Amazfit Lively 2 overview: outsized bang to your buck

A standard reader request I get goes one thing like this: what ought to I purchase if I don’t need a smartwatch however need fundamental health monitoring? Once I counsel alternate options like price range health bands or sensible rings, I get an not sure hmm and a displeased scrunch of the nostril. After a couple of extra back-and-forths, I often discover that many individuals do need a smartwatch. They only don’t need one from Apple, Samsung, Garmin, or Google. They need one thing extra akin to ye olde Pebble or this retro-chic $56 Casio. For these people, think about the standard Amazfit Lively 2.

Amazfit’s shtick is delivering an outsized bang to your buck. The Lively 2 begins at $99.99. For $30 extra, you get a fancier model with an additional leather-based strap and a extra sturdy sapphire crystal lens. There’s a 2,000-nit OLED contact show, upgraded well being sensors, new sleep and coronary heart price algorithms, offline maps, and the Zepp Circulation AI assistant. There’s additionally the Zepp Coach for personalised coaching plans and a mini app from Wild.AI, which supplies weight-reduction plan and exercise suggestions primarily based in your hormonal and menstrual cycles. You received’t discover dual-frequency GPS on this watch, but it surely has built-in GPS with entry to 5 satellite tv for pc programs (the following smartest thing you will get). For those who dwell in Europe, the watch additionally now has NFC funds. (Sadly, I don’t dwell in Europe and couldn’t check this.)

This can be a stacked function set for underneath $150. It’s bonkers. There isn’t even a lot of a catch.

I seldom get compliments when testing price range devices. The straps are chintzy and the instances are plasticky. Sub-$200 smartwatches typically appear like it.

I used to be stunned once I obtained compliments whereas carrying the Lively 2 throughout CES. My colleague David Pierce pointed at my wrist and requested, “What’s that?!” due to the fashionable watchface. Two different colleagues inquired as a result of they dug the look. A couple of showgoers requested about it. All had been gobsmacked once I informed them the worth. The Lively 2 doesn’t look or really feel low cost.

Is it probably the most elegant watch I’ve ever donned? No, however its design is fundamental and glossy sufficient to suit with any outfit. It’s light-weight and doesn’t get snagged on jacket sleeves. Is the leather-based strap on the “premium” mannequin probably the most supple with a classic patina? In fact not, but it surely’s snug sufficient to put on 24/7, and it’s held up effectively over a number of weeks of damage — together with after a number of sweaty exercises. (Usually, I’d suggest swapping to a silicone strap for train, however this makes use of a regular pin mechanism, and that’s exhausting to make use of whenever you put on press-on nails as typically as I do.)

A succesful tracker with a aspect of AI

The Lively 2 received’t wow anybody on the lookout for Garmin-level insights or Apple-like finesse. However as a health and well being tracker, it’d attraction to somebody in search of a Fitbit different.

Like Fitbit, Amazfit takes a streamlined, holistic strategy to wellness. It emphasizes readiness, sleep high quality, and weekly exercise over closing rings or throwing each efficiency metric underneath the solar into your dashboard. And like older Fitbits, the Lively 2 has higher battery life in comparison with extra superior smartwatches. Amazfit estimates 10 days out of a cost. I obtained round eight or 9 in testing.

The Zepp app — Amazfit’s companion app — has been revamped since my GTR 4 overview. It has a sleeker interface. Every morning, you get a Every day Readiness and Every day Sleep Perception rating. There’s a immediate on the backside of every that opens the Zepp Aura Premium chatbot. (Zepp Aura is Amazfit’s subscription service for sleep and guided respiratory content material; it prices $77 yearly.) Prompts embody: “Are there particular actions or habits I can undertake to optimize my bodily restoration?” or “How about my sleep high quality final night time?” The previous offers you generic wellness ideas, much like what you’d get from a ChatGPT question, whereas the latter summarizes your sleep information and may give you tips about bettering your sleep high quality. You possibly can write in prompts, however that is the final gist. Samsung, Oura, and different wearable tech firms have applied comparable AI-powered options within the final yr. None have been game-changers in contextualizing information. Zepp’s model is at the least effectively built-in and quick to generate responses, but it surely prices further, and also you’re not lacking out on a lot in the event you skip it.

The Zepp Coach is extra helpful. I had it create a customized eight-week 5K coaching plan with a time objective of 32 minutes. The outcome was about what I anticipated, with a mixture of straightforward runs, interval runs, and lengthy runs that progressively progressed in issue. Nothing loopy, however I recognize that the exercises sync on to the wrist. There’s a brand new power coaching mode that auto-identifies reps inside a set. It principally works — it struggles if a motion doesn’t transfer your complete arm or physique, like a plank or alternating bicep curls. However present me a smartwatch that doesn’t battle with this.

The Lively 2 is comparable in accuracy to my Apple Watch Extremely 2 for GPS runs and coronary heart price. Sleep monitoring was additionally usually aligned with my Oura Ring 4. The variations lie in polish. It takes a second or two longer for the Lively 2 to acquire a GPS sign — brutal once I’m shivering my tuchus off earlier than a wintry run. Viewing historic information past the previous week is a ache. Additionally, I used to be aggravated that I couldn’t edit my exercises. Whereas calibrating my first treadmill run, I mistakenly enter my distance as three miles as an alternative of two. Usually, I’d edit this in a companion app or on the wrist. I had no manner of doing both. I nonetheless obtained credit score for my exercise, however this can be a fundamental function for health apps and a stunning omission.

As I wrote in my hands-on, the Lively 2 contact show bugs me. It really works tremendous more often than not. However have sweaty fingers? Neglect it. Even when I wiped my arms, I typically needed to wipe down the touchscreen, too. This made it annoying to pause or management music mid-workout. Informal customers received’t think about this a deal-breaker, but it surely’s one thing to notice.

One other gripe is with voice instructions on the Zepp Circulation assistant. I discovered I needed to emphatically enunciate to ensure that it to choose up my queries — which made me look kooky whereas yelling at my wrist to set a five-minute timer in public. Your arsenal of requests can also be restricted, provided that this isn’t Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby. You possibly can ask it to indicate well being information, launch apps, set timers, or management settings. That’s mainly it. Even then, I obtained occasional time-out or connection errors.

Once I felt irked by these quirks, I’d remind myself that the Lively 2 on my wrist solely value $130. You get what you pay for — and it’d be just a little unrealistic {that a} smartwatch at this worth wouldn’t have a quirk or two. Quite, it’s stunning that there isn’t extra for me to complain about. The Lively 2 punches above its weight in type, supplies, and options. In order for you a long-lasting, no-frills tracker, you’ll be hard-pressed to discover a higher worth.