After using a couple of budget fitness bands over the past few years, I developed a sort of distrust toward them. You know the feeling—you go from lying on the couch to getting up for a glass of water and suddenly your watch thinks you’ve walked 100 steps. Not ideal when you actually want to track real activity. Recently, I decided to finally upgrade to a smartwatch under ₹5,000–₹8,000 that would actually count steps accurately. I didn’t expect premium Apple Watch-level precision, but I needed something that wasn’t a glorified pedometer. After researching and trying a few models, I finally bought the Amazfit Bip 3 Pro—and it turned out to be a pretty solid choice. Based on my research and experience, here’s a personal breakdown of some budget smartwatches that are genuinely reliable for step tracking in India right now.
Amazfit Bip 3 Pro
This is the one I ended up buying after weeks of comparing specs and watching endless YouTube reviews. For around ₹4,500–₹5,000, the Bip 3 Pro brings a lot to the table: built-in GPS, a lightweight design, and most importantly, surprisingly accurate step counting. I tested it by doing a known 1000-step route that I use for short walks, manually counting steps along the way (yes, I was that obsessed). The Bip 3 Pro usually showed around 1015–1020 steps, which is very acceptable for a watch in this range. What I love is that the watch doesn’t register random hand movements (like waving or typing) as steps. Plus, the Zepp app that it syncs with is easy to use and gives you a detailed breakdown. Battery life? Crazy good—easily lasts 10+ days even with moderate GPS use.
Noise ColorFit Pro 4
Noise has really become a favorite among budget buyers, and the ColorFit Pro 4, priced around ₹2,999–₹3,499, is honestly a strong competitor if you’re looking for step accuracy on a tight budget. While I didn’t buy this one, during my research I found a lot of positive feedback specifically about how well it filters out false steps—like counting only when your arms and body are actually moving in rhythm. People noted that it doesn’t wildly overestimate when you’re sitting down or driving (which happens a lot with cheaper watches). One thing though—the build quality is a little plasticky. But if you want a solid everyday smartwatch without spending much, this one’s worth considering.
Realme Tech Life S100
This Realme watch is slightly more expensive, floating around ₹3000, but it feels more polished compared to many others in the same range. The step accuracy is genuinely impressive because it uses motion sensors + GPS hybrid tracking for better calibration. Many users have mentioned that it feels “Apple-lite” in the way it counts steps during active walking and running but avoids counting every small shake as movement. It also has Bluetooth calling, which I personally didn’t care for, but if that’s a bonus feature for you, it’s pretty handy. The downside? It’s a little bulky for smaller wrists.
Redmi Watch 3 Active
This one surprised me because Xiaomi watches in the super-budget range are usually more about looks and less about performance. But the Redmi Watch 3 Active (around ₹5000) genuinely does a decent job of step counting. It doesn’t rely only on arm swing for detecting steps, so activities like running on a treadmill or cycling (where your hands are relatively still) are still captured pretty well. One review I read mentioned that it has a small margin of error (~3–5%), which, honestly, is excellent at this price. Display is bright, UI is clean, but don’t expect miracles from the sleep tracking features.
boAt Xtend Smartwatch
Yes, I know boAt isn’t exactly the first brand you think of for watches, but their Xtend model (around ₹2,000–₹2,500) actually does a fair job for step tracking if your expectations are realistic. The accuracy isn’t as perfect as Amazfit or Realme, but if you’re more casual about fitness—like just trying to hit a daily movement goal rather than training for marathons—this works. Plus, the Alexa integration is a nice-to-have if you enjoy voice commands.
Just be mindful that it may slightly overcount steps during cooking or cleaning activities.
What You Should Look For in a Budget Smartwatch (for Step Accuracy)
From my experience (and mistakes), here are things to actually check before buying:
- Real Motion Sensors: Good watches use a combo of accelerometer and gyroscope sensors, not just basic accelerometers.
- GPS Support: Built-in GPS (even assisted GPS) helps in better movement mapping and reduces false steps.
- Movement Filtering: A good watch can tell the difference between hand movements and actual walking/running.
- Battery Life: Watches that don’t die every 2-3 days tend to have more reliable sensors working consistently.
- Companion App Quality: The app matters! A cluttered or buggy app ruins the whole tracking experience.
My Final Thoughts
After trying a few and doing a lot of homework, the Amazfit Blip 3 Pro really stood out for me. It’s reliable, accurate, lightweight, and the battery is phenomenal. If you want something cheaper, the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 and Redmi Watch 3 Active are definitely worth shortlisting too.
Sure, they’re not perfect—but if you’re looking for real, trustworthy step counts without burning a hole in your wallet, these are the smartwatches that actually walk the talk (pun intended).
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I had the same issue with my older Mi Band it used to count me brushing my teeth as 150 steps. Been considering the Amazfit Bip 3 Pro for a while now, but I am wondering does the GPS work well indoors too? Or is it mostly useful only for outdoor runs and walks?
