realme Watch 3 just dropped in the Philippines in time for this year’s realme Fan Festival and right off the bat, we were impressed by the new aesthetic. It does away with its rounded edges in favor of sharp, flat styled edges that is the trend among tech gadgets in 2022.
Metallic accent + sharp edges = FRESH NEW LOOK
In addition to this, the realme Watch 3 sports a reflective metallic frame. On the gray variant, the chrome frame emanates a premium vibe as well as a more rigid and solid look.
If you were to recall, the realme Watch 2 came in an all-black polycarbonate chassis. Now the realme Watch 2 is by no means fragile, but it now looks like a plastic toy next to the Watch 3. It’s amazing what simple design changes could do.
We are not too fond of the flat edge in mobile phones because it cuts through your palms when holding them, but we can appreciate what realme did here. The realme Watch 3 stays strapped to your wrist the entire time with no palms to cut through, so we’re down with the flat look.
Much big display, very less bezels uWu
The surface is still curved to make swiping on the 1.8-inch screen more comfortable. Up from last year’s 1.4-inches, the screen on the realme Watch 3 now features 30% more screen while keeping the its dimensions roughly the same. As a result, the bezels are now almost negligible.
One of the things we appreciated last year was the reduction in bezels, but apparently that was not enough for team yellow, and we are blown away by how much smaller they are this year on the realme Watch 3.
Still no AMOLED though: that 1.8-inch display uses a TFT-LCD touchscreen panel. Peak brightness is rated at 500 nits, down from 600 nits on the realme Watch 2. Despite this, we had no trouble using it under direct sunlight.
Microphone and built-in speakers: Yay or nay?
Another big change this year is the addition of a loudspeaker and microphone, making Bluetooth calls possible. This system comes with three key features: 1) AI Noise Cancellation to filter out background noise, 2) Smart Power Amplifier to improve sound quality, and 3) Dual-Mode Bluetooth to keep audio transmission stable during calls.
This is probably one of those features that you would either end up using a lot, or not end up using at all.
Don’t get me wrong: our test calls went well, and we appreciate the fact that you can make calls by scrolling through your contacts or dialing directly on your realme Watch 3.
However, trying to work with a small screen can take some getting used to. I have medium-sized hands, yet I struggled to hit the right numbers. This is one of those places where Android lags behind the Apple iOS ecosystem: on the Apple Watch, you can simply call up Siri to do those things for you.
Either way, the sound pickup and noise cancellation of the built-in microphone produced surprisingly good audio quality on the other side of the line. My voice was crisp and clear and the background noise is significantly minimized.
That’s not all: those built-in speakers were also surprisingly good: it’s loud enough to be audible from a distance, and defined enough for me to pick up the details. It’s like a slightly softer version of your smartphone’s loudspeakers.
We dig it.
New straps, woohoo!
In addition to the refreshed chassis, the straps also got a new look.
Gone is the bold “DARE TO LEAP” slogan that was etched into its predecessor. Instead, the new straps sport a more refined, plain look. While the top side of the strap is quite plain now, the side underneath now feature small grooves or ridges.
I’m no watch expert, but if I’m going to make a guess, the space between the skin and the strap makes wearing it more comfortable.
It did feel good wearing it, and at no point did it feel itchy or irritating to the skin which is nice. There are also enough holes for it to fit anything from the thinnest wrists to the thicker ones.
zOMG new charger too?!?
Completing our list is the new charging system, which now sports a pill-shaped connector instead of the circular system found on the realme Watch 2. It’s still magnetic so it only goes in one way, but it occupies less space and hence, less bulk.
What about battery life and charging time?
We have not spent enough time with the device to completely test it thoroughly, so we’ll go with the information published on the official product page, which places charging time at 2.5 hours with typical battery life at 7 days.
That seems a little low compared to the 12 hours on the realme Watch 2 and 7-9 days on the OG Watch considering battery capacity actually increased from 315mAh (typ) to 340mAh.
Once again, we did not get to test this much, so our observations are inconclusive at this point.
New skins and period tracking, yay!
On the software side of things, the realme Watch 3 comes with 100+ fresh new skins and 110+ sport modes. It also introduces new features such as stress level monitoring, health reminders, and menstrual cycle monitoring.
These are definitely welcome improvements to the realme Watch system.
If we were to improve it, we would like to have Google Assistant integration in order to take voice commands. After all, we already the microphone hardware in place to make this possible.
Closing thoughts: To buy or not to buy?
After having such an amazing experience with the realme Watch 2, we had really high expectations going into this review. The biggest items in our wishlist would be a display and LED panel, neither of which made it to the realme Watch 3.
We did, however, get more real estate at 1.8 inches and smaller bezels which kind of makes up for it.
In addition to this, the Watch 3 now comes with loudspeakers and a microphone which is sweet for those who need it. It also features numerous software improvements which make it a huge step up from its predecessor.
Retailing for P3,499, the realme Watch 3 is P500 more expensive than its predecessor, but offers so much more that it’s a no-brainer that this is the better deal.
The realme Watch 3 is now available in the Philippines on Lazada and Shopee. Purchases made through the realme official Store on Shopee are covered by 7-day return policy, and you can pay COD (cash on detail). To sweeten the deal, customers get FREE shipping nationwide.
As an added benefit, you get direct support from Shopee Philippines, should there be any issues with your purchase.