Amazfit - Balance 2

Switch from Apple Ultra Watch 2, etc. to Balance 2 XT. With Gadget Bridge and GrapheneOS, I’m very happy.

I switched from AW7 to the balance 2 I miss the extension that the Apple Watch was. Notifications aren’t fun anymore(can’t reply/respond to notifications) Also you know how if your phone is unlocked, the notifications don’t come up on watch and vice versa? With the amazfit, it will ring both phone and watch. Idk if you’d like it, I hated it so I switched off notifications Having said that, the fitness and sleep tracking I find to be much better and more helpful. It’s a great fitness watch. Not as much as a smartwatch that the Apple Watch is.

The closest I can think is an Amazfit - Garmin does the majority, but doesnt track post HR graph after a workout like Amazfit does. I've tested the Balance 2 and it seems a solid watch, my initial negative findings are; Navigation clunky for runners Sleep sometimes doesnt detect me awake until I stand up and sometimes puts me asleep if I struggle to fall asleep The hear rate zone alerts from training templates are only vibration (unlike the Zepp coach which actually givez you audible warnings - I have a ticket open with support on this one) Biocharge seems quite high if I've not ran that day, e.g. I can have 44 left right now even after 6hrs 50m sleep. Whereas Garmin body battery is at 21 - I don't feel like I have another half day left in me.

Amazfit Balance 2, not overpriced like Garmin, good featureset.

Amazfit Balance 2 should be about that price. The T-Rex 3 as well for something more sporty. The T-Rex 3 pro is out of that price range, but it's worth the extra. Or Bip 6, or Active 2 round or square, for a cheaper option with the same sensors and 90% of the features and limited local storage. The current gen of Amazfit devices are really very good.

What country are you located in? Straight jealous. I’m actually one of the few people that has had the Balance 2 for the last month or so testing it out. Good device

