Realme Watch S5 launches with GPS and 16 day battery life

Realme has launched the Watch S5 in India with a round AMOLED display, built-in GPS and battery life rated at up to 16 days with normal use. The smartwatch also brings a noticeably different design from the company’s recent rectangular models.

Let’s dive into the specifics.

A sharper looking budget smartwatch

The Realme Watch S5 comes with a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with 466 x 466 resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of up to 1,500 nits. Always-on display support is included, although battery life drops from around 16 days to roughly five days when that mode is enabled.

One slightly unusual feature is a night vision mode that switches the display to red tones for low-light viewing. It could be useful for checking the time at night without blasting your eyes with a bright watch screen.

The body is also worth mentioning. Realme has gone with a flat-edged frame and large side buttons, which makes the Watch S5 stand out a little from the usual budget smartwatch design language. The watch weighs 32 grams without the strap and comes in Rock Grey and Sand White colour options.

GPS and sports tracking headline the fitness package

The bigger upgrade is built-in GPS with support for five satellite systems. That means users can track runs, walks and rides without carrying a phone all the time, which is still not guaranteed at this price level.

Realme says the watch supports 110 sports modes, along with features such as VO2 max, recovery duration, interval training and running courses. Whether those metrics prove genuinely useful will depend heavily on sensor accuracy, but at least Realme is offering more than just the basics.

The watch also includes heart rate, SpO2, sleep and stress tracking. Breathing exercises, sedentary reminders and women’s health tracking are part of the package too.

There are some obvious limits. The Watch S5 does not include ECG, skin temperature sensing or NFC for contactless payments. That helps explain the price positioning and keeps it away from the more advanced smartwatch category.

Gemini shortcut joins the smart features

Bluetooth calling is included, along with music controls, weather, timers, alarms and other standard smartwatch tools. One of the side buttons can also trigger Google Gemini, although this appears to work mainly as a shortcut through the connected smartphone rather than a deeply integrated on-watch AI system. Realme is also pushing voice replies for messaging, although support currently seems focused on WhatsApp.

The Watch S5 launches first in India at Rs 7,999, with a temporary launch offer dropping the price to Rs 7,499 from June 5 to June 7. Realme has not confirmed wider international availability yet, although the older Realme Watch 5 did eventually reach other markets.