Premium looks are only half the story with the Realme Watch S5. Here's our review.
The price of the Realme Watch S5 in India is set at Rs. 7,999
The Realme Watch S5 represents a noticeable shift compared to the company's recent smartwatch offerings. While last year's Realme Watch 5 leaned towards a more Apple Watch Ultra-inspired rectangular design, Realme has gone back to a more traditional circular dial with the Watch S5. On paper, the smartwatch combines an aluminium alloy chassis with an AMOLED display, built-in GPS, Bluetooth calling, and battery life that promises to stretch beyond a week. Priced at Rs. 7,999, however, the Realme Watch S5 enters one of the most competitive smartwatch segments in India.
Having used the Realme Watch S5 as my daily driver for some time, I think Realme has got a lot right, though there are still a few areas with room for improvement.
Display - 1.43-inch AMOLED (466 x 466 pixels), 60Hz refresh rate, up to 1,500 nits peak brightness, Always-On Display
Colours - Rock Grey, Sand White
Battery - 460mAh, up to 20 days (claimed), up to 16 days in Standard Smart Mode, up to 5 days with Always-On Display
Processor - Proprietary Realme chipset
OS - Realme proprietary operating system
Connectivity - Bluetooth 5.3, Independent GPS
Water Resistance - 5ATM
The first thing that you will probably notice about the Realme Watch S5 is how nice it looks. The circular aluminium alloy frame lends it an appearance of a smartwatch that could easily be from a segment above. I have the Sand White variant of the smartwatch, and it is my preferred choice among the two options on offer (Rock Grey being the other one). The combination of the silver frame and the off-white strap looks premium and suits gym, office, and dinner outings equally well.
The overall build quality of the Realme Watch S5 is solid, too. There's no flex, nothing creaks, and despite its competitive price, the smartwatch does not feel plasticky. It tips the scales at about 50g with the strap and is light enough for everyday use. The silica gel straps shipped with the Watch S5 are great. I did not experience any skin irritation or discomfort even after about 10–12 hours of continuous wear.
Realme seems to have done a nice job with the controls as well. You'll find two side buttons on the side that offer satisfying tactile feedback. There's also a rotating digital crown that is somewhat precise and provides subtle haptic feedback when you're scrolling through menus. On the durability front, the Realme Watch S5 comes with a 5ATM water resistance rating, which means it can handle rain, sweaty workouts, and even swimming sessions.
The Realme Watch S5's display also packs a punch. You get a 1.43-inch AMOLED panel that looks fantastic, with vibrant colours, deep blacks, and sharp text. Even small UI elements are readable. The company offers a 60Hz refresh rate on the smartwatch, and while it isn't in the Apple Watch territory, the animations and navigation are reasonably smooth.
Realme claims up to 1,500 nits peak brightness on the Watch S5, and the outdoor visibility has been excellent so far. I seldom found myself squinting to check my step count or read notifications even under Delhi's scorching Sun.
There is also support for always-on display. It works as advertised, but at a high cost to battery life. A feature that I really liked is the Night Vision Mode. It essentially tweaks the screen to display red tones in darker environments. While it may sound gimmicky, the feature is extremely useful for occasionally checking the time late in the night without feeling like you're staring into the Sun.
Realme offers hundreds of watch faces, which are accessible through the Realme Link app. There are some really nice ones, ranging from minimalist analogue designs to colourful digital layouts. It takes a couple of seconds to install a watch face, and you can browse through different colour themes using the rotating crown.
Having already reviewed the Realme Watch 5 earlier this year, the software experience on the Watch S5 felt very familiar. Take a glance, and it is pretty evident that Realme's overall UI appearance borrows inspiration from Apple's watchOS software. It is particularly noticeable in the menu layouts. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing, since the software implementation is well done and everything feels intuitive.
However, I did notice that the animations are fairly basic, with no fancy transitions or polished visual effects. Instead, the smartwatch focuses on maintaining speed and practicality, and I actually prefer this approach at this price. In recent years, there have been smartwatches that have prioritised visual appeal over performance, and it has rarely worked since the trade-off was too big.
The compatible Realme Link companion app is available on both Android and iOS. Since I've already talked about it in depth in my Watch 5 review, I'll just brush over the major features. The app stores workout history, sleep reports, heart rate trends, and SpO2 readings taken from the smartwatch. You can also customise nearly every aspect of the watch.
While there is plenty on offer, I do think the companion app could do with better organisation, since accessing certain settings requires navigating multiple menus. Furthermore, the connection isn't very stable, and I had to reconnect the smartwatch manually a couple of times during testing.
For navigation, you will rely on swipe gestures alongside the rotating crown on the Realme Watch S5, and everything feels responsive. I did not notice any lag when opening notifications, checking heart rate, starting workouts, or answering Bluetooth calls directly from the watch.
In terms of Bluetooth calling, the built-in speaker gets loud enough, and the microphone is decent enough to capture your voice for quick conversations in a closed-door environment. Moving on, notifications are delivered reliably on both Android and iOS devices, while features like music controls, alarms, timers, weather updates, voice assistant shortcuts, and Find My Phone all function without major hiccups.
On the health and fitness front, the Watch S5 comes with several sensors. You get continuous heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen tracking, sleep monitoring, stress measurement, breathing exercises, sedentary reminders, women's health tracking, and noise monitoring. I used the Apple Watch Series 11 as a reference point, and the figures are close enough.
On a particular day, for example, the Apple Watch recorded around 6,700 steps, while the Watch S5 logged about 6,500. I think this is certainly within an acceptable margin for a watch in this segment. Realme has also provided support for more than 110 workout modes. Realistically, however, most users will probably rotate between walking, running, cycling, strength training, and perhaps one or two others. But it is still nice to have the additional options.
Battery life, on the other hand, is one of the key strengths of the Realme Watch S5. The company claims up to 16 days of usage in normal mode, and I got to almost 15 days before the smartwatch needed a recharge. However, it should be mentioned that I toggled between AoD on and off, while Bluetooth calling, heart rate monitoring, and notifications were regularly used.
The Realme Watch S5 can be charged via the included magnetic dock. While it is refreshing to see brands move away from the generic pin-type charger that ships with most smartwatches, the company has not provided a USB Type-C cable with the dock. It attaches securely and quickly tops up the battery.
The Realme Watch S5 gets the fundamentals of a good smartwatch absolutely right. It looks premium, feels well built, delivers an excellent AMOLED display, reliable health tracking, and battery life that lasts comfortably. The smartwatch, however, isn't without its drawbacks. The software isn't the flashiest, and the companion app could certainly be more refined. However, neither issue significantly affects the overall experience.
Realme has managed to deliver a balanced smartwatch that prioritises everyday usability over gimmicks. Thus, the Watch S5 deserves to be on your shortlist if you're shopping for a feature-packed offering under Rs. 10,000.
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