Hey, it’s me again. [My Amazfit journey started last year with a simple Active 2,](https://www.reddit.com/r/amazfit/comments/1jte2k1/amazfit_active_2_one_week_later_deeper_dive_ab/) and then [the original Balance](https://www.reddit.com/r/amazfit/comments/1kqossq/amazfit_balance_vs_active_2_and_the_rest_how_it/) not too long after. Overall, as a runner, I vastly preferred the Balance due to the button operation, the crown, and the larger screen, making data easier to read. I recently picked up a Balance 2 + Helio Strap (technically the Helio Core + armband). [Balance, Balance 2, Active 2](https://preview.redd.it/dr8i6jeaznmg1.jpg?width=1184&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d01e8b38d9fd334abaca669a843fb8997216065e) Some background on me: I’ve been running competitively for over 20 years and am often averaging over 50 miles / 80km per week in average training these days on a combination of road, trail, and track workouts. I’ll also cross-train by cycling and occasionally swim (and used to do some triathlons). I’ve been using GPS watches since the original Garmin Forerunner 201 back in the early 2000s and have had numerous GPS sport watches from Garmin, Coros, Polar, and now Amazfit, along with a few Garmin Edge bike computers. Why Amazfit? Garmin got stupid expensive. My last watch (Forerunner 955) was $500 USD at launch, but I’ve realized that I like AMOLED displays a lot better than MIP, especially since I do a lot of running in the evenings. The current model, the Forerunner 970, is $750. Coros released their Apex 4, but it’s MIP, so that’s out, and the Pace Pro has a cheap-looking plastic body. The Suunto Race 2 is promising, but the base watch being stainless steel is heavy, and $100 more for the lighter titanium build seemed excessive. No idea why other manufacturers seem allergic to Aluminum construction on lower level models.  Truthfully, I didn’t need to upgrade. The original Balance was good enough for the most part, but some of the recent software releases (especially the Feb update) finally pushed some features out to the Balance 2 that I’ve been wanting / missing from my prior Amazfit watches. The fact that Amazfit actually seems to be starting to listen to the community feedback and invest in the software updates is a huge thing for me because the hardware is really good. I also wanted a sapphire screen so I didn’t have to worry about a screen protector. So far, I’ve had the Balance 2 and Helio Strap for just over a week. I’ve run just over 54 miles (\~87km), had a ski day and lifted a few times.  **Helio Strap:** I’ll be honest, the Helio strap is not something I needed. I’ve never been huge into sleep metrics (pretty in tune with my body at this point), but it’s still probably useful to track in the long term for me. I am not a fan of sleeping with something on my wrist as I’ll occasionally whack my face with it, so the armband is great, though I wish it were a little more stretchy. It is also easy to use the Helio strap as an external HR monitor with the built-in app, helping a lot with sports like lifting, HIIT and interval training where all wrist HR sensors struggle. Note: You can pair this with the original Balance and Active 2 as well as an external HR sensor. From a data standpoint, it seems to get my start and end sleep times pretty close to spot on, however it doesn’t seem to track my “time awake” in the middle of the night if I’m just tossing and turning as well as I had hoped. Not sure how well a Whoop would do with those, given it’s not like I’m actively moving.  https://preview.redd.it/hkb8urun0omg1.jpg?width=1764&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=daa7ffd35cbe4d595a73b69a5b6b98578d14f6ff **Balance 2** **Pros:** * Build quality is fantastic and a clear improvement over the original Balance. * The screen seems plenty bright even in the middle of the day on an open trail * Weight with a nylon band is 50g, which is slightly more than the 42g on the Balance 1, but it isn’t really noticeable. I’m a fan of lightweight watches, so I’m happy with this weight, especially given the higher build quality. * It is fantastic to have a dedicated Ultramarathon rest mode for aid stations. * The February update added audible notifications for things like start/stop and laps. These audio alerts are a huge win because I frequently missed autolaps when I couldn't feel the vibration or thought I had resumed an activity at a stoplight when I hadn't pushed the button hard enough. * The button layout finally matches what everyone else does in the sports wearable market, with the top right to select a workout and the bottom right to access the menu. * Routable maps actually seem to work pretty well for me. In tests in the Denver suburbs, selecting a location 10 miles away took about 17 seconds to create a route, whereas my Forerunner 955 took over 90 seconds. The routing seemed to take appropriate bike and running paths next to busy roads when possible, which was a concern with early reviews of the T-Rex 3 Pro with this feature. * Map scrolling and panning performance is greatly improved over the original Balance and my Garmin 955. * GPS accuracy is spot on even on trails. **In Between** * The new maps are much improved with smoother lines, road names that follow the road, and more natural colors, however trails are now the same color as roads, which makes it difficult to distinguish between the two. This was supposedly fixed with the T-Rex Ultra 2, so I hope that mapset can be backported! [My trail run yesterday](https://preview.redd.it/04i3t3y8ynmg1.jpg?width=1404&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=780d88b2dc73aeb02cc394bc1b2fdda720f41f29) * A few nearby trails exist in the Zepp app for route creation but simply don't exist on the watch maps. Not sure why they aren’t there as they’ve been well established trails for 15-20+ years. Contour maps show elevation in meters, making them less useful for those of us in the US. * While font size selection is a great new feature, it is not yet universal across all menus. For example, Ultramarathon is split on 2 lines in the workout list for some reason which is not the case on the Active 2 which also has this mode * Ski mode worked well and tracked new runs – but I had a few false positives where it created a new run even when I was still skiing, just because I stayed still for a second to wait for my wife (or fell haha). **Cons/Quirks** * Transferring maps still takes forever, with a 60MB basemap taking 15 minutes and a 130MB contour map taking over half an hour even with a strong Wi-Fi signal. * Raise to wake during a workout is less responsive than my Active 2 or Balance 1. I’ll sometimes have to raise my wrist twice while running to get the screen to go to full brightness – and yes, it is set to “responsive” mode in the settings * There is still no rest option in the pool swim mode unless you manually create a workout, which limits the watch's practicality for lap swimming. * Some poorly translated things still persist, and I have even seen Chinese text popping up for a split second when pausing. * The lap pace algorithm needs to adjust more quickly, as it currently takes \~30 seconds to settle at the start of a new lap. This lag makes it difficult to track your pace during shorter interval reps. * Following a GPX course results in ***way*** too many turn notifications, such as being notified of every simple switchback on a 7.5-mile single-track trail. I was receiving notifications every 30-60 seconds when they should really only occur at actual trail junctions. Even worse, I received no notifications at all when I actually reached two trail junctions where I needed to continue straight.  * Elevation gain is still overstated by 10-20%. On a run where Strava showed 570’ of gain, the watch recorded 699’ unadjusted and 668’ adjusted. My 12.8 mile trail run today had uncalibrated altitude gain at 1614’, calibrated at 1508’ and Strava at 1453’. I don’t expect perfection (due to changes in barometric pressure), but it’s a consistent issue that’s been across all of my Amazfit devices that was never a major problem with any Garmin watch or Bike GPS I’ve had in the app. **Feature Wishlist** * **Review all of the translations on the device and in the app** to rephrase how a native English speaker who is familiar with the Sports Tech world would speak. This is probably the easiest of the low-hanging-fruit to fix, but has the most visibility. I mentioned a year ago in my Active 2 review about the Track mode asking for the “Runway length” (instead of Lap distance or Lap length) which still is the case, and that’s the kind of stuff that immediately cheapens the brand and clearly persists from device to device.  * Pool swimming features need to be fleshed out with at minimum a drills mode and an option for enabling rest mode with a lap button press. * Back to Start option mid-run - allows for a course to be generated on the watch mid-run/ride to get you back to where you started.  * Better ghost touch rejection while in “watch mode”, especially when wet. The screen goes crazy if you shower with it thinking everything is a touch * Bring the T-Rex Ultra 2 maps with proper trail markings to the Balance 2. * Add the ability to download entire US states or regions at once and provide imperial units for contour maps, along with improving map management in the Zepp app so you can see which areas have already been downloaded to the device. * Add a confirmation step for ending a workout from the pause screen to prevent accidental endings. * Add a beep in Ultramarathon mode if the watch detects you have moved more than say 100m while still in rest / aid station mode. I know I can’t be the only one who at hour 20 of a 100 miler that you aren’t thinking clearly enough to always remember to hit that lap button again.  * Add the ability to copy workout modes to allow users to have different autolap and alert settings for training versus racing (like Outdoor running and Outdoor running 2) * Revamp the settings UI to allow for setting data screens and rearranging workout types from the Zepp phone app. To the same note, consolidate settings so they aren't split between so many different areas on the device and the app. * Provide a way to transfer MP3s from a computer, possibly using a WiFi hotspot similar to the phone app. **Final Thoughts** I think 2025 brought a lot of changes for Amazfit in the right direction. A year ago, I would have laughed if you asked me if I would drop $300 for an Amazfit device, but I do think they’re closer than ever to becoming a viable competitor. The Zepp app features and overall watch improvements have come a long way, and I appreciate the 3-year extended support for older models. As far as devices, I still think many of us think there’s too many overlapping options in the same price bracket making it confusing for consumers, and paring down the number of devices would do wonders for long-term firmware support. Additionally, there are numerous longstanding QoL and translation issues that persist from device to device that I hope are prioritized. If these bug fixes and features are fleshed out, 2026 could be a year where Amazfit starts putting pressure on Suunto, Polar, and Coros. I’m somewhat hopeful with recent sponsorships of high-profile runners Grant Fisher (Olympic 5,000 & 10,000m medalist and indoor world record holder in the 3,000 and 5,000) and Josh Kerr (Olympic medalist and 2023 world champion at the 1500m) along with a few recent hires of former Coros employees that the goal is to take it to the next level and compete on the big stage with the other name brands. Competition is good. I would have never thought Amazfit would be the second to get on-device routing (after Garmin), especially on a $170 watch like the new Active 3, but here we are - and honestly, potential headlines like “Coros/Suunto should be worried” are actually starting to become justified, assuming the quirks get ironed out.  Cheers to 2026 and let me know if you have any questions!

