I had my finest run in Las Vegas sporting the $100 Amazfit Lively 2

As an avid runner, I can’t lie — CES is likely one of the hardest weeks of the 12 months. Between the lengthy hours, frequent appointments, and the Las Vegas Strip itself, it may be exhausting to get my miles in. However, when Amazfit tells me it has a brand new inexpensive smartwatch with a built-in GPS and greater than every week of battery life, I discover a technique to make an exception. So, with just a few hours of free time and a few heat January climate, I strapped on the Amazfit Lively 2 and laced up my footwear.

Earlier than I may get to my miles, I first needed to unbox the Amazfit Lively 2 and pair it to one of many a number of telephones I delivered to CES this 12 months. And truthfully, that’s the place the surprises began — I didn’t count on the Lively 2 to really feel fairly so polished once I pulled it from its field. Often, once I take a look at out a budget-minded smartwatch or health tracker, I count on a reasonably low cost construct and infrequently an Apple Watch-like design. Amazfit’s Lively 2 doesn’t really feel like both of these issues.

Alright, I ought to most likely point out that I’m utilizing the non-obligatory Lively 2 Premium model of Amazfit’s newest watch, which prices $130 as a substitute of $100, however that’s not why the wearable feels so good. Sure, the Premium moniker signifies that the watch comes with a quick-release leather-based strap and a harder sapphire glass face, however that’s about it relating to bonuses over the bottom mannequin. Every part underneath the hood is similar — an identical batteries, chipsets, and exercise sorts.

So, whether or not you spend $100 or $130, the Amazfit Lively 2 is a surprisingly slim smartwatch with a stainless-steel bezel that feels fairly sturdy if you press both of the 2 management buttons. You’ll want these buttons — along with the 1.32-inch AMOLED touchscreen — to deal with every thing from beginning your exercise to checking the climate, and I’m happy with how sturdy they really feel.

I’m additionally happy with the general design of the Amazfit Lively 2. It impressively balances the road between a traditional-looking mechanical watch and a feature-loaded smartwatch, making it one I’d comfortably put on whereas understanding and at a dinner or a extra formal event.

In fact, with a reputation like Lively 2, you’re most likely simply as interested by how the health tracker fared throughout my miles on the strip. Properly, after just a few misfires at the beginning — it took me a minute to determine which button paused the run and which marked my laps — I’d must say it saved up fairly properly.

As I typically do, I strapped the Amazfit Lively 2 to at least one wrist and the Garmin Intuition 3 (which simply began testing) on the opposite. Then, I headed from my resort all the way down to the well-known Las Vegas signal on the backside of the strip — nearly three miles every manner. And, though the winter winds tried to blow me away, I had no hassle pausing the Lively 2 at every street crossing, nor did I really feel prefer it struggled between the tall on line casino towers. Once I returned to my resort, I observed that the Lively 2 had stayed inside five-hundredths of a mile of my Intuition 3 — not too shabby for a $100 wearable.

Amazfit’s coronary heart charge monitoring was fairly near Garmin’s in the course of the run, too. My Lively 2 completed only one beat per minute sooner than my Intuition 3 (153 bpm vs 152) and confirmed a fairly constant vary over the course of my miles. Unusually, each time I appeared down at my watch whereas shifting, it appeared just like the Amazfit had me a number of beats per minute larger than the Garmin, but it surely labored out fairly intently ultimately.

Oh, and operating is just a tiny fraction of the actions the Amazfit Lively 2 can monitor — it simply occurred to be the best for me to attempt. Apparently, the budget-conscious watch helps greater than 150 actions, so I’ll must dip into no less than just a few extra earlier than I can supply a ultimate evaluate of monitoring accuracy.

Earlier than I can render a lot of a verdict on the Amazfit Lively 2, there’s nonetheless so much that I’ve to do with this $100 smartwatch. That mentioned, I’ve been completely impressed by my 36 hours with it. For a watch that prices 1 / 4 of what the Garmin Intuition 3 prices at retail, the Lively 2 saved up by my whole run when it comes to distance and coronary heart charge. And, when you think about simply how wearable it’s, given its slim, easy design, the Lively 2 could be value grabbing simply in case you want a journey companion.

In fact, earlier than I can let you know to hurry out and purchase one, I’ve to see simply how properly Amazfit’s promise of 10 days of battery life holds up. It’s so much for a watch to make it previous every week when it has this a lot of an emphasis on health, and I’m optimistic that the Lively 2 will come shut. When it dies, although, I’m wanting ahead to utilizing its charger. Sure, it’s a proprietary puck, but it surely doesn’t include the USB-C cable hooked up, that means that you could plug it into any spare cable you’ve gotten mendacity round. It’s not so simple as providing Qi help, however for those who’re going to do a proprietary setup, I don’t thoughts this one a lot.

When you’re already concerned with Amazfit’s remarkably inexpensive smartwatch, you may seize yours down beneath or wait just a few extra weeks for my full impressions. Both manner, I feel you’ll be stunned by what you get on your cash.