Category: Smart watches

Realme Watch S Review: Best Affordable Smartwatch Under Rs. 5k?

Realme continues to expand its presence in the domain of smartphones as well as smartwatches. The Chinese tech manufacturer took advantage of the fact that a smartwatch is no longer a luxury but a necessity and successfully introduced its own product dubbed the Realme watch last year. Following the success of their first wearable tech product, Realme released its second smartwatch series, Realme Watch S and Realme Watch S pro, in late December 2020. 

I tested the watch over a period of three weeks and here’s my detailed review of the Realme Watch S.

Realme Watch S

What’s In The Box?

Realme Watch S


Inside the box, you get the Realme Watch S, a Magnetic charging base and a user guide.

Design

The first thing you notice after wearing the watch is that it’s extremely lightweight as it only weighs 48 grams. After a few hours of use, you will forget it is even on your wrist. The Realme Watch S has a 1.3-inch LCD which is a decent size for a smartwatch.

I have slim hands and the watch does not look bulky or huge on my wrist, your experience may vary if you have a bigger wrist. Fitness tracking works very well and the watch has 16 different sports mode that comes in handy if you’re into fitness.

Realme Watch S Setup

Realme has an app called Realme Link which connects all of its smart wearable devices. The app is quite intuitive and can be used to simultaneously connect to multiple Realme smart devices.

To set up your smartwatch

–  Download the app
–  Fill in your details and create your account.
 –  Scan the QR code on the smartwatch and you are good to go. 

Specifications

  • Display: 1.3-inch display with 360 x 360 pixel IPS LCD with auto-brightness and a 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3
  • Monitoring Systems: heart rate monitor, Blood Oxygen level monitor, Sleep Tracking, Sports Tracking, Step Counter, Meditation.
  • Special features:  Smart notifications, Idle Alert, Drink Reminder, Phone Finder, Weather Forecast, Music and Camera Control
  • Sports Modes: Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Walk, Outdoor Cycle, Strength Training, Football, Basketball, Yoga, Cricket, Aerobic Capacity, Badminton, Indoor Cycle, Stationary Bike, Elliptical, Rowing Machine and Table Tennis
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Compatible with Android 4.0+
  • Sensors: SpO2 sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, PPG optical heart rate sensor, Rotor Vibration Motor, Photosensitive Sensor
  • Battery: 390 mAh
  • Weight: 48 grams
  • Straps: Silicon straps, 22mm width, 164-208mm adjustable length with 3 colours  Black, Orange, and Green

Performance And Usage

The Realme Watch S has a better and responsive screen than its predecessor. It automatically adjusts its brightness levels, furthermore, you can also manually set it between 5 levels, which is a major improvement over its predecessor. For better protection, the screen is made up of Gorilla Glass 3.

A swipe from the top will bring up your notifications, while a right swipe will give you access to the quick toggles menu. Meanwhile, the left swipe gives you information about weather, sleep data and daily exercise statistics.

As mentioned, the Realme Watch has 16 sports modes, which in my opinion, are aplenty. I used all the sports modes but I was most impressed by the Cycling mode as it helped me to analyse my workout routine quite thoroughly.

The watch’s GPS tracking has a tiny margin of error, but it can easily be overlooked, especially at this price range. One noticeable con is that you cannot switch from any sports mode before ending the workout to check notifications.

Realme Watch S sometimes disconnects from the Realme Link app, as a result, I stopped receiving notifications until I reconnect it again. I also noticed a slight lag with messages being shown on my phone vs the watch. I had to manually sync through the app to get all the notifications.

You can read each message individually and then scroll to the bottom to delete all received notifications. You cannot reply to the notifications but Realme is working on a quick reply function. I tested the sleep tracking and it too has some issues. Mostly, the watch was unable to detect when I fell asleep and woke up accurately. 

On the bright side, the music control feature impressed me a lot. You can use it to pause and play YouTube videos without reaching for your phone, as it’s all there on your watch.

The Power saver mode switches off all unnecessary features leaving only the display time ON. It saves a ton of battery life, especially when I am travelling.

The battery life of Realme Watch S exceeded my expectations. The Watch has a claimed 14 days worth of battery life and during my use, I went without charging for 16 days with 2% charge remaining.

Verdict

For Rs. 4,999, The Realme Watch S packs with a lot of features. It does everything right from tracking your workouts, heart rate, etc. The Watch’s data lacks accuracy but it is still within a small margin of error.

The Watch also has a sleek, stylish and premium look with an easy to use UI which is best in the segment. The 14 days worth of battery life is impressive. The Realme Watch S is certainly better than its predecessor, the Realme Watch, and offers a lot more exclusive features at this price point.

