I have always been deterred by the steep prices of those from Apple and Samsung. So, when I was given the opportunity to review the Amazfit Active 42mm Smart Watch, I was keen to see how it stacked up against the pricier models. The Amazfit is a budget-friendly smartwatch and fitness tracker that competes with the more well-known brands and it’s currently available for £74.90 in Amazon’s Spring Deal Days sale – a 24% discount from the original £99 – where it’s been flagged as an Amazon’s Choice product.
The watch boasts a 1.75″ HD AMOLED display and an ‘ultra-long’ 14-day battery life, with standout features including an AI-powered training coach. It can also be used for calls, texts and music playback, as well as a variety of basic functions like alarms and weather forecasts. It’s compatible with both Apple and Android devices running at least iOS 12.0 or Android 7.0, so I synced it with my iPhone 13.
The setup was simple, albeit a bit slow to get everything synced to the app and my iPhone. Also, I’m not sure the Petal Pink watch I received is really my colour – I probably would’ve preferred the Midnight Black model, but that’s just me. As this was my first smartwatch, I wanted something to compare it to, so I borrowed my Mum’s Apple Watch. The main thing to remember is that I borrowed my Mum’s five year old Apple Watch Series 6, so not exactly the latest and greatest model.
However, when using them side by side, I didn’t notice a significant difference – at least not physically. The Apple felt slightly more premium in terms of build quality and the comfort of the strap, but considering the price difference – more than £139 for a refurbished model from Amazon – that’s to be expected.
The Apple also operated a bit smoother when navigating through menus and apps, but in terms of functionality, I didn’t spot anything useful on the Apple that wasn’t also on the Amazfit – at least for my needs. The Amazfit syncs with its own Zepp app, which provides hundreds of dynamic watch faces and an app store.
Some may find the app selection somewhat limited, depending on their requirements. It offers a range of fairly basic games, utilities and workout apps, some of which come with a small fee.
Some users may find it lacks a broad array of apps you’d expect to find on an Apple or Samsung device, like popular apps such as Spotify or Strava. According to the Amazon listing, you can sync data from the watch to fitness apps like Strava and Google Fit, but that’s not something I tried myself.
I mainly used the Amazfit to monitor my steps and heart rate when walking the dog or exercising, and daily tasks like keeping track of messages and my calendar. For all these purposes, it was more than sufficient.
The step counter seemed mostly accurate compared to the number also registered on my phone, each type of notification – text, call, social media – came through as expected and the apps and settings were easy to access. I was also impressed with its water resistance, as the water ran straight off the watch face when I held it under the tap, with functionally not affected at all.
The battery life is also worth shouting about, because although I didn’t use it all day, every day, I only needed to fully charge it once in two weeks. So with all this in mind, is it worth the money?
If you’re looking for an all-singing, all-dancing smartwatch, the Amazfit may not be the one for you, and it may be worth investing in an Apple Watch. If that’s the case, there’s ways of doing so without breaking the bank, including spreading the cost with Sky Mobile’s £13 Apple Watch Series 10 contract or the £9 Samsung Galaxy Watch7 for those who prefer Android.
However, if you’re after an entry-level fitness tracker to monitor things like your daily steps and heart rate, while also keeping on top of everyday tasks, and like the convenience of doing all this right from the wrist, then the Amazfit is a much more affordable and suitable option. As a fitness tracker, I can’t really fault the Amazfit at all.
