The Amazfit Active 2 emerges as a formidable contender in the budget fitness tracker market, boasting a wealth of features that challenge even established players like Fitbit. Its aggressive pricing strategy, coupled with an impressive array of functionalities, positions it as a disruptive force, poised to reshape the landscape of affordable fitness tracking. However, while the device’s potential is undeniable, its current iteration is burdened by inconsistencies and inaccuracies that prevent it from fully realizing its promise.
One of the Active 2’s most striking features is its integration with popular fitness trends. The prominent partnership with Hyrox, a burgeoning CrossFit competitor, is evident throughout the Amazfit ecosystem, from in-app advertisements to suggested workouts on the device itself. Furthermore, the tracker offers compatibility with Wild.AI, a subscription-based program designed to optimize women’s workouts based on their menstrual cycles. While cycle tracking is integrated into the watch for free, the absence of compatibility with widely used period-tracking apps like Natural Cycles represents a notable omission. The inclusion of Zepp Coach, a free daily workout suggestion feature, adds further value, replacing the previous paid iteration, Zepp Fitness. These integrations reflect Amazfit’s commitment to staying current with evolving fitness trends and offering users a comprehensive fitness experience.
A marked improvement over previous Amazfit models is the company’s renewed focus on user privacy. The privacy policy is now readily accessible on the product page, accompanied by reassurances of data protection through Amazon Web Services and GDPR compliance. This transparency builds trust and addresses previous concerns about data handling practices. However, the device’s impressive battery life claims of up to 10 days fall short in real-world usage. With continuous health monitoring features enabled, including sleep breathing and blood oxygen level tracking, the battery life diminishes to approximately five days, a significant deviation from advertised figures. While the device provides a cheerful morning report akin to Garmin’s feature, its accuracy leaves much to be desired, often presenting inaccurate information. Similarly, the integrated weather app suffers from inconsistencies, displaying temperatures that can deviate significantly from actual conditions. The Zepp app’s PAI fitness metric, which calculates a score based on heart rate, age, and gender, lacks practical relevance and feels increasingly out of place within the app’s ecosystem.
The Active 2’s automatic strength-training recognition feature, while promising, falls short of expectations. The feature, designed to automatically detect and log various strength-training exercises, struggles to accurately identify common movements like pull-ups, squats, and push-ups. This requires manual input and disrupts the workout flow, diminishing the feature’s overall utility. These inconsistencies underscore a broader challenge with the Active 2: while it offers a vast array of features, their reliability and accuracy are often compromised.
Despite these shortcomings, the Amazfit Active 2 offers remarkable value for its $100 price point. Its extensive feature set surpasses that of similarly priced competitors, including the Fitbit Charge 6, and its aesthetic design adds to its appeal. The sheer volume of functionalities, even in their imperfect state, presents a compelling proposition for budget-conscious consumers seeking a comprehensive fitness tracking experience.
The Active 2’s success hinges on Amazfit’s ability to address the device’s current limitations. Improving the accuracy of its tracking metrics, refining its automatic exercise recognition, and enhancing the reliability of its integrated apps are crucial steps towards realizing the device’s full potential. If Amazfit can effectively address these issues, the Active 2 has the potential to disrupt the budget fitness tracker market and establish itself as a dominant force. The device’s current state represents a compelling blend of ambition and imperfection, a testament to its potential while simultaneously highlighting the need for refinement. Its future success rests on the company’s commitment to continuous improvement and its ability to deliver on the promise of a truly comprehensive and affordable fitness tracking experience.
