We’ve said this many times before here, but not everyone needs the most expensive and advanced gear. We all start somewhere, whether that’s because of budget, ability, or need. There are different devices for varying needs. And the realme Band 2 is a budget-friendly fitness tracker for those looking for their first wearable.
Is it for you? Here are the top three reasons to add it to your cart or pick it up at the store.
You’re looking for an inexpensive and basic fitness tracker
The realme Band 2 is the kind of wearable made for those who don’t want to spend too much. But that doesn’t mean you’re being shortchanged. All of the essential health and wellness features I expect on a fitness tracker are available here. It has 90 workout and sports modes available to you. On the watch itself, it lets you access 14 activities.
Depending on what activity you do, this fitness band can track information like the duration of your workout, calories, distance, and heart rate. Don’t expect it to be as extensive as more expensive wearables. You’ll get a quick glance at the information on the band, but you’ll see the heart rate zones you’ve hit in the app.
It can continually monitor your heart rate throughout your day, and it can even alert you if you have a high or low heart rate. You can prompt it to check on your blood oxygen and your stress levels. And, of course, it can automatically track your sleep, too. I can’t compare it to medical-grade devices, but I like how it can record my sleep and even naps quite well, too. Like it estimates pretty well how long I’ve slept or napped. Some other fitness bands I’ve used couldn’t record those short periods of rest. So, I appreciate that this does because it gives me an insight into how long and well I’ve slept in a day.
I like using the Breathe feature to start a few minutes of breathing exercises when I’m feeling stressed. It lets me take as short as a minute or up to 10 minutes if I need that breather.
For those with periods, I’m happy to report that the realme Band 2 does have period tracking. But you’ll have to head into the settings of the realme Link app to enable it. I wish it was more an opt-out feature instead of an opt-in because we’re never quite sure if fitness bands support this critical feature. You also can’t edit updates to your cycle on the watch. You can enable an alert that reminds you when you’re menstruation or fertile period is almost here. You’ll have to do all that in the app. But these limitations are somewhat understandable given the price of the realme Band 2. They are still on my wish list for wearables, though.
Don’t expect it to be as comprehensive as apps like Clue, too. It can record your pain, flow, and mood. But each of those options has three choices only.
The realme Band 2 can be programmed to remind you of activities like getting up from your chair and drinking water. These are helpful features, especially for those who spend most of their days sitting in a chair immersed in working or studying. You can set how often you’re reminded and when you don’t want to be disturbed.
Navigating through the realme Band 2 is easy to pick up, even if you don’t view the instructions on the realme Link app. But one feature that requires a bit of study (or at least a peek at the digital manual) is how to stop a workout. It’s not an intuitive feature. There should be a more straightforward implementation for that.
I like how bright the 1.4-inch TFT screen on this fitness tracker gets. I’ve kept it at 40% brightness throughout my test, whether it was sunny outside or not. I just lower it at night when I’m about to sleep.
The display is relatively responsive. I’ve had issues, though, with navigating through the Timer setting. As a watch, of course, it supports alarms, event reminders, timers, and stopwatches. I use the timer often, and it takes a lot of time to set it up. It’s like the display can’t respond well to my taps. It’s an issue I hope realme addresses. My other gripe with the watch functions is that I wish I could add alarms and event reminders through the watch instead of needing to do this through the realme Link app.
LiTT Tip #1: If you wanted to learn how to end workouts on the realme Band 2, you’d need to swipe right on the workout screen and pull up the red pause button. Press and hold that until it shows up the red stop and green resume/play options. You’ll then need to press the red stop button to end your session. (I turned this into a TikTok video already.)
You still want some smarts, though
Since the realme Band 2 is linked to your smartphone, it offers some intelligent features that can lessen the times you pick up your mobile device. You can receive notifications from the apps you want, control music playback, find your connected smartphone or find the band itself via the app, use it as a flashlight, or control your smart home devices linked to your realme Link app.
I like that the realme Band 2 will automatically pull up the Music Control feature when it detects you’re listening to music or watching content on the connected phone. It’s also a convenient selfie/camera shutter for the linked smartphone. So, if you want an easy way to take your photos or group shots without anyone else’s help. You can do that with a tap on this smart band’s screen.
LiTT Tip #2: Notifications are helpful, but they can also be distracting. The realme Band 2 has a Do Not Disturb feature like many other smart bands. You can enable it easily or set a schedule for it. But my favorite one is the Smart option. The realme Band 2 will detect when you’ve fallen asleep and enable the feature then. To access it, swipe right on the watch face and then tap on the cog/settings button on the lower right. Scroll down to the Do Not Disturb menu, then scroll down again until you locate the Smart option. Then toggle the feature on.
You don’t want to be tied down by your tech
The realme Band 2 is a “wear it, then forget it” kind of fitness band. It isn’t flashy, which some may appreciate, while some might find “too basic.” Personally, I wanted more band and color options available at purchase. But I know some will be happy with the black color choice. realme adds its “Dare to Leap” branding on top of the strap, which is the only way to tell its brand. I like the length of this included strap because its longer length allows for a better fit for more people. One concession is you can replace the strap on your own since it features an 18mm interchangeable wrist strap.
realme offers 50 different watch faces to choose from within the realme Link app if you want to show off your style a bit. You can even select a photo of yours as the background of the watch. But I wished there was a way to download more watch faces into this band.
It’s comfortable enough to wear 24/7. I can sleep well even with it on. And it goes days upon days of use without needing a recharge. According to realme, you can get up to 12 days of use on a single charge. But my typical use usually requires a recharge after six or seven days. That’s still a reasonable amount of time to go between recharges, making it easy to again “just wear and forget.”
And it can go on your adventures with you. The realme Band 2 has a water resistance of up to 50m, which means you can take it for a swim in a pool or get a bit of rain on it without trouble.
LiTT Tip #3: If you want to use your favorite photo as a background on the watch face, open the realme Link and head to your device. Tap on the Face Gallery option, then scroll down to Album Dial. From there, tap on the plus icon under the Background image option and select the photo you want to use. You can even choose how the time is displayed on the screen. When you’re done, select Sync to device.
What’s lit and what’s not?
What’s lit about it:
- Wallet-friendly price
- Access to many workouts and sports modes
- Offers basic tracking of many metrics, including stress and SpO2
- Records sleep and even naps quite well
- Built-in breathing exercise feature
- Simple period tracking is available
- Health reminders for getting up and drinking water
- Bright display
- Automatically pulls up music controls when a song is playing
- Long strap allows it to fit more people
- Comfy for all-day wear
- Different free watch face designs to choose from
What’s not
- Can’t edit a period cycle on the band
- Period tracking isn’t enabled by default
- Ending a workout isn’t as intuitive
- The display is finicky when navigating the Timer settings
- Can only add alarms through the realme Link app
- Wish there was a way to download more watch faces to use
Final thoughts
The realme Band 2 brings a lot of value for what you pay for it. And that’s a vital feature for a device to have. I found most of what I needed, making it suitable for many typical fitness tracker users (especially for beginners). There are some understandable misses and a few inconveniences I can do without. But for the most part, the realme Band 2 proved to be a reliable fitness band.
The realme Band 2 retails for PHP 2,490 (around USD 49 converted). It’s available on Lazada, Shopee, and realme authorized stores nationwide.
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