Amazfit Helio Review: Woefully Behind and Lacking Features Leave a comment

Sensible rings have arrived. They’re not the protect of Finnish pioneer Oura; we’ve got examined rings from Ultrahuman, Ringconn, and Movano in latest months, and our Samsung Galaxy Ring evaluate is within the works. These finger-based trackers are simple to put on and supply probably invaluable insights about our well being and health. As maybe the dominant Chinese language participant within the health monitoring house, Amazfit ought to be well-placed to leap aboard the pattern, however the Helio sensible ring seems like a piece in progress.

Amazfit grew from Huami, based greater than a decade in the past. The corporate has plenty of expertise turning out inexpensive devices, and Amazfit is a sub-brand that launched its first smartwatch in 2016. Huami rebranded to Zepp Well being in 2021, and the Amazfit app turned the Zepp app, regardless that the Amazfit model was retained for the units. (Please simply choose one title.)

We’ve examined a couple of of Amazfit’s health trackers, together with the Amazfit GTR Professional (5/10, WIRED Overview) and the Amazfit Stability (5/10, WIRED Overview). Amazfit was bullish in regards to the ring and watch mixture, with the Zepp app aggregating information from each, so it despatched me the Cheetah Professional alongside the Helio. (Amazfit additionally sells the ring bundled with different fashions.) The duo works nicely, however testing the Helio ring alone rapidly revealed its shortcomings.

Rushed Ring

The Amazfit Helio is available in just one coloration and two sizes. Amazfit calls the colour titanium. It’s titanium alloy, however the end seems to be bronze with a delicate, classy-looking dot sample on the highest and a tiny indentation on the opposite aspect that can assist you align the sensors accurately. The Helio weighs simply shy of 4 grams, is 2.6 mm thick, and is comfortable to put on. It’s bulkier than a daily ring however not terribly so.

The Amazfit Helio is rated at 10 ATM for water resistance. You may swim or bathe with it on. It comes with a wee, wi-fi charging plinth, identical to Oura’s, and a USB-C cable, however it’s essential to provide an influence adapter. Amazfit provides dimension 10 or 12. (Fortunately, I’m dimension 12.) Ultimately, it can provide sizes 7 by 13. The restricted choices increase my impression that Amazfit has rushed the ring to market.

The ring appears sturdy. Mine is usually blemish-free after a few weeks, and I are usually robust on sensible rings, although I did handle to gouge my porcelain toilet sink. (You will need to bear in mind to take away your ring earlier than cleansing, lifting weights, or any exercise the place it’s prone to contact a tough floor.) Like most sensible rings, the Helio works greatest in your index finger, however this makes it extra prone to come into contact with … nicely, the whole lot.

Mighty Metrics

The Helio has the same old sensor suspects, together with a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, temperature sensor, and electro-dermal (EDA) sensor. It could actually monitor your coronary heart fee and coronary heart fee variability, lively minutes, whole steps, energy burned, and some different bits. You will need to set up and hyperlink the Zepp app (iOS, Android) to evaluate your information.

{Photograph}: Simon Hill through Zepp app