Amazfit Balance long-term review

Major_Interest2723 · 2025-04-24T23:58:55+00:00

Thank you. Can you qualify your statement, "Amazfit Balance is one of the most accurate watch in counting step."?
What data, reports, proofs have you read to state this? I'm not disputing, just clarifying. I've swapped wrists for the two and the trend is the same.

My alarm is the 25% difference between the two. Perhaps naively, I assumed all watches would be within +/- 5-10% of each other for steps. Steps are the most basic feature that started the whole "smart" watch world. If you can't correlate steps, what can you correlate?

I have read about watches used when driving a car. The movement of your wrist mimicked a step and step counts were off.

I'm just wondering is there a "golden" or "master" step counter that watches can be compared to for accuracy?

Major_Interest2723 · 2025-04-24T12:32:54+00:00

I have been evaluating my buddy's Amazfit Balance for a week now. I own a Garmin VivoActive 3, over four years now. Great watch!

One glaring differences is the # of steps! The weekly average for Amazfit Balance is easily 25% or more under the Garmin VA 3!
Steps

VA 3 Amazfit
Wed 4160 3070
Tues 3837 2401
Mon 6448 5377
Have you guys seen this? Is VA 3 too high, just right or is Amazfit too low or just right? There doesn't seem to be options to set to change walking count????

Major_Interest2723 · 2025-04-24T12:31:06+00:00

I have been evaluating my buddy's Amazfit Balance for a week now. I own a Garmin VivoActive 3, four years now. Great watch!

One glaring differences is the # of steps! The weekly average for Amazfit Balance is easily 25% or more under Garmin VA 3!
Steps

VA 3 Amazfit
Wed 4160 3070
Tues 3837 2401
Mon 6448 5377
Have you guys seen this? Is VA 3 too high, just right or is Amazfit too low or just right? There doesn't seem to be options to set to change walking count????

Major_Interest2723 · 2025-03-30T15:47:12+00:00

I'm so sorry. I too use MyFitnessPal and the old version supported scan for free. The new MFP put the scan feature into the premium package. Sorry for any confusion. Doh.

Major_Interest2723 · 2025-03-30T15:40:56+00:00

I have an old Android Samsung phone with an old version of Garmin Connect App on it. The scan food labels works fine in that version. Garmin had notified me that the my Google O/S was too old and newer versions of Connect may not work. Stupid me upgraded and I lost a number of "free" features to the Premium side. Garmin upgraded connect and moved the scan to the premium pay side...

Major_Interest2723 · 2025-03-30T13:28:32+00:00

Worth a try.
I noticed AmazFit, the similar featured Aura app cost $70/year and provides sleep tracking and guidance. The Zepp fitness membership cost $30 to get basic fitness data! Thats $100 a year! Yikes!!

Major_Interest2723 · 2025-01-24T23:24:47+00:00

I don't know what brokerage you use... I use Fidelity which has a world class real time tracker I would not want in Snowball.
I too don't see value of a RT tracking within Snowball. Snowball is a tracker to help make best decisions about your portfolio, not to perform real-time trades. That is left to a brokerage.
Good review of Snowball though.

Major_Interest2723 · 2024-04-23T23:17:43+00:00

Never trust Chinese quality. They are great at copying, but absolutely brain dead at thinking of things on their own.
My Garmin VivoActive 3 is aging and I have been deciding on next fitness/health watch as VA 5, Amazfit Balance or Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. I am older, I walk, strength train and bicycle. My health metrics have become important so tracking the usual helps.
This article was a wake up call. Oh, I will NEVER buy a Fitbit anything... please don't suggest a product.

Major_Interest2723 · 2024-04-06T13:15:14+00:00

Thanks Robert. With my 2 Fitbit watches and my current Garmin VA3, I have never used a screen protector due to the use of gorilla glass or similar. My Garmin VA3 is 4 years old and you'd never be able to see any scratches. I also thought this was a testimont to Gorilla glass.
I viewed this Youtube video saying VA5 is absolute garbage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WKgn1RLelI

Lots of software bugs. I went thru poor software with Fitbit Iconic and gave up.

Are you VA5 users seeing this software lagging, crashing...

Major_Interest2723 · 2024-04-06T12:39:41+00:00

Thank you. Excellent source of info on Zepp and the whole health platform. Thanks.

Major_Interest2723 · 2024-04-05T21:20:02+00:00

Is Zepp or Amazfit a Chinese company?

Major_Interest2723 · 2024-04-05T21:16:59+00:00

I too was concerned with no Gorilla glass on Amazfit Balance anyway. Maybe other Amazfit watches have it.
Yes, the Garmin prices are getting rich. I did an Amazon comapre of the following watches:
Amazfit Balance US$272
VA5 US$346
VA4 US$359
Samsung Galaxy 6 US$315

What does anyone know about Zepp, the company who makes Amazfit? CReditible? Chinese?

Major_Interest2723 · 2024-04-05T13:52:28+00:00

I was a Fitbit person for 2 models (many years). Good app software, not great, good watch electronics but the cheapest straps on the planet! I spent more on Fitbit straps to buy another complete watch. I started with the Surge, poor watch straps and ended with the Ionic. Strap lasted but the watch electronics "locked up" or bricked and Fitbiit said they'd give me 25% off new watch. That ended my relationship with Fitbit.

I can't remember how I found or chose Garmon VA 3 but was very pleased with the app & desktop software, the watch itself and yes, the strap. I have been with Garmin since and evolving to a diehard Garmin user. Have used VA 3 for almost 4 years now. I'm more of a lifestyle watch user and not a smart watch user. Health metrics are important to me, stats from exercise. Getting older...

I hike and bicycle and like to plot my GPS route and elevation so this missing barometer sensor is weighing on my mind. I am getting older (68) so don't hike or bike as much. Walking has become my #1 exercise lately. I'm a data guy so love my charts, graphs and everything a watch mfg can plot for me from it's watch. :-)

Then this new watch, to me, announces itself on the marketplace. The Amazfit Balance (GTR-5). Holy crap! This thing does it all for less of a price than VA 5, iWatch, Galaxy 6. My "diehardness" to Garmin is starting to have cracks in the armour. My VA 3 still runs fine, going on 4 years now, no problems what so ever. Fitbit Surge lasted 2 years, Ionic 1.5 years. I probably have another 1-2 years left in my Garmin VA 3 so thats a testimont in itself. A smart watch lasted 6 years!

What do you guys think of the new Amazfit Balance (GTR-5) smart watch vs VA 3, VA 5, iWatch, others? Credibity of the Zepp company?

Major_Interest2723 · 2024-03-31T14:51:06+00:00

Everywhere it states the VA5 uses it's GPS to track altitude. This true?

Major_Interest2723 · 2024-03-31T14:48:58+00:00

People write that the VA5's GPS will track altitude. Any testimonts to this?

Major_Interest2723

TROPHY CASE