The first thing you notice when you hold the Amazfit Active 2 is its premium design. As sleek as it looks, it's also lightweight, weighing less than 30 grams.
Highlights
Premium design and AMOLED display under Rs 10,000
Inbuilt GPS, AI assistant and 5ATM water resistance
Smooth performance and over a week of battery life
Smartwatches were once a luxury accessory for a small minority, but now they're becoming a daily necessity. Whether it's health tracking, notification management, or the desire to do more than just check the time, the scope of smartwatches is constantly expanding. However, with increasing demand, prices have also risen, making finding a good smartwatch in the budget segment a challenge. The Amazfit Active 2 attempts to answer this challenge. It's a watch that promises to offer some features under ₹10,000 that are typically found at prices twice as high. I reviewed the premium variant of this smartwatch, which comes with an extra leather strap. After using it for a few weeks, I'm sharing my thoughts on the Amazfit Active 2 below.
Amazfit Active 2: Design
The first thing you notice when you hold the Amazfit Active 2 is its premium design. As sleek as it looks, it's also lightweight, weighing less than 30 grams. Its metal body offers a solid finish and doesn't look cheap at all. With stainless steel touches and a glass cover, this is a watch that no one would guess is priced under ₹10,000. Its round dial offers a classic look, and the buttons are neatly placed on the side, maintaining a balance between form and function.
As I mentioned, the Active 2 comes in two versions: one with a silicone strap only, and the more premium variant comes with a leather strap, and a red silicone strap is provided separately in the box. I tried both straps and found them to be comfortable in daily use. The leather strap looks premium, but I had doubts about its durability. The strap is thin and could have been better quality, but it was comfortable to wear. I didn't experience any sweat or rashes even after prolonged wear. However, it does get a little damp during exercise if there's excessive sweating, which is normal with any leather strap.
Meanwhile, the silicone strap feels comfortable during exercise. It's neither too soft nor too hard. The strap complements the watch's body. The smartwatch features quick-release pins, allowing you to swap it out for any 22mm universal strap. The
watch is water-resistant, rated at 5 ATM, meaning it can withstand water pressure up to 50 meters. Simply put, you can wear it while bathing, running in light rain, or even doing a short swimming session. Keep in mind that it's not completely waterproof, but considering the budget segment, this protection is still useful.
The standard version features an anti-fingerprint coating on the screen, keeping the glass cleaner and smudge-free. The premium variant features sapphire glass, which is more durable against scratches.
Amazfit Active 2: Display
Speaking of the screen, the Amazfit Active 2 features a 1.32-inch AMOLED display that's sharp and colorful. Its peak brightness goes up to 2,000 nits, making it easily readable even in direct sunlight. The UI icons are clear, touch response is good, and the screen refresh rate was good. The thin bezels around the screen blend in if you wear a black watchface, but are visible with bright colors. However, they're not too large and are less noticeable. Changing watchfaces is easy, and you'll find dozens of options in the Zepp app.
Amazfit Active 2: Software
The watch runs on Zepp OS, Amazfit's own operating system. Its interface is clean, and I didn't notice any lag or slow response during everyday use. Scrolling through menus, navigating between apps, and reading notifications all felt smooth. However, I personally found the app home page, similar to the Apple Watch, a bit confusing. However, here you can organize your most frequently used tasks or apps into pages like Shortcuts and Quick Access.
The Amazfit Active 2 also includes a built-in AI assistant called Zepp Flow, which is the most interesting and slightly surprising feature of the watch. This is Amazfit's own voice assistant, which functions similarly to Siri or Google Assistant, but the difference is that it actually works and is useful in everyday use. You can set a shortcut for it on one of the watch's buttons, activating Zepp Flow with just one click. You can then use your voice to command the watch, such as "Tell me my step count" or "Turn on Do Not Disturb." Notably, Android users can also reply to messages directly from the watch using Zepp Flow. There's also a keyboard option if you need to type messages yourself, and touch accuracy worked well. The availability of such features in a budget smartwatch is impressive.
Amazfit Active 2: Wallet, Calling, Other Features
The premium variant of the Amazfit Active 2 also comes with the Zepp Pay feature for NFC payments, which I didn't use, but if contactless payments are a key feature for you, it could be useful. By saving your card, you can make payments by simply touching the watch to an NFC-supported POS machine.
The watch also has a dedicated Wallet app where you can save membership cards. It also offers small but useful features like a To Do list. It also has a "Find My Phone" feature for tracking the watch's location.
Amazfit's own GPS system connects to certain satellite networks, though the company hasn't disclosed the technical details. The watch also includes Bluetooth 5.2 BLE, a microphone, and a speaker, which allows for calling. I tried a few calls for testing. The speaker was loud enough for indoor use, but in noisy environments, you may need to hold the watch close to your ear. The microphone was also clear, but it wasn't able to remove background noise in noisy environments. Overall, if you're unable to pull out your phone, you can still use the watch for a few minutes to get some work done.
Amazfit Active 2: Sports and Health
The Amazfit Active 2 has a lot to offer fitness-conscious users (which I certainly am not). It offers over 164 sport modes, including options like walking, running, cycling, yoga, dance, strength training, swimming, and skiing. The watch can also automatically detect workouts. However, during my testing, it sometimes took a while to recognize workouts and sometimes misidentified a different activity as running. This could be a delay. I tested it for walking, running, yoga, and strength training, and the stats were almost accurate.
For health monitoring, it features 24x7 heart rate tracking, an SpO2 sensor, a stress level monitor, sleep tracking (including REM analysis), and even skin temperature sensing. I tested all of these several times and compared them to the Apple Watch and Samsung's premium smartwatches. The results were nearly identical. The physical step counter and the watch's numbers also varied by 10-20 steps, indicating accuracy.
Sleep tracking with REM analysis performed averagely. The watch didn't accurately record short power naps. The wake-up time was sometimes underrecorded. However, I've encountered this issue with many other premium smartwatches as well. As a budget smartwatch, this feature is a welcome addition.
One key feature that sets the Amazfit Active 2 apart is its support for offline maps and built-in GPS. This means you can free yourself from the need to carry your phone around for tracking. You can download maps from the Zepp app, which are very useful when running, hiking, or walking outdoors. It also has an AI-based feature called Zepp Coach, which claims to provide personalized guidance based on your exercise history. This feature isn't mainstream yet, but it could be an added bonus for those interested in fitness.
Amazfit Active 2: Battery
The Amazfit Active 2's battery performance is also quite good for this budget. The brand claims it can last up to 10 days with normal use and 5 days with continuous GPS use. The company stands by its claim. It had about 70% battery when I took it out of the box, and I used it for a week, including multiple heart rate checks, notifications, and nightly sleep tracking, and even then, the watch still had battery left. Its compact pin charger fully charges the watch in just a few hours. A charging cable isn't included in the box, but thankfully, it has a Type-C port, so I used my smartphone's cable to charge it.
Amazfit Active 2: Verdict
Overall, the Amazfit Active 2 is a product that delivers beyond expectations. Its design, display, and basic usage experience are so impressive that it's easy to forget the price. It boasts several smartwatch and health features not commonly found in this segment. This watch could be a great option for those buying a smartwatch for the first time or looking to upgrade from their old, basic tracker. This could also include users who want a smartwatch that offers a classic and elegant look, unlike the monotonous designs currently available in the market. The Amazfit Active 2 not only looks good but also feels reliable to use. If you 're looking for
a watch under ₹10,000 (₹12,000 for a leather strap and NFC support) that's smart, stylish, and fitness-friendly, the Amazfit Active 2 is hard to ignore.
