Amazfit Active review: an enduring and pretty sports watch

Ergonomics and design

No surprises on this Amazfit Active: the rather imposing case (42.36 x 35.9 x 20.75 mm) is made of plastic and an aluminum alloy for the crown. It is also rather light (24 g), without cheap However. At the front, it sports its best asset, namely a 1.75-inch Oled screen displaying 390 x 450 pixels.

The panel is bright enough to remain readable in broad daylight, but it is also able to go low enough so as not to dazzle in the middle of the night. On the other hand, the Amazfit Active does not integrate a light sensor; it will therefore be necessary to adjust it manually during the day. In this sense, it is very important to activate Do Not Disturb or Show mode so as not to be woken up by a panel with maximum light at 4 a.m.

The Active’s case is certified 5 ATM waterproof, so it will be possible to shower or swim with it. However, do not dive or surf with the watch on your wrist, as changes in pressure could damage the case.

Finally, the vegetable leather strap does not irritate in any way, even when wet. In addition, it is a standard strap (20 mm), which can therefore be easily replaced.

Interface

The Amazfit Active runs on ZeppOS 3.5, the Chinese manufacturer’s operating system, very close to HyperOS and very inspired by Apple’s watchOS.

Navigation is done via the touch screen and the single button located on the right edge of the case. It works simply: one press wakes up the screen, a second sends you to the main menu, while a third allows you to return to the home screen. For everything else, there is the touch screen: it is with it that you validate, go back or scroll through the menus.

As on a smartphone, sliding your finger down the screen sends you to a fairly practical shortcut panel. It allows you to activate Do Not Disturb mode, adjust the screen brightness or access settings. By sliding to the left or right from the home screen, different screens display the metrics compiled by the watch, the weather for the day or even a shortcut to start tracking a physical activity.

Inspired by watchOS, the main menu is composed of either bubbles or a list. It offers a large number of pre-installed applications, from oxygen saturation measurement to relaxation exercises and Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant. It should be noted, however, that some translations, particularly in the settings menus, leave something to be desired. We thus find ourselves trying options to understand what it is about. Not always practical.

The Amazfit Active has a microphone and a speaker. It is therefore possible to chat with Alexa, but also to take calls. The quality of these turns out to be passable, the sound is sufficiently loud and the voice quite distinct.

The display of notifications on this Active is correct, the texts are readable and written in large. On the other hand, we regret that the source application is not always indicated – we then wonder who contacted us.

Uses and precision

The Amazfit Active includes an accelerometer, heart rate monitor and GPS. No dual-band GNSS or barometric altimeter, this model will not be suitable for those who do sports in the mountains, but will be sufficient for city dwellers.

Let’s start with the GPS, which is quite accurate. Whether in the city or in nature, it captures realistic and relevant curves, much better than a smartphone for example.

The heart rate monitor offers less convincing measurements. During a session without a change of pace, the tocante nevertheless manages to follow the heart rate and deliver a realistic curve compared to the Polar H10 chest strap, which we consider to be reliable.

During a session with changes in pace, the watch will alternate between good and bad. Below is a session where she completely misses a heart rate spike.

Other times, and in similar conditions, it manages to offer a realistic curve.

Note that the watch is also capable of measuring the user’s blood oxygenation rate, sleep and even stress. The results obtained appear consistent, but in the absence of a dedicated testing procedure, we cannot confirm their relevance.

How does the rating work?

The Amazfit Active has everything a watch can offer at this price: a beautiful Oled screen, good battery life and reliable GPS. Except that, apart from these undeniable qualities, there is not much left. The interface is limited sometimes by the translation, sometimes by a fixed brightness that dazzles. The heart rate measurement also misses beats and the absence of NFC prevents any payment on the wrist. This watch will therefore go to city dwellers who do a little sport.