As a wearables reviewer here on ZDNET, I’ve been spoiled by the opportunity to test out flagship smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, Garmin, Coros, and many others. One that fell into my review desk last year was the Amazfit Balance Special Edition 
GPS tracking was almost the same as measured with a $1,000 Garmin watch, even in heavily wooded areas with peaks and valleys. I also tested the sleep tracking of the Amazfit Balance while wearing my Oura Ring, and the changes to sleep stages, heart rate, respiratory rate, and other metrics were impressively about the same.
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The data capturing on the Amazfit is extensive, as you’ll quickly discover in the Zepp smartphone application. The Zepp app has evolved over the years, but not necessarily for the better, as there’s an exhaustive number of taps needed to explore all of your data, set up your Amazfit experience, and gain specific insights on your workouts. I like to tinker with all of the data, but navigating the user interface will not be everyone’s cup of tea.
This is the first Amazfit watch powered by Zepp OS 3.0 (though the software is now up to 5.0). With this version of the watch software, there are more than 150 downloadable apps in the store, you can connect to external workout devices (power meters and heart rate belts), sensor capabilities are enhanced, and developers have more ways to optimize the watch for users.
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The Zepp experience isn’t fully supported in the US; you can’t use Zepp Pay for NFC payments. Supplementary subscription-based services like Zepp Aura and Zepp Fitness can also make the overall experience somewhat confusing, with partial access to features included for free and advanced functionality only available when you pay for it. For what it’s worth, I did not test any of the subscription services, and the watch was still sufficient for my lifestyle needs.
Lastly, the Amazfit Balance is advertised to last up to 14 days between charges, with a drop to just five days when the always-on display is enabled. With my two to three runs a week and daily use — with the always-on display disabled — I only needed to charge the watch just every 7 to 8 days, which was fantastic.
If you are looking for an affordable smartwatch that lasts more than a week with heavy use, has a brilliant AMOLED display, is sleek and slim, measures all the essential health and wellness metrics, and even lets you deal with phone calls from your wrist, then the Amazfit Balance
Source : ZDNet
