Review Amazfit Band 5: an improved version of the Mi Band 5 of the same manufacturer 2021. The topic of this review will be the Amazfit Band 5 fitness bracelet from Huami. Immediately I want to clarify for those who thought — they were hacked at Xiaomi Mi Band 5, Huami company is a manufacturer of Mi Band 5 for Xiaomi and also produces its own line of wearable devices — Amazfit. And the hero of the review is nothing more than an improved version of Mi Band 5. For themselves, they decided to try better.
Buy Amazfit Band 5 on Amazfit Official Store with discount
Amazfit Official Store on ALIEXPRESS — Brand fest will start soon, there will be discounts and promotions
Parameters
- Model: Amazfit Band 5
- Interface: Bluetooth 5.0
- Screen: 1.1 inches, AMOLED, 126×294 pixels
- Screen coverage: 2.5D Gorilla Glass
- Sensors: Biotracker 2 PPG Optical sensor, 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope
- Functions: Heart Rate, Blood Oxygen, Stress Level, Pedometer, Alarm, Reminders, Call, Message, Event, Weather
- Sports modes — 11 options
- Battery: lithium polymer, 125 mAh
- Working time: standard use — 15 days, economy mode — 25 days
- Charging time: 2 hours
- Size: 47.2 x 18.5 x 12.4mm
- Weight: 24 g, with a strap, 12 g without a strap
- Body Material: Polycarbonate
- Moisture protection: 5 atmospheres
- Strap material: TPU
- Adjustable length: 162–235mm
Supply
The device is delivered in a beautiful white box, with the Amazfit logo and a full-size color bracelet. This store packs the parcels very carefully, the box is like a showcase. The box is made in such a way that you cannot simply open and close it — just open it by tearing out a special tape from the side. Therefore, you can always be sure that the bracelet is packed at the factory.
Here’s everything in the bracelet box. Let’s take a closer look
Thick, more than 200 pages of instruction, in 12 languages. There was no Russian or Ukrainian, but there is English. But you can figure it out without it. Charging cable — connects to any power supply with USB output or computer. The contact pad is centered and magnetically attached.
Appearance
Let’s move on to the fitness bracelet. Everyone has long been accustomed to such devices and their appearance has long become standard. Slim capsule with TPU strap.
The strap is moderately hard, a large number of holes will help to conveniently fix the bracelet on a small, childish hand and on a large man’s. Holds securely, in addition — the straps can be changed.
The sensors for taking readings of the pulse and oxygen content in the blood are located at the back. The first is green and the second is red. There are also contacts for charging.
The strap is removed with effort, for it there are special recesses on the sides of the oval capsule of the device.
The weight of the capsule is only 12 grams, the same is the weight of the standard strap, it is easy to get used to it, wearing does not cause discomfort.
A big plus, in my opinion, is that to charge the bracelet it does not need to be taken out of the strap, as it was before. This is not only much more comfortable, but it also does not need to constantly stretch the strap.
The bracelet arrived more than half charged, but to test the battery life, I charged it fully.
ZEPP app
Although there was no Russian in the instructions, it was in the interface language at the very beginning, we select it and then the bracelet asks to launch the application on the smartphone
To work with devices of the Amazfit line, you need a proprietary Zepp application. By the way, when I switched to it using the same mi account as MiFit, my whole story dragged on since 2016. In it we add a new device, select a bracelet, search for and send a request, and then confirm on the bracelet.
After the connection, the device is activated, at one moment there can be only one active, if you have any other watch or bracelet, it will be deactivated, but it will remain tied to your account. The firmware and resources will be updated and the bracelet will be ready for use. The charge level at the time of connection is 100%. Let’s go through the menu items
The first item is a store where you can customize the appearance of the bracelet screen. There are quite a few different options from which everyone can choose something to their liking.