I think most of us have experienced that with early fitness bands. About the GPS on the Bip 3 Pro, it’s definitely more geared toward outdoor use. It connects fairly quickly outdoors (within 15–30 seconds in my case), and once locked, it stays consistent throughout a walk or run. Indoors though, it switches to motion sensor-based tracking, which is still decently accurate but obviously not as precise as GPS mapping. What helps is the Zepp app’s ability to calibrate steps over time based on your motion habits. So if you use it regularly indoors and outdoors it gradually gets better at filtering out junk movement, which is honestly the main win with this watch. I wouldn’t depend on GPS indoors, but the step count remains stable and believable.
I use a treadmill for most of my workouts, and the biggest issue with my current smartwatch is it barely tracks those steps since my arms are relatively still. From what you’ve said, seems like some of these watches handle that better. Which one works best for treadmill users?
A legit issue, and one I ran into with older budget wearables too they rely way too much on arm swing. Among the models I looked at, Redmi Watch 3 Active and Realme TechLife S100 stand out for treadmill or indoor cardio tracking. Both have step detection algorithms that use a combo of accelerometer and cadence-based estimation. In fact, when I was checking reviews for the Redmi Watch, a couple of users specifically mentioned accurate treadmill logging with around 3–5% variance, which is solid for this range. The Amazfit Bip 3 Pro also performs decently on the treadmill front, especially when GPS is off. I ran a short 15-minute treadmill test with it, and the steps and duration lined up closely with my machine’s reading. It’s not perfect, but you won’t get grossly undercounted like with older trackers.
I use a manual pedometer clipped to my waist because I never trusted wrist-based step tracking. But these watches seem to be getting better. Do any of these models also let you log non-walking workouts like yoga or strength training?
Yeah, the w rist-based models had a bad rep for years but some of these newer budget watches have improved a lot in filtering noise. Regarding workout types yes, several of them go beyond walking or running. The Amazfit Bip 3 Pro supports around 60 workout modes, including yoga, strength training, elliptical, even freestyle. It won’t be super detailed in rep counting or pose recognition, but it logs time, heart rate, and calorie burn fairly well during such sessions. Even the Redmi Watch 3 Active and Realme S100 have 100+ modes, though I would not rely heavily on the calorie numbers they’re ballpark at best. For basic tracking like duration and HR zones, they’re useful. So if you’re logging your entire fitness routine, these can give you a decent overview not just step counts.
I had the same issue with my older Mi Band it used to count me brushing my teeth as 150 steps. Been considering the Amazfit Bip 3 Pro for a while now, but I am wondering does the GPS work well indoors too? Or is it mostly useful only for outdoor runs and walks?
I just want something casual for daily walking and occasional gym sessions. Would a cheaper option like Noise or boAt work well, or should I go for the Bip 3 Pro?
For casual tracking, Noise ColorFit Pro 4 or boAt Xtend is sufficient. They handle step counting well, filter out most false positives, and give you basic workout logging. If you want more accuracy, built-in GPS, and a better app interface, the Bip 3 Pro is worth the extra cost. For everyday walks and light gym sessions, any of the cheaper models will do the job without feeling lacking.
Battery life matters a lot for me. Do these watches really last a week or more like the spec sheets say?
Aman, yes battery life on budget watches has improved drastically. The Amazfit Bip 3 Pro easily lasts 10+ days with moderate GPS use and step tracking. The Noise ColorFit Pro 4 and Realme S100 typically last 7–8 days on moderate use. The Redmi Watch 3 Active is similar, around a week. If you use GPS extensively or enable always-on display, expect shorter life, but for most users, a single charge every week or so is realistic.
I mostly walk on the treadmill. My old watch barely tracked those steps since my arms don’t swing much. Which of these budget smartwatches handle treadmill or indoor cardio best?
Good question, Kamal. The Redmi Watch 3 Active and Realme TechLife S100 perform best for treadmill and indoor cardio because they use accelerometer data combined with cadence estimation. When I ran a short treadmill test with the Bip 3 Pro the steps were pretty close to the machine’s count slightly off but way better than older trackers. So if you are into treadmill workouts, any of these three watches will give you more accurate indoor step logging.
I’m mostly worried about arm movement-based miscounts. I do a lot of house chores where my hands move a lot, but I’m not walking. Do these watches filter that out well?
This is where modern budget watches really shine compared to older bands. Models like Amazfit Bip 3 Pro, Noise ColorFit Pro 4, and Realme TechLife S100 have decent movement filtering. They use a combination of accelerometer data and motion algorithms to distinguish actual walking or running from casual hand movements. For example, I tested the Bip 3 Pro while cooking and it barely added any false steps, unlike my old Mi Band, which would have recorded hundreds. So for daily activity tracking, you can rely on them to mostly ignore random hand flailing.