| Category | Key Specification |
| Display | 1.97-inch AMOLED Display |
| Battery | 460mAh, up to 16 Days of backup |
| GPS | Independent GPS with 5 GNSS |
| Sports Modes | 108 different sports modes |
| IP Rating | IP68 dust and water resistance |
| Health Tracking | Heart rate, SpO₂, sleep, stress tracking, Vo2 |
Shopping for a budget smartwatch honestly feels annoying half the time. One has good features but looks ugly, another looks decent but the battery barely lasts, and some just feel like plastic toys on your wrist. You keep thinking, “Yeah okay, this one will do,” instead of actually liking what you bought.
So when I picked up the Realme Watch 5, I was already doubtful. It’s under ₹5,000, yet it talks big game: GPS, a large AMOLED screen, calling, etc.
I’ve been wearing it every day, taking some calls on it, tracking random workouts, and mostly just trying to see if it actually holds up… or if it’s just another watch that looks good in the ads and falls apart in real life.
When I first took the realme Watch 5 out of the box, my immediate thought was, this doesn’t look like one of budget smartwatches.
Yes, the body is plastic, but the metallic finish on it hides that really well. It actually gives off a slightly premium vibe in hand. The crown of aluminium alloy on the side is a nice touch too. It clicks well, doesn’t feel loose, and honestly makes the watch feel more “serious” than most budget ones.
The straps are 22mm and easy to change, which is always a win. There’s this wave-like pattern on them that looks cool up close. Comfort-wise, no complaints. They sit nicely on the wrist even after long hours. Do they feel luxurious, supple and soft? Nope. But at this price, I really wasn’t expecting that anyway.
I’ve been wearing it daily, normal use, light workouts, quick walks outside, and it hasn’t felt fragile at all. I even managed to get the watch by a garden sprinkler once and it didn’t care. Since it’s IP68 rated, water and sweat aren’t really things you need to overthink.
The screen on the Watch 5 is pretty big. Like, you notice it immediately, that big. It’s a 1.97-inch AMOLED panel and for a watch in this range, it actually feels kind of overkill in a good way.
Watch faces look bright, text is clear, and even small notifications are easy to read without bringing the watch right up to your face. I’ve used it outdoors too, and the brightness is good enough that you’re not fighting reflections all the time.
It’s also pretty smooth in day-to-day use, thanks to the 60Hz refresh rate, and the Always-On Display is useful when you just want to glance at the time without tapping the screen.
One thing I genuinely wish it had though is auto brightness. You have to set the brightness yourself, and sometimes you forget until the lighting changes. It’s a small miss, not a deal-breaker. Once you dial it in, the display just quietly does its job, whether you’re working out, walking outside, or just checking the time.
Comfort is actually one of the nicer surprises with the Watch 5. It’s light enough that after some time, you honestly forget you’re even wearing it. The strap can be removed too, so if you ever feel like switching to a softer one or something that looks more premium, you can easily do that.
Out of the box, though, it’s already pretty comfortable. I wore it for long hours without that tight or irritating feeling you sometimes get with budget watches. I even used it while sleeping for a couple of nights, and it didn’t feel bulky or awkward on the wrist.
So yeah, if you’re someone who plans to keep the watch on all day, for steps, workouts, sleep tracking, everything, the comfort part really won’t be an issue.
The Watch 5 doesn’t go overboard with apps or extra stuff, and honestly, that’s probably a good thing. It keeps things simple. To connect it with your phone, you’ll need the Realme Link app, and yeah, just make sure it’s updated or the pairing can get annoying sometimes.
Once everything is set up, the watch feels smooth in day-to-day use. Swiping through menus, changing watch faces, starting your workouts, checking health stats, all of that feels quick and doesn’t make you wait around.
I’ve used budget smartwatches in the past where the UI felt slow and awkward all the time, but this one doesn’t have that issue. It’s not fancy, it’s not trying to impress you with animations, it just does what it’s supposed to do… and that’s actually a good thing here.
For the price Realme is asking, the Watch 5 honestly feels loaded with features. You’ve got built-in GPS, a crazy number of workout modes, Bluetooth calling, NFC, and a whole pile of watch faces to choose from. If you like switching up your watch look every few days, you’re sorted for a long time.