The first tab of the application, which opens immediately after launch, displays the current information, some of which — for example, steps, distance traveled, calories, heart rate, stress level, blood oxygen — is measured by the bracelet. There is data that can be entered manually — for example, weight (by the way, it can be added automatically from smart scales), temperature, blood glucose, etc. Information about the last physical activity for today is also shown.
The second tab, the name of which was translated as Enjoy , shows in general all the possible application options, at first there will be available options — it depends on the type and number of connected devices, I have smart scales and the hero of the review, and then the rest, those that are available with other devices Amazfit line
And from the last, third tab Profile, you can get to the menu of a specific device and this is how all the available options for Amazfit Band 5 look like. We will now consider the most interesting things.
When screen unlock is enabled, you will not need to enter a password or fingerprint — the phone is unlocked from a nearby bracelet. Incoming calls and SMS — will make the bracelet vibrate when you call, and directly from the bracelet you can drop the call or transfer it to silent, and when you receive an SMS, it will be displayed on the screen.
You can also enable notifications from applications — for example, instant messengers, which is convenient. Incoming messages will be displayed on the bracelet screen, but not all in a row, but only those for which notifications in the messenger itself are allowed. I really like the alarm clock — there are three of them, the time is set in the application, and you can turn it on or off right from the bracelet. Such an alarm clock is guaranteed to lift me up, while being completely invisible to others. There is an option to remind you about various things and events.
You can turn on the function — warming up reminders, the bracelet will remind you to warm up if you are motionless for more than an hour, and this only works for a specified period of time. There is a notification about reaching the daily goal in steps. The option of information about the heart rate — will be able to transmit it to other devices, but I have not studied in detail how this function works.
For correct operation, you need to indicate which wrist the bracelet is on. I wear on the left, but I know which mechanical watches are, and on the right — such a bracelet. For convenience, there is a function that activates the screen, when you raise your hand — to look at it, it can also be turned off at night. The bracelet can be automatically locked when removed, but why is a mystery to me.
In the health monitoring menu, you can set the measurement parameters for the bracelet. For example, the frequency of heart rate measurement, activity detection and notifications based on the heart rate. You can enable automatic measurement of stress levels and breathing quality. But it is worth remembering that these options greatly affect the duration of operation on a single battery charge.
There is also an option that automatically lowers the brightness of the bracelet screen at night, which is also convenient.
The bracelet can be used as a remote control for the smartphone camera. This option is enabled separately and the bracelet is paired with the phone as an additional Bluetooth device, after which the camera can be controlled from the bracelet. This mode also consumes battery life well, so after use I recommend turning it off.
In the menu, shortcut parameters — their order of display on the bracelet screen is configured. Above — orange, these are shortcuts, they are called by swiping to the sides on the screen. Swipe up and down, the entire list of options, here you can only change the order, they will all be available.
Screen
Now let’s move on to the screen. Visually — the dots in the image are not visible, they can only be seen here — in the photo in high resolution. The colors are good, but it doesn’t read well in the sun, I’ll show you how.
Status — information about steps taken, distance and calories burned for the current day, as well as the number of steps by day for the last week.
PAI is an individual activity index, it is calculated based on your physical activity, for which points are awarded, and the higher it is, the more difficult it is to earn these points. The sum of points per week is the index. The recommended level is 100 and above. The history shows not the points for the day, but their sum as of the current date.
Heart rate — in this menu you can forcibly start measuring the heart rate, as well as view the activity history for the current day. I have activated the option to automatically measure my heart rate every minute.
Measuring the oxygen level in the blood — this function is the key difference between the Amazfit band and the MiBand 5. This explains its higher cost than the model for Xiaomi. The second difference is the option of working with the Amazon Alexa voice assistant, which is useless in our latitudes.
Notifications menu, here will be stored several last, unviewed messages — SMS messages, instant messengers, applications. They will disappear after reading.
Stress level — the bracelet analyzes your condition and calculates your stress level. The option can be started manually from this menu, or automatically — I showed this option a little earlier in the Zepp application
There is also an interesting option — breathing. It does not measure anything, it is something like a trainer for deep breathing and relaxation. We follow the animation and take breaths in and out according to the prompts. I’ll show you how these options work a little further.