Timex iConnect Premium Active Smartwatch review: Budget luxury or expensive mediocrity?

American watchmaker Timex has established itself as a premium yet affordable brand with a plethora of watches to choose from. Recently it entered the smartwatch segment with iConnect Premium Active, whose Rose Gold coloured, metal-strapped version we got a chance to review. So, is it budget luxury or expensive mediocrity? Read on.

First impressions:

Right off the bat, the watch bears a strong resemblance to Apple iWatch. Intentional? Probably. Intimidating? Not quite. The watch does feel like a bit of a rip-off, but it has a premium appeal nonetheless. It offers all the basic features present in a smartwatch but fails to stand out among the competition. It is also available with a soft silicone strap, though the flexible stainless steel mesh band looks professional and suave as compared to the alternative. The soft silicone option is available in black as well as pink colour while the stainless steel mesh band is offered in silver or gold finishes. It is claimed to be IP68 water-resistant and displays its data on a 36mm rectangular dial. It has rounded corners for a softer finish and also is complete touchscreen. 

 

Features and usage:

Users can connect the smartwatch to their smartphone via the iConnect by Timex 2 app. The app displays all the data that is collected by the smartwatch. Timex has programmed the iConnect Premium Active Smartwatch with a heart rate sensor, sedentary reminders, activity tracking, sleep tracking, and music playback controls as well. The smartwatch also gives direct notifications for calls, texts, and calendar events. It is charged magnetically via a pair of pogo pins that are placed just beside the heart rate sensor.

While using the smartwatch is not an extraordinary experience, it does its job well, with no complaints there. However, it loses its ground due to the fact that the entire navigation system on the watch is controlled by one button, as opposed to the swipe-based touch function available on other smartwatches. The giveaway is thick bezels and a touch button, sans which it could have looked sleeker. Its measurements aren’t accurate either and tend to miscount the steps and the watch also has a slight lag when measuring the heart rate, though I give it the benefit of doubt there. The sleep tracker, too, feels out of place and a rather forced addition than a genuine accessory. The battery life, however, sticks to its promise of lasting for almost five days, albeit with normal to minimum usage. Then again, what are the chances that you will spend the entire day just operating the smartwatch?

Verdict:

Despite the lag and error in calculation, Timex iConnect Active Premium does its job well, although it will be difficult to justify the price tag of Rs 7295, especially when compared to the much cheaper, yet equally feature-packed alternatives. However, if you are a Timex loyalist or just like to splurge and look fancy, this one is for you!

Advertisement Feature: Garmin India brings more joy to this festival with the all-new Venu SQ Smartwatch

Garmin India, a unit of Garmin Ltd. today launched their pocket-friendly yet feature-loaded latest GPS smartwatch: Venu Sq and the Venu Sq Music Edition. The Venu Sq is built with bright colour display, sleek design and best suited for every part of your day while keeping a track of your health and fitness activities.
The new Venu Sq series boasts over 20 built-in indoor and outdoor sports apps including Pilates, yoga, strength training, running, pool swimming, cycling, golf and many more supporting its users with extensive workout required to inspire movement. Adding more to it, the Music edition features on-device music storage for phone-free listening.


Apart from the sports app, the smartwatch also comes loaded with health monitoring features including advanced sleep with Pulse Ox2, respiration tracking, abnormal heart rate alerts (high and low), menstrual cycle tracking, stress tracking with relax reminders, hydration tracking and more. Bringing more convenience to the users, the Venu Sq supports battery life of up to six days in smartwatch mode and up to 14 hours in GPS mode.
Ali Rizvi, Director of Garmin India said, “We at Garmin have always focused on fulfilling the needs of our customers with the best of quality products and high-end technological innovations. Today, with the launch of Venu Sq, we are now entering into a new market segment under which people can buy a Garmin smartwatch at a competitive price with premium features including 20 built-in sports apps, on-device music storage, advanced sleep with Pulse Ox2 with the broadest range of 24/7 monitoring features available on the market.”


Venu Sq’s robust suite of workout options also includes preloaded workouts on the watch, preset workouts available to download from Garmin Connect, and “create your own” customizable workouts. Whether training for a 5K or something longer, the Venu Sq is compatible with Garmin Coach, free training plans adapted to a runner’s goals and performance, complete with a virtual personal trainer for added motivation.
Innovative Body Battery energy monitoring also lets users monitor their energy level which can help with scheduling workouts, rest times and sleep. The Venu Sq series provides all-day connection and convenience with a host of smart features including notifications, music storage, safety and tracking, and more.
The new series of Venu Sq will be available for ₹ 21,090 and the Venu Sq Music will be available for ₹26,290.

Apple lovers! Drool over the Watch and iPad, now with all-new features!

