The smartwatch segment has become one of the fastest growing consumer tech in recent times and manufacturers are not taking any chances to cash-in on the trend. Smartphone maker – Realme has yet again announced a smartwatch, the Realme Watch S, this time with a circular display panel and the ability to measure blood oxygen levels; adding to its earlier announced wearable announced back in May 2020.
In contrast to the model announced in May which had a squarish display; the company has built on its success but this time embracing a circular display instead. There’s no question quite a number of squarish smartwatches currently exist on the market than circular counterparts. Whether that sounds better or not, it’s ultimately down to individual consumer’s preference, but it goes without saying the circular design looks more natural and relatable to watch functions than square design which is associated with smart features instead.
What we get on the Realme Watch S
Design
Realme definitely put some thought in this design which features an aluminum alloy frame alongside a circular dial with double tactile buttons on the right side. The smartwatch comes in a black color but can be complemented with different straps, from the official images, there’s a blue, green and orange strap to go along depending on how you like.
Other features;
There’s a 1.3-inch IPS LCD, which was quite surprising since most manufacturers prefer an AMOLED panel that has better contrast ratios and doesn’t consume as much power. The resolution maxes out at 360×360 pixels and is equipped with Corning Gorilla’s Glass 3 for protection. Users will be able to adjust up to 5 levels on auto-brightness which can rich up to 600 nits.
Wear OS fans are out of luck here as the device comes with Realme’s proprietary OS used on the first Realme Watch. More effort was particularly used to make sure the OS conforms to the circular design of the watch so that functions like notifications are seamless.
Blood Oxygen Sensor
Health features have become one of the main motivating factors that drive consumers to consider them and the Realme Watch S offers real-time heart rate tracking, blood oxygen monitoring which has been made possible by the SpO2 sensor. There are 16 sport modes on the device including indoor workouts, rowing machine as well as stationary bike.
Battery
There’s a 390mAh battery underneath which is touted to last up to 15 days on a single charge. You’ll also get a magnetic charger with this smartwatch that’s capable of charging from 0% to 100% in 2 hours. We currently do not have an exact date as to when it’ll be available in Kenya, but the price tag should be somewhere between Ksh. 10,000 and Ksh. 15,000.