Events are notifications about things to do, meetings, about anything at a specified time and with a specified frequency. After that, a message arrives on the bracelet, which can either be turned off, or by pressing Z — temporarily deactivated, similar to the Sandman mode on the alarm clock.
Weather — in this menu you can see the current situation and forecast for the week. The information is taken from the application, which downloads the forecast based on the coordinates of the location of the phone.
And the training mode — there are 11 options, all basic. I personally have enough of four — running on the street and on the track, walking and cycling. I liked the fact that if you stopped — the bracelet automatically pauses, it is especially useful in the city — where there are roads and traffic lights.
After you start driving, the sport mode will turn itself on. This gives you more accurate workout information such as pace and speed, where forced stops will not be counted.
All other functions are placed in a separate menu — Advanced. In previous versions of fitness bracelets, most of them had separate items in the main menu, but here they collapsed due to more important options, such as measuring the level of oxygen in the blood.
Do not disturb mode — when the bracelet will not respond to notifications — calls, SMS, applications and others. The alarm clock will work. There are options for permanent inclusion, automatic — the bracelet will decide when you fall asleep, shutdown for a specified time and in a specified period, I use this option — from 22 to 7 in the morning.
Alarms, you can set the time in the application, only turn it on or off from the bracelet.
The camera mode, which I already spoke about — after connecting it, a button will appear here, by clicking on which the phone’s camera will take a picture.
Music — control the music player, any running on the phone, pause, forward, backward, sound, very convenient in the gym when the phone is not at hand.
Stopwatch — starts and stops from the bracelet. The timer is also controlled from the bracelet and will allow you to detect the desired time interval. Silent mode — allows you to enable silent mode on your phone from the bracelet.
World clock is an informational option that will allow you to find out the current time in different time zones. Scrolled by swipes up and down.
The bracelet remembers the last few screens installed, which can be selected and changed directly from it. It is much more convenient and faster than searching and downloading in the application. By the way, this menu will appear if you press the screen and hold your finger on it for a few seconds
In the settings, you can set the brightness and time until the screen turns off, the screen lock is useful for example in the pool, the screen will not turn over due to water. You can also turn on the activity detection mode and find the phone tucked somewhere
Testing
Photo screen outside. In principle, you can almost always find the position at which the screen will be read. But in bright sun it is quite difficult to do this. From my own experience, I will say that the screen of the Amazfit Bip and Bip S watches is best seen in the sun.
Sports mode. On the street — the bracelet will use the data of the GPS receiver of the phone, it does not have its own. Indoors — GPS is not used. After determining the location — the mode will be launched. The pause, as I said, is set and removed automatically depending on the activity.
An example of how the Walking mode works. The workout time, distance and number of steps are displayed — by the way, it goes into the total daily count. Swiping down will display information about the calories burned and heart rate. To exit their sport mode, you need to press and hold the button under the screen.
Battery
As for the battery — in such reviews, I always emphasize that the battery life directly depends on the nature of use. During the test — I deliberately created a fairly large load — this is a large number of notifications, daily repeated measurements of oxygen levels and stress. Every day at least an hour in sport mode, and it also drains the battery very well. I managed to achieve a stable result — about 10% per day. That is, about 10 days in a very active mode. In standard mode — pedometer, notifications, alarm clock — the device will work for at least two weeks . You can reduce the heart rate measurement from one minute to 5 or 10 — this will give you a few more days of autonomy.
You can visually evaluate the interface speed, pulse measurement modes, oxygen level, stress and respiratory mode in the video version of the review.
What to take — MiBand 5 or Amazfit Band 5 — you need to decide based on whether you want to get a pulse oximeter along with the bracelet. Blood oxygen measurement is the main difference between the two.
Thank you for attention. That’s all, happy shopping!