So the original Balance doesn’t have a sapphire screen. The Active 2 has a version that is standard glass and Premium which has sapphire. The big differences besides size on the original Balance and Active 2 are dual band GPS (more accurate on the Balance), better battery life, more storage and the button mode as the Balance has a rotating crown whereas the Active 2 relies mostly on the touch interface. I personally found the original Balance to be a better watch for me, but I understand that the Active 2 is newer and whatnot. There’s also the new Active 3 which was just released that also includes a sapphire screen, more buttons and more storage. If you can swing that, I’d look into to.

Maps are the same between the watches. Frankly, almost everything on the software side between the two is the same other than the Balance having a golf mode. The big differences between the two is the T-Rex 3 Pro has a brighter 3000 nit screen, a titanium bezel, the led flashlight and a more rugged build that can handle colder temperatures supposedly. Personally, I’m on team buttons, but the crown is easy enough to use.

How small? Mine is 5.9” and I wear a T-Rex 3 and Balance 2. Yes they are large on my wrist but I love a chunky watch. Of the two, Balance 2 is definitely better for less movement on wrist during a workout (which translates to more reliable HRM data).

I tend to wear my watches about 3 finger width behind my wrist bone. With the TRex 3’s default strap on the tightest hole that’s mostly okay but I do use an external HRM during workouts. If I swap in a different strap (similar in style to the Apple sport band with all the holes in it) I can get the device pretty securely in place and have no issues. With the Balance 2 (using the red strap, I haven’t tried the black one) I have zero issues. If either watch were *any* bigger it would be a problem though. They do look massive on my arm, but I like that style. If you’re not sure, the slightly smaller Active 2 might be a safer bet. Feature and sensor wise it’s almost the same. It doesn’t have multi-band GPS, but neither does my Apple Watch 10 and it doesn’t great with GPS accuracy. Sometimes the specs aren’t the whole story.

2 days in and I really like it - nice screen, okay animations (I'm coming from Apple Watch and I'm alergic to bad UX), a lot of functionality, custom apps, a ton of watch faces - overall I like it.

I don't think you can get a bigger bang for buck than with amazfit. Active 2 premium does 90%+ what the apple ultra 2 does? For around 10% the cost? Crazy. Want something bigger and 'fancier'? You got balance 2 and t rex pro 3 that look really good and are even a bit bigger with better battery, and more durable.