calling, and built in GPS, I think it’s definitely worth considering.

Realme Watch 5 review: Pros and cons