More and more Dutch people wear a smartwatch every day. Whether you choose a cheap Xiaomi band or an expensive Apple Watch, a smartwatch can have many advantages. In this review we look at the Amazfit Balance. A smartwatch with a luxurious appearance, many features and an attractive recommended retail price. Is the Amazfit Balance the ideal smartwatch for you?
Contents
The latest smartwatch from the manufacturer Amazfit, known for its good price/quality ratio, is available in many different colors. In this review we look at the Deep Sea (Special Edition), where the manufacturer combines a silver metal frame with blue tones and a blue silicone wristband. In addition to the Amazfit Balance, we find a black charger and a manual in the package. The Amazfit Balance is also available in the colors Woodland, Lagoon, Meadow, Sunset Gray and Midnight.
Design
When we pick up the Amazfit Balance, we immediately notice that the smartwatch is made of high-quality materials. The aluminum frame in combination with the fiber-reinforced polymer bottom shell immediately makes it clear that we are introduced to a robust product that can withstand a blow. The housing is waterproof (5 ATM), measures 46x46x10.6mm and weighs 35 grams.
It is also noticeable that the Amazfit Balance has the appearance of a traditional and luxurious watch, so you can wear the smartwatch in many circumstances. Whether you go to a meeting with a suit or simply wear a sweater during a birthday party, the Amazfit Balance is the ideal accessory.
The silver casing of the Amazfit Balance has a very light copper tint and the round screen has a blue edge. On the right side we find two buttons. You use the crown with blue detail to navigate through the interface, while you can start a workout with the push button. Our sample came with a blue silicone wristband, but if this isn’t your taste you can easily replace the wristband with another 22mm strap. This is ideal if you prefer a metal or leather wristband.
The round screen is 1.5 inches and has a resolution of 480 by 480 pixels. It is an AMOLED display with beautiful colors and deep contrast. Thanks to the maximum brightness of 1500 nits, this screen is also easy to read outdoors in sunlight. Amazfit has provided this screen with a layer of tempered glass, an anti-reflective glass edge and an anti-fingerprint coating.
Functions
It is important to know that Amazfit smartwatches do not run on Google’s Wear OS operating system, but on its own Zepp OS 3.0. As a result, the Amazfit Balance does not have the Play Store, making it not possible to install Android apps. However, Amazfit does have its own app store, with which you can download a limited number of applications and a large number of watch faces. All standard applications that you can expect on a smartwatch are of course already present on the Amazfit Balance.
Zepp App StoreZepp Watchfaces
Zepp OS 3.0 runs very smoothly and the interface is easy to operate. The screen is also very sensitive, making the user experience feel premium. You can fully control the interface with the AMOLED screen, but you can also choose to navigate the interface using the rotating crown on the side of the smartwatch. Small vibrations provide pleasant feedback when you use this crown.
A swipe to the right opens the widget interface that allows you to scroll through a list of frequently used features. This includes a music widget, a weather widget, a steps widget, a heart rate widget, an alarm widget and much more. You can adjust the layout of the widget overview yourself by pressing and holding a widget and then moving the widget down or up.
With a swipe to the left you can scroll through the most used smartwatch functions. This includes your daily activities, an overview of your heart rate rhythm, weather forecasts, your music and more. You can view incoming notifications with a swipe up and open the settings menu with a swipe down. By pressing the crown you open a list containing all installed applications and with the push button under this crown you can start a workout. You have a large number of workouts to choose from, such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, etc. It’s all self-explanatory, so you can quickly master the controls.
Of course you can also adjust the watch face. You can select a different watch face by pressing and holding the current watch face, after which you can scroll through all pre-installed watch faces.
Amazfit has equipped the Balance with various measuring instruments, including a BioTracker™ 5.0 sensor, a temperature sensor, a gyroscope and a dual-band GPS antenna. The sensors are able to constantly measure your heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen level, temperature and movements. This information is necessary to monitor your health and sports activities.
The built-in GPS antenna allows route tracking without having to take your smartphone with you. This is of course very useful when you want to run around the neighborhood. Because the antenna connects to 6 satellites simultaneously, the result is very accurate, even when you walk through streets with many tall buildings. You can look back at the routes traveled with the associated times and distances on a map and compare them with each other.
One of the biggest advantages of an Amazfit smartwatch is the long battery life. While the Apple Watch and smartwatches with Wear OS usually do not last longer than 1 to 3 days on a single battery charge, you can easily wear an Amazfit smartwatch for several weeks before the smartwatch needs to be placed on the magnetic charger again. This is no different with the Amazfit Balance. On average, the Amazfit Balance lasts more than two weeks on a battery charge. The battery life may differ per individual, depending on how active he or she is. The use of GPS tracking in particular consumes a relatively large amount of energy.
The Amazfit Balance uses Bluetooth to connect to your smartwatch. This connection is stable and we did not encounter any connection problems during our test period. It is also possible to connect the Amazfit Balance with other Bluetooth devices, such as sports accessories or a Bluetooth headset. This allows you to choose to store music offline on the internal storage space of the smartwatch and then pair the Amazfit Balance with a set of wireless earbuds. This way you can listen to music at the gym during your workout without needing your smartphone.
More and more manufacturers are incorporating AI technology into their products, including Amazfit. For example, Amazfit has introduced the Zepp Aura tool. Zepp Aura is a sleep coach/chatbot that can analyze your sleep based on smart learning models and then send you weekly/monthly overviews and give you tips that should help you get a better night’s sleep. Zepp Aura also reads your biometric data via the smartwatch and the tool uses this data to create music that should help you relax and fall asleep faster.
Zepp Aura is not a free tool, by the way. You can test Zepp Aura for two weeks, but after that a subscription is required for which you have to pay monthly. That’s why we only recommend using Zepp Aura if you have trouble sleeping.
Conclusion (Advantages/Disadvantages)
The Amazfit Balance is a beautiful watch with many possibilities. Thanks to its luxurious appearance, the smartwatch is suitable for wearing in any situation, but thanks to the many sensors and accurate GPS tracking, it is also ideal for active athletes. The bright AMOLED screen in combination with Zepp OS 3.0 works flawlessly and responds quickly. This is something that Amazfit has been doing well for years. The long battery life is one of the biggest advantages and with a recommended retail price of 249 euros, the Amazfit Balance is fairly priced.
The only downside is the lack of a major app store, such as the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, which limits the use of third-party apps.
- beautiful modern and slim design
- long battery life (more than 14 days with normal use)
- clear screen
- practical bracelet, suitable for any wrist.
- many setting options for sports activities, plus route tracking
- monitoring of heart rate, temperature and O2
- charge quickly
- No Google Play Store
The Amazfit Balance is available from various online stores for just under 250 euros. You can go to Amazon and Bol.com, among others.