American tech giant Apple today unveiled Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, two new iPad models, and the first fitness experience built for Apple Watch that brings significant developments in health and wellness features to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

The Apple Watch Series 6 expands the health capabilities of previous Apple Watch models with a new feature that measures the oxygen saturation of the user’s blood, so they can better understand their overall fitness and wellness. Along with that, it also gets the next-generation always-on altimeter that provides real-time elevation all day long by using a new, more power-efficient barometric altimeter, along with GPS and nearby Wi-Fi networks. This feature allows for the detection of small elevation changes above ground level, up and down to the measurement of 1 foot, and can be shown as a new watch face complication or workout metric.
Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS) starts at $399 and Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS + Cellular) starts at $499.


The Apple Watch Series 6 is accompanied by the Apple watch SE, which packs the essential features of the Apple Watch into modern design customers love — all at a more affordable price. The largest and most advanced Retina display allows customers to easily see more details and the information that matters most, right on their wrist. Apple Watch SE features the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and always-on altimeter as Apple Watch Series 6, and with the latest motion sensors and microphone, it offers robust health and safety capabilities including fall detection, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, and the Noise app. Apple Watch SE (GPS) starts at $279 and Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) starts at $329.


Along with that, Apple also announced Family Setup in watchOS 7, bringing the communication, health, fitness, and safety features of Apple Watch to kids and older family members of the household who do not have an iPhone. For the first time, Apple Watch can be set up through a parent’s iPhone, so kids can connect with family and friends through phone calls and Messages, stay motivated with personalized Activity goals, and express their creativity through custom “Memoji”.


Apple Fitness+ intelligently incorporates metrics from Apple Watch for users to visualize right on their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, offering a first-of-its-kind personalized workout experience. When a workout is selected and started on any of those devices, the correct workout type will automatically start on Apple Watch.


Coming to the iPad, Apple has introduced a brand-new chipset. The A12 Bionic chip introduces the Neural Engine for next-level machine learning capabilities, including people occlusion and motion tracking in augmented reality (AR) apps, enhanced photo editing, Siri performance, and more. The new iPad (8th generation) is available to order starting today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in more than 25 countries and regions, including the US. iPad will be available beginning Friday, September 18, with a starting price of $329 (US) for the Wi-Fi model and $459 (US) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and comes in silver, space gray, and gold finishes in 32GB and 128GB configurations.


The iPad Air, on the other hand, is now available in five gorgeous finishes — including rose gold, green, and sky blue — and features an all-screen design with a larger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, camera, and audio upgrades, a new integrated Touch ID sensor in the top button, and the powerful A14 Bionic chip for a massive boost in performance.


Apart from the new gadget launches will all the advanced tech features, Apple will also offer its own subscription plan. Called the Apple One, it will offer customers Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud, and more in one simple plan. The Apple One Individual plan offers a savings of over $6 per month, while the Family plan offers a savings of over $8 per month, and the Premier plan offers a savings of over $25 per month. Savings are based on standard monthly pricing.

Upcoming Smartwatches | Launching Prior Lockdown

While the entire world is at a standstill after being taken over by a deadly virus; claiming more and more lives every day, human beings have been forced to confine themselves in their homes and wait for the global level pandemic to get over. Except for healthcare, sanitation and essential only services, everything else has been shut down. There is no movement of any kind and everything else is just waiting and piling up.

Most industries which manufacture and sell non-essential items are facing the wrath of this global pandemic, and here technology is no different as it is still a non-essential item. Smartphones, laptops, gadgets and a lot more are seeing massive sale declines as this is the worst situation ever to hit the tech industry. Major shipments are stuck and there is no movement of tech at all. The entire industry is at dire straits. As it would be, manufacturers of tech of all kinds have halted production and also postponed launches of highly anticipated products which were expected to see the light of the day in the following months. However, all this will have to wait until the storm passes and the dust settles completely.

Early this year a lot of brands had announced their most awaited smartwatches line up in India for 2020. The smart wearables are getting quite popular in the country seeking the increase in demand and inclination towards having a fit and healthier life. However, due to the current on-going crisis, many brands have postponed their launches. Here is a list of highly anticipated smartwatches which are expected to hit the Indian shores once the lockdown is lifted.

Oppo Smartwatch

The Opp0 smartwatch is expected to arrive with two display and colour options, 1.6-inch and 1.9-inch; black and gold colours and will have a heart rate monitor.

The watch will also come with eSIM support to allow users making and receiving calls and SMS. It is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2500 processor and an Apollo 3 co-processor.

Amazfit Bip S

The Amazefit Bip S features a colour-rich transflective display and up to 5 ATM of water resistance. Add a great battery life of up to 40 days with built-in GPS, Amazfit Bip S is waiting to be announced in India. 

