Not long ago, Amazfit Active 2 was launched in Malaysia, hailed for its elegant design while boasting a feature-rich ensemble of data tracking for various body health insights.
Admist buzz about the Active 2 and its high amount of 160+ workout features, powered by Health data company Zepp, Active 2 also garnered interests for its mid-range price of RM499. How does it fare at that price point?
Here's what we think of our standard unit which comes with a sporty band.
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
Display & Design
- Dimension: 43.9x43.9x9.9mm
- Display: 1.32-inch AMOLED Display, 466x466 pixels (resolution), up to 2000 nits adjustable brightness
- Durability: 5ATM water resistant
- Weight: 29.5g, without strap (standard version)
The Amazfit Active 2 is made with a Polymer middle frame and stainless steel bezel; a combo that promises durability with flair. it also boasts a bright display of 2000 nits to let you view its content under the bright Malaysian sun. Amazfit did say that this brightness won't work if your watch is under 30% battery. While you'd experience dimness when low on battery, its screen is still fairly bright enough to view.
With a 1.32-inch screen size on a 44mm size watchface, the Active 2 is neither small nor big. In fact, for my small hands, it felt just nice, and this is coming from a user that is used to the slim factor of Apple Watches. The screen for our standard unit is 2.5D Tempered glass and with anti-fingerprint coating. Note that this differs on the premium set that comes with Sapphire glass instead.
At the edge of its bezel is a dial print that resembles a stopwatch face. The detail is small that it does not make the watch look out of place. In fact, the entire watch does look elegant and would look good with a leather strap (available with the premium set). Active 2 also has two buttons at its side for navigation and activation to quick-access certain features.
Operation & Battery
- Compatibility: Android 7.0 and above, iOS 14.0 and above
- Battery: 270 mAh (rated value), Magnetic charging base, up to 19 days on battery saver mode
- Mobile App: Zepp
Active 2 is notably powered by the Zepp app. Upon set up, you'll be prompted to install the Zepp all before you get to calibrate it to your preferred settings.
The watch is useable on both Android and iPhones, with a minimum OS support of Android 7.0 or iOS 14 and above. Bluetooth should be enabled to get calls and notifications actively, but otherwise constant Bluetooth connectivity is not required for regular monitoring and tracking.
Through Zepp, choose over 400 watch faces and perks such as Zepp coach or contactless payments by registering your cards via the app. If you're using an Android phone, you can type message replies using a full QWERTY keyboard or dictate your reply for speech-to-text input. Otherwise, enjoy AI assistance (by OpenAI) as replies can also be suggested or translated and be sent seamlessly if you're busy.
With a battery life of 270mAh, charging is slated to complete within 2 hours. Its battery life is able to grant up to 19 days on battery saver mode, and as low as 21 hours with continuous use of GPS (enabled manually).
Average use is rated to be 5 days. There's also a charging base given, and a USB-C input to plug in your own USB-C cable. The charging base is quite small so you might want to be mindful of where you store it.
Tracking & Data Insights
- Sensors: BioTracker™ 6.0 PPG biometric sensor
- Optional disabling of data tracking (permission request)
Once you've set up and calibrated your phone to your liking, enjoy the 160+ workout modes on the watch, or take advantage of Zepp's advanced health tracking apps, supported by a BioTracker™ 6.0 PPG biometric sensor. Its list of movement tracking include: Acceleration, Gyroscope, Temperature, Ambient light, Geomagnetic and Barometric altimeter.
GPS movements are tracked via the 5 satellite positioning system, and are optimised with turn directions for easy map usage. For the ladies; you can also enjoy prediction and recovery recommendations of your menstrual cycle via its Wild.AI system.
What We Liked
Watch face size:
I have small hands, and many smartwatches or trackers often felt bulky on me. It is why I either stick to traditional analogs or Apple Watches due to their smaller frame designs.
While the Amazfit Active 2 looked bigger than I'd like from the start, with its dimensional size of 43.2mm, it was easy to get used to the size as it lacks an outer bezel ring—which doesn't affect its durability, I have yet to experience any scratches after a month of using it (note that it is an alluminium alloy material).
I say this as I'm currently trying out the Xiaomi Watch S3 too, for which I dislike its rugged design and big 47mm dimensional size. Both watches share the same 1.32"inch screen, by which is ample space for navigation and such. Therefore I find the Amazfit Active 2 is designed well to fit both men and women hands.
Lightweight, Sleek Design:
I have hardly felt annoyed by the size of the watch. I've also begun to realise that the watch didn't need to be strapped tightly in order to feel secure, and it grips onto my skin well without slipping off, thus the watch felt lightweight all-day.
Here I will give praise to Amazfit's choice to have the Active 2 in a slim and sleek design. And as said earlier, the Active 2 is a good size; it hardly looked obtrusive and out of place as well. In fact, you could get additional straps you can switch to for casual or formal events, and it'll still look sleek and expensive.
Data tracking insights:
I am fairly new to Amazfit Active series watches, and from the get-go I noticed its data-tracking abilities, powered by Zepp. Best of all, Zepp is free like on all other Amazfit devices.
Aside from its support for over 160+ workouts, the Amazfit Active 2 provides a suite of ample data tracking for other non high-intensity activities, as well as when you're resting. I really like how the watch even tracks my "readiness", which I take is tracking of my lethargy levels from my horrible sleeping record.
One thing I thought was interesting is how I could check my recovery rate and when would I be able to go exercise again (without overworking myself). Tracking is also fast; my blood oxygen levels data is usually done in under its recommended 30 seconds of staying still.
OS Performance:
My overall experience of operating the watch feels fluid. Compared to many other non-iOS watches, the Amazfit Active 2 has great reactiveness to alerts from my phone, my "flicking for screen-wake" and navigation movement within the watch's interface. Touch-delays are also hardly 1ms (maybe 0.5ms), so you wouldn't feel frustrated by such miniscule delay input.
What We Didn't Like
Sport strap:
As far as comfort and fit goes, the watch strap has good grip and does not slip easily off my small wrists. It also does not easily trap sweat unlike Apple watches. Alas, a fault I disliked was that the sillicone sport band, with a typical sport design with holes to accommodate for skin breathability during sports, often left strap prints on me. This isn't great if I wanted to switch to smalled watches or slimmer straps.
Watch face UI:
This is subjective, but I'd like to have my software and UI feel like they are made well as rings are to fit our fingers.
I have to applaud Amazfit for their good collection of watch faces; the free collection is more than what I find on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. But many (the ones with quicky images and designs) just looked artificial, as if they were created with a template, outsourced from other designers and thus not optimised well to fit the watch.
Battery:
At the time of review, I had hurt my leg and thus, was not able to do extensive workout tests with the Amazfit Active 2. Despite my simple idle use of its other features—walking to work, breathing, timer, sleep and BPM tracking—for some reason the watch barely lasted 6 days for me. That's closer to the average use of the watch, for active users I assume.
My average duration use is a far cry from Amazfit's 10 days claim, and I can't help but to wonder if it's due to its constant monitoring of my body vitals, the screen being lit up from me walking outdoors, or its active alerts from my phone's notifications. Whichever way, this quirk feels like a double-edge sword and thus, I had overestimated its battery life.
Verdict
As RM499, the Amazfit Active 2 is a compelling watch for those that value design and functionality above all else.
Its durability is sufficient for daily use rather than rugged activities, and that its vast data tracking provides users with ample insights to determine how to move forward and improve. Powered with some AI capabilities to enhance your watch experience, Amazfit Active 2 is highly recommended for casual everyday use.
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