Realme Watch 3: the cheap and high-performance smartwatch that doubles as a phone
By now we know very well the quality of Realme products, at least as regards the world of smartphones, but the time has come for the Chinese brand to begin to be appreciated for other technological devices as well. And so, after a few not exactly exciting attempts, we arrive at the third generation of the main line of Realme smartwatches, which makes its debut on the Italian market at a very competitive price, while offering a truly complete and advanced range of functions at the same time. But let's not get lost in chatter and let's discover the Realme Watch 3 together in this review.
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Design and construction
I pass over the unboxing, given that like all products of the genre it only offers the watch, the manuals and the charging cable, in this case with a proprietary magnetic attachment to be connected to a USB-A socket. The Realme Watch 3 is a budget smartwatch, so we shouldn't expect premium materials, but its construction is flawless enough to make it look like a much more expensive device, with lines reminiscent of the Apple Watch but with a boxy shape and a glossy profile with metallic effect which gives it a premium look despite being plastic.
The front part, i.e. that of the display, is protected by a 2.5D curved tempered glass, resistant to scratches and with a screen-to-body ratio of 67,5%, a percentage of 35% more than the previous generation released in 2021 Despite this, the bezels are still too flashy. Good wearability, thanks to the dimensions of 45 x 37 x 11,5 mm and a weight of 40 grams with strap, the latter made of silicone with traditional closure, which also guarantees good breathability during the most intense phases of sporting activities . We also find a quick release with a pitch of 22 mm, which allows you to customize the look of the wearable with the many straps available on the net. The multiple holes in the strap allow it to be worn on any wrist and thanks to the curvature of the lower part of the case, discomfort is minimized even with a sweaty wrist. Then there is the IP68 certification which makes the smartwatch waterproof, with the possibility of using it in the rain, but despite this I will tell you that we cannot monitor swimming and water sports in general.
Display
Undoubtedly one of the strengths, also taking into account the selling price, of Realme Watch 3 is the presence of a large 1.8-inch diagonal screen, ideal for comfortably viewing notifications and content in general. We are talking about an IPS unit with a resolution of 240 x 286 pixels and a maximum brightness of 500 nits, numbers that may seem poco valuable, but which actually allow for a decidedly excellent experience. Absent the automatic brightness sensor, but I assure you that it is a pleasure to be able to see the notifications of all the apps in full, with large and easily readable text, without the need to use the smartphone, despite having set the brightness to 50% in my tests We can reactivate the screen with the usual wrist gesture, but also with the side button on the right profile.
The multimedia experience of Realme Watch 3 is also enriched by the presence of a speaker capable of emitting sounds and a microphone useful for phone calls. Then you will be notified of notifications, not only by vibration but also by sounds, which are expressed for each situation to be notified, including the alarm clock, which can be managed directly from the watch.
Then there is the interesting possibility of customizing the screen with more than 100 watchfaces, all free and nice, downloadable from the application. We find minimal but also sophisticated skins for the amount of information present on the home or dynamic, but there is also the possibility of putting a photograph as a background.
Software, features and applications
We find smart watches that promise miracles without spending a fortune, not only on Chinese sites but also on Amazon, so differentiating yourself is the right strategy for the Realme Watch 3. We have a proprietary operating system with many features and apps installed, including the ability to manage calls via the dual-mode chip Bluetooth 5.3 module, enjoying a built-in proprietary noise cancellation algorithm using artificial intelligence. We can make and receive phone calls without the need for a SIM or eSIM inside, just the active connection with the smartphone is enough.
The built-in speaker and microphone then do the rest of the work and this is done sublimely. We can store up to 10 favorite numbers but also use the dialer to dial the numbers to call. Both the interlocutor's voice and ours are reproduced clearly during calls, allowing for example to manage a call while walking or running for training.
In this sense, the Realme Watch 3 is also an excellent sports watch, offering up to 110 monitorable sports modes, many of which with dedicated metrics and unique values such as VO2max (only for running). On the other hand, despite the IP68 certification, we cannot monitor swimming or water sports, but the reliability of the data collected, such as distance, calories, etc., is definitely above average, giving a perfect idea of your health and your sporting activity.
Then we find a more than complete sensor able to monitor the heart rate H24, the SpO2 value, but also sleep (phases: light, deep, awake, REM but without naps and sleep must last at least 3 hours), the stress and the menstrual cycle as well as providing sedentary reminders and advising when to drink water. Unfortunately there is no GPS.
Smart functions
In addition to the aforementioned ability to manage calls from the wrist, the Realme Watch 3 stands as one of the best low-cost smartwatches for notifications. Let's be clear, we can't answer, but at least we have a complete view of the notification complete with emojis. There are also features like breathing exercise, reminder, timer, stopwatch, smartphone music control, camera control from your smartphone, and a Find My Phone feature that rings your cell phone if you lose sight of it. The Do Not Disturb mode is also intelligent, recognizing, for example, the right moment to disconnect from the world and if you have something to do in the middle of the night but don't want to turn on the main light in the room, you can rely on the Torch function.
Battery
The Realme Watch 3 battery has a capacity of 340 mAh with an autonomy that does not exceed 7 days, while recharging takes about 2,5 hours via the magnetic connector on the back of the case. I would have expected something more, but overall the battery life is satisfactory, considering that with this smartwatch dynamics come into play that the competitors don't offer, namely the possibility of Bluetooth calling.
The speaker and the microphone, in fact, are very energy-intensive components, but we must also take into account the large LCD-type display which, compared to an AMOLED, certainly does not mind saving energy. Net of these considerations, therefore, I can say that the autonomy of the Realme Watch 3 is more than satisfactory: the only note I make is the proprietary charging system. I would have preferred some sort of dock because if the magnetic wire is bumped it could detach from the pogo pins and therefore give you the nasty surprise in the morning of having a dead device on your wrist.
Realme Link app
Realme Link is the application in which to transmit all the data collected by the watch and with which to fine-tune the settings of the Realme Watch 3. A real control center for all the devices of the Realme ecosystem where in the Health tab you can view a dashboard with all the activities performed and health data and monitoring of the exercise performed, also through graphs as well as useful suggestions such as recovery time after training and the effect of aerobic training.
Realme Watch 3 - Conclusion and price
The list price of Realme Watch 3 is poco less than 70 euros, but for a few weeks on Amazon it is possible to find the smartwatch at a truly crazy price: only 52,99 euros for this wearable that not only performs well in terms of monitoring health data, but makes it possible wrist also the function of the phone. A decidedly competitive price if we think, for example, of the various competitors such as Amazfit and although there is no doubt that the Realme Watch 3 has some aspects to improve, I don't feel like criticizing it precisely for the excellent quality / price ratio.
I found the only real disappointment in the absence of GPS, although I must admit that for the amateur sportsman this won't be a torment, focusing more on smart features and on the excellent and large screen. Had this been AMOLED, I would not have hesitated to say that the Realme Watch 3 is a best buy.