On top of that, all the regular smartwatch stuff is here too, like music controls, alarms, a compass, breathing exercises, even camera controls. Nothing fancy or over-the-top, but all the basics people actually use on a daily basis are covered.
On the health side, the Watch 5 pretty much ticks all the expected boxes. It tracks heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep, stress levels, and even offers menstrual cycle tracking for women. You also get VO₂ Max estimates and auto workout detection, which is handy when you forget to start tracking manually. I personally like the move around prompt it gives, a small reminder if you spend more time sitting at one place.
So it’s clearly not just meant for seeing notifications and counting steps. You can use it properly for daily fitness tracking, sleep monitoring, and keeping a general check on your health without needing anything extra.
Let’s be clear about one thing first, you should not be using any smartwatch, including this one, as a medical device. None of them are officially meant for that, and this isn’t either.
That said, from my own use, the Watch 5 was actually pretty close to being accurate most of the time. Since it has proper GPS and all the usual sensors, the numbers it shows feel way more believable than those really cheap watches that just spit out random data.
Steps looked fine, heart rate readings didn’t feel off, and workout stats stayed within a normal range. Outdoor tracking also felt better because of the GPS, you can tell the difference when you’ve used non-GPS watches before.
Still, at the end of the day, it’s just a watch sitting on your wrist. Don’t expect hospital-level accuracy. But for normal stuff like walking, running, gym workouts, cycling, and keeping a rough idea of your activity and health, it does a decent enough job to be useful.
The built-in GPS is honestly one of the biggest highlights of the Watch 5. You can head out for a run, walk, or cycling session without carrying your phone, and the watch will still record your route and distance properly, and by proper I mean the exact path and route you took.
For anyone who prefers outdoor workouts, this is a big plus. A lot of budget watches either skip GPS altogether or mess it up badly, this one actually does the job well enough to rely on.
With 108 workout modes, the Watch 5 tries to cover just about everything, from basic stuff like walking, running, gym workouts, yoga, and cycling to more specific activities like water sports too.
Realistically, most people won’t use even half of these, but it’s still nice to know the options are there. But, If you switch between different workouts or just want simple tracking without too much setup, this much variety is more than enough for everyday use.
Pro tip here although the watch is IP68 and has many water sports modes included such as surfing and motorboating, I would advise not to take it for swimming as you don’t get that option in the entire list.
Bluetooth calling is one of those features that sounds small on paper but turns out to be really useful. You can take calls directly from the watch when your phone is in your pocket or across the room. The sound quality isn’t mind-blowing, but for quick calls, it works fine.
NFC is also listed as a feature, which can be used for smart card scanning or related tools depending on how it’s supported in your region. Honestly in my case it was of no use, so I can't comment on how better it works.
But, together, these features push the Watch 5 beyond just being a fitness tracker and place it in that “lite-smartwatch” category that can handle small daily tasks too.
Realme says the Watch 5 can last up to 16 days on normal use and even stretch to 20 days in Light Smart Mode. On paper, that sounds crazy good, especially with a 460mAh battery in this price range. For most people, that basically means you can forget about charging it for a couple of weeks.
Now, coming to my real-world use, the charging speed is not fast. It took a little more than two hours to go from low to full, even when I plugged it into an 80W fast charger. The drain, though, is pretty controlled. I used the watch heavily for three straight days and it dropped around 30% battery. So yeah, I’m a bit doubtful about the full 16-day claim with heavy usage.
That said, if your use is light, just steps, notifications, and basic tracking, the battery drop slows down a lot. So the long backup Realme talks about does make sense in that kind of usage.
If you’re in the market for an affordable smartwatch under ₹5,000 that looks good, lasts long, and does more than just show notifications the Realme Watch 5 is a very strong contender.
It combines the features (GPS, health tracking, calling, NFC, many sports modes) that usually cost much more, with a build and display that feel premium. For fitness enthusiasts, casual users, everyday wear, or those wanting an entry-level “smartwatch” without spending big, the Watch 5 brings balanced value.
In short: Realme Watch 5 punches above its price, a smart buy for value-conscious users seeking full-featured smartwatch capabilities.