For some context, we used the Realme Band alongside the Mi Smart Band 4 throughout the review period in order to have a reference or benchmark.
Design and Comfort
The Realme Band looks like any other fitness tracker out there. A rectangular module with a display attached to straps on either side. You don’t really expect a fitness tracker, especially at this price point to score big on uniqueness so it’s certainly not a major con. However, we wish the design was slightly more polished and well thought out as the black bars surrounding the display panel can cut out some info if you are viewing it from an angle. The display itself is a TFT LCD panel which is disappointing as the sunlight legibility is poor. Realme should have provided an OLED panel.
The strap, however, is of good quality and comes with multiple adjustments holes. The edges of the strap are slightly sharp for our liking though and if you move your wrists a lot, it can get uncomfortable at times. The subtle curve on the Realme Band’s module gives it a better look. We found that wearing the band throughout the day did not cause any discomfort and the black variant we have with us looks quite stealthy and attractive when worn. The Realme Band is IP68 certified so you can go swimming with it.
Functionality and Accuracy
The Realme Band, apart from the basic functionality of tracking your steps, distance walked, and calories burnt has dedicated modes for yoga, running, and for the first time in a fitness tracker, even cricket. Step tracking is of course of the most important aspects and the Realme Band seems to do a fine job with the accuracy. Just for comparison, we used the Realme Band and the Mi Band 4 at the same time and manually counted while walking 100 steps. We repeated this about seven times and on all occasions, the Realme Band was found to be more accurate (albeit by a slight margin). Both bands count additional steps while you’re driving so that’s something to consider. The Realme Band also has a heart rate monitor and the accuracy is commendable here too. Despite the fact that the band is IP68 certified, there’s sadly no way to track swims.
Usability and other Features
The Realme Band does not have a touch-sensitive display and relies on a single touch-capacitive button beneath the display to navigate through the different options. A single tap will scroll through all the available modes and long-pressing the button on a particular mode will either trigger it or give you more information about it. This makes it slightly hard to navigate around the menus as it’s time-consuming. The Realme Band does not have any additional features onboard like a stopwatch or weather alerts. It is strictly fitness oriented. However, the Realme Band does have the ability to display your notifications and incoming call alerts and it does so with strong vibrations. The Realme Band comes with five default watch face options and you cannot add additional watch faces. There’s an alarm option as well, along with a drink reminder to help you with regular consumption of water. This option is usually found on more expensive trackers so it’s nice to see on the Realme Band.
The Realme Link app which connects the Realme Band to your phone can be used to sync and track your activity data and to change the settings of the band. You can even sync your data with Google Fit if you wish to do so. The app, however, is buggy at the moment fails to connect to the band more often than you would expect and that isn’t the most ideal experience. This should, however, be fixed with an update to the app. Do note that we were sent a Beta version of the app prior to launch so Realme might have already fixed this issue by the time the Realme Band goes on sale.
Battery Life and Charging
The Realme Band has a claimed battery life of 10 days and while we haven’t got sufficient time to test that, the band is currently on 66% after using it for 4 days so it’s safe to say that the claim of 10 days is true. A really nice aspect about the Realme Band is the fact that it charges directly via USB-A and does not need a proprietary charging cable unlike most other fitness trackers out there. This means you have one less cable to worry about. The charging time itself is about 2 hours.
Realme Band Review: Verdict?
Should you get yourself the Realme Band for Rs 1,499? As we stated earlier, the competition is fierce, and Xiaomi has been at the forefront in this category from the past couple of years. The Mi Smart Band 4 retails for Rs. 2,199 and if it’s out of your budget, Xiaomi also sells a cheaper Mi Band 3i which has some additional features like a stopwatch, timer, weather details and more importantly, a touch-sensitive display. However, it skimps out on a heart rate monitor that the Realme Band has. The 3i also just has a monochrome display whereas the Realme Band has a colored panel, albeit an LCD one. Then again, the 3i hits back with more than double the battery life and is also Rs. 200 cheaper.
If a heart rate scanner is an absolute necessity for you, the Realme Band is your go-to option, unless of course, you can stretch your budget to Rs 2,200 in which case, the Mi Smart Band 4 is a no-brainer. If you want a more reliable experience and cannot stretch your budget, the Mi Band 3i makes more sense in our opinion. You can also check out the Honor Band 5 for under Rs 2,000. The Realme Band is a decent first attempt from the band, but it certainly needs a lot of improvement and polishing. Let’s see where Realme takes this with future iterations.