The Bip S integrates Huami-PAI, a revolutionary indicator of personal activity that gives you details about your heart health and overall fitness, helping you reach or maintain your personal best.

Xiaomi Mi Watch

The watch has been already launched in China and soon going to be launched in India. It features a 1.78 inches AMOLED display along with waterproof and fitness tracking features.

Xiaomi Mi watch comes with a flat rectangular design and with 570 mAh battery capacity. The watch is packed with heart rate tracker, sleep quality measurement, sleep tracking and activity- inactivity calculation.

Amazfit TREX

The Amazefit TREX is packed with 14 sports modes, tracking user performance in everything from indoor and outdoor running to cycling to skiing and more. The smartwatch features a 1.3-inch AMOLED screen with (360×360 pixels) capable of displaying 16.7 million colours with superb clarity.

It features 20hrs GPS, GLONASS, a BioTracker™ PPG optical heart rate sensor, an advanced activity tracker and a sleep monitoring sensor, all providing detailed data to enable you to best reach your fitness goals. Amazfit T-Rex delivers an impressive 20-day battery life.

Samsung Gear S3 Review

How Does It Feel Out Of The Box

The Samsung Gear S3 is larger than the Gear S2, this a smartwatch that is actually a little bit hard to recommend for people with smaller wrist, but we can recommend Gear S3 Classic instead. However, this 46mm body casing is one of the best looking smartwatches in the market right now.

Gear S3 is made out of 316L grade stainless steel construction that’s backs by an IP certification and military grade protection. The watch itself could be submerged up to 1.5 metres in the water for 30 minutes, thanks to its IP68 rating making it dust and water-resistant.

To add more ruggedization, the Gear S3 comes with the 22mm active silicon band that can be easily changed. Now for some, this watch could be a little manly with it’s 12.19 mm thickness but personally, I have no problems with a more bold looking watch. There are two buttons on the right side which help to navigate among the screens and the various apps that can be installed via The Samsung Gear App. The rotating bezel makes it a breeze to scroll down to larger blocks of text or even some pictures that come through a messenger like hangouts. There is a tiny little microphone below the button that you speak into during phone calls which I personally think is the optimal placement if you happened to wear your watch on your left hand. On the left, there is a built-in speaker that let you listen to the music and taking a phone call.

Moving around the interface can be done with a full touchscreen, however, the Gear S3 takes navigation to whole new level with rotating clicky bezel that requires very little effort to rotate it and scroll accurately and wonderfully through all the different elements. It provides one of the most unique and best tactile experiences than any smart wearables available today. The Gear S3 frontier edition which we are writing a review is actually able to fit in with formal, casual and fitness attire.

The 1.3-inch AMOLED display is covered in gorilla glass SR+ and provides great colors and brightness that I’ve encountered on a smartwatch. Turning ON the always-on display toggle allows for the selected watchface to a darker and the less busy version when the watches is in standby, this does cut into the battery life a little bit but not so much thanks to the AMOLED screen.

On the sensor front, the new altimeter and speedometer are joined again by the accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, heart rate monitor and ambient light sensor.

How Does It Perform

The Samsung Gear S3 packs Tizen operating system which has grown since the Gear S2 and now there are a lot of applications available in the Gear manager mobile app. The Exynos 7270 processor powers the device, supported by 768MB of RAM and 4GB of on-board storage so you can put some music on the watch itself and use Bluetooth headsets in order to listen to it locally. Behind the Corning Gorilla Glass, you’ll find Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC and GPS for connectivity.

The Gear S3 frontier has a 380 mAh battery that can go up to two days but with the rigorous usage, you can get only a day. The included wireless charger is magnetic, making it easy to dock the watch. Setting up the Gear S3 and Gear manager properly allows for syncing of notifications between the two devices via Bluetooth or WiFi.

Ratings: 85/100
Priced: ₹ 28,500/-

 

❝  Vivid Display And Powerful Performance Without Compromising Battery Life Makes It One Of The Best Smartwatch Available In The Market. ❞

 

Specs:

  • OS: Tizen OS
  • Display: 1.3-inch (360×360 pixels) AMOLED display
  • Memory: 768 MB RAM & 4GB ROM
  • Sensor: Accelerometer, Gyro, Barometer, HRM, Ambient light
  • Battery: 380 mAh

Verdict

The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier undoubtedly is Samsung’s best performance smartwatch. The most of it goes to the great display and a unique rotating bezel. The Gear S3 manages to be decent at basically every role such as notification, call functionality, tracking health statistics and much more. Samsung really managed to pack a bulk of features that works well enough and making it one of the best enjoyable smartwatch experiences till date.

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