realme Band 2 Fitness Smartwatch Hands-on

In May 2020, realme launched in the Philippines the realme Band, an affordable fitness smartwatch with plenty of features and long battery life. In 2021, it has released its successor, the realme Band 2, looking more like a small smartwatch than a fitness band. Let’s see what else is new in our hands-on below.

The realme Band 2 sports a different design compared to its predecessor and it definitely looks like an upgrade. It now has a larger 1.4-inch color touch screen with a resolution of 167 x 320 and 500 nits of brightness.

The resolution is enough for its size and can produce enough brightness for outdoor use. It doesn’t use an AMOLED or OLED screen, though, so the blacks are not that dark, but it’s not a big deal since the viewing experience is still pleasant. Found below the screen is a faint strip, which is actually a capacitive back button for navigation.

The design is also different as it now has a straight rectangular case with rounded sides. Underneath it is are the sensors and the metal contacts for charging. It also uses an 18mm removable silicone wrist strap with a quick-release spring bar, so you can buy new straps from realme or local watch stores.

The fitness watch feels very light and comfortable that we didn’t mind using it for a whole day while at work. Despite that it’s mostly plastic, it feels well-made and is water-resistant up to 50 meters, meaning you can take it for a swim.

Pairing the Band 2 to your smartwatch is easy and all you need is the realme Link app. If this is your first time using the app, make sure to create an account first. Once that is done, the app will automatically detect the smartwatch for pairing and connects using Bluetooth 5.1. Just follow the prompts and input the necessary info like date, height, and current weight. All in all, the process took about 5 minutes. You can also take the time to pick a new watch face.

When it comes to features, the Band 2 has almost everything you need from a fitness standpoint. There’s the blood oxygen monitor, heart rate monitor using a power-efficient GH3011 sensor, stress monitor, sleep quality analysis, offers breathing exercises, and supports 90 different sports modes such as running, yoga, and indoor run.

That’s not all, though, as it has extra features like Notifications, Weather, Alarms, Timers, Find My Phone, Find my band (which only vibrates to make a noise), Music playback control, camera controller for your smartphone, health reminders, and Smart AIoT control, which lets us control other realme devices like the realme Bud Air. We can even switch on/off the realme Smart Cam 360.

When it comes to battery, the Band 2 has a 204mAh capacity and can last up to 12 days, which is lower than the 19 days the original Band claims. But that’s not a big issue as that is still an impressive battery life given the additional features. If you connect it to its charger at night every few days to top up, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it dying on you right away. We can even charge it with a power bank, which is convenient.

The realme Band 2 is yet to be priced in the Philippines, but we can still expect it to be affordable. We think it’s a worthy successor to the realme Band, so if you have a realme smartphone and want a fitness smartwatch to complement it without breaking the bank, this is the one to get.

realme Band 2 specs:

Appearance
Color: Space Grey
Size: 259.8*24.6*12.1mm?W*H*L)
Weight: 27.3g

Battery
Battery: 204mAh
Theoretical Working Time: 12 Days

Sensors
3-axis Accelerometer Sensor
GH3011 Sensor

Health monitor
The realme Band 2 features a 24-hour heart rate measurement, resting heart rate, exercise heart rate, heart rate alert, blood oxygen measurement, sleep detection, steps throughout the day, calories, distance, water reminder, sedentary reminder, activity records, women’s health tracking, stress measurement.

Wrist strap
Type: Removable wrist strap
Width: 18mm
Adjustable length: 150-220mm

Screen
Screen size: 3.5cm(1.4”)
Resolution: 167*320 pixel

Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.1
Works with realme Link
Support Android5.1+
Support iOS 11+

Sport modes
Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, Indoor Run, Indoor Walk, Football, Cricket, Basketball, Spinning, Rower, Elliptical, Yoga, Free Training, 90 Sports Modes.

Other functions
music control, camera control, find phone, breathe, 12/24-hour, stopwatch, clock, weather forecast, date display, dial, cloud dial, OTA upgrade, multi-language UI interface, multi-language, data storage, all-day data, call notification, message reminder, alarm reminder, step goal completion reminder, binding confirmation reminder, low battery reminder, brightness adjustment, shake adjustment, wear monitoring, lift wrist to wake the screen, no disturb mode, quick settings, IOT Control(realme Link).

In The Box
realme Band 2 x1
Charging base x1
User manual x1