Amazfit Falcon assessment: Flirting with premium territory

The Amazfit Falcon is a really engaging gadget. For an Amazfit wearable, it additionally comes at a comparatively excessive value. Whether or not the watch piques your curiosity or not, one factor is evident: Amazfit is extending its attain within the smartwatch area.

The corporate fairly actually despatched the Amazfit T-rex into area, and the Falcon boasts even higher specs. However whereas the premium tier could also be a brand new market area for Amazfit, it’s actually not uncharted territory. The Falcon’s highlights and options are very acquainted and merely inch the model towards rivals like Garmin.

At face worth, the Amazfit Falcon is a category act. The outsized watch contains a uncooked aesthetic with a brushed, matte end and 6 uncovered screw heads surrounding the show. The premium construct supplies, together with aircraft-grade titanium, make a right away impression. Particularly, that impression is that you just in all probability have an essential profession like aerospace engineering (I don’t). My solely preliminary grievance is the outstanding purple stripe alongside the aspect of the watch case. This element lends to the depth of the gadget’s vibe, however actually, I simply don’t like the colour purple, in order that’s on me.

On a extra goal be aware, the watch can be solely out there in a single fashion and one mannequin dimension, which can not work for everybody. Its diameter measures 49mm touchdown it proper between the Garmin Epix and the Garmin Fenix 7. Its weight is much like the Apple Watch Extremely at 64g. In different phrases, this isn’t a small wearable. When you have an particularly petite wrist it’s going to in all probability be too massive. As a purveyor of cumbersome wristwear, I discovered the watch comfy sufficient all through my assessment interval, however it’s actually weighty. On runs particularly, the heft is noticeable.

Under the glass, the watch contains a colourful, 1.28-inch always-on AMOLED show with a 416×416 pixel decision and an ambient gentle sensor. Merely put, it’s very good. Textual content and graphics are extremely sharp all through the consumer expertise and I completely loved putzing across the UI, searching watch faces, and scrolling menus. Some customers have complained concerning the gadget’s massive bezel chopping into the show’s actual property. Usually I’d say “extra display extra enjoyable,” so positive, that’s an unlucky design alternative, however I by no means felt jilted or like area was missing.

The display itself is protected with sapphire glass, and the gadget options military-grade sturdiness specs together with IP68 dust-resistance and a water-resistance score of 20ATM. In different phrases, the Amazfit Falcon options an elevated construct high quality on par with many large names within the multi-sport watch enviornment. Even the strap is comfy and sturdy, with a ton of adjustment notches. It is usually very stretchy which was by no means a difficulty, simply an oddity. If something it made getting the proper match even simpler.

As talked about, the Amazfit Falcon ranges up the model when it comes to appears to be like and construct. I encountered zero show visibility points, even in full solar. It’s totally touch-enabled so navigation can happen proper on the display, and I discovered it responsive all through my testing. Then again, should you want buttons, the Falcon affords 4 of these as properly so you possibly can dip into menus even with sweaty fingers. If wanted, you possibly can even lock the contact display to keep away from unintentional faucets/swipes. Nonetheless, I used to be stunned to seek out this additionally locks the buttons, making the function… much less helpful.

Navigation is intuitive, or no less than easy to memorize. Swipe right down to entry a customizable fast panel menu, and swipe as much as entry tile-like widget shortcuts. Swiping from the appropriate will open your app drawer, whereas a swipe from the left accesses notifications. Likewise, the buttons provide primary up, down, again, and enter actions. The place doable, the Falcon can be comfortably customizable, from watch faces to menus, so you possibly can tailor the main points to your wants.

For me, this was important. For starters, the watch faces preloaded on the Amazfit Falcon are a really particular fashion, which could be very a lot not my very own. With tons of of choices out there within the Zepp app, I had no drawback personalizing the look to a greater match. Naturally, I caught with my preliminary interpretation of the gadget: that it belongs on the wrist of an intelligence-touting astronaut. My favourite watch face options an adorably dizzying spaceman seemingly drifting away endlessly.

Such dynamic choices are battery-draining, nevertheless, so it’s value choosing a favourite static face as properly to save lots of juice. Fortunately, the Falcon affords loads of battery to spare with multi-week battery life. I used to be capable of attain about seven days even with heavy utilization and greater than an hour of GPS monitoring per day.

Sadly, whereas the Zepp app has loads of watch faces to attempt, it solely affords a handful of watch apps. If you happen to’re after a very good smartwatch expertise, you’re a lot better off with a Put on OS watch just like the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional, for instance, or should you’re an Apple consumer, an Apple Watch. The Amazfit Falcon additionally doesn’t provide a built-in microphone or speaker. Meaning you received’t discover telephone name assist or an assistant on board both. That mentioned, the restricted app checklist meant I had loads of alternative to check out what is offered, and I’ve to say, I forgot how a lot I benefit from the old-school snake recreation. I additionally acquired weirdly hooked on the toothbrush timer, which in all probability says extra about me than it does about this gadget.

Past the app retailer, the Zepp app affords all the pieces you want in a really organized method. As on the watch, menus are colourful, with detailed graphics and loads of expandable information fields. I discovered the Homepage tab adequate for at-a-glance stats and the All Information menu straightforward to scroll when searching for extra details about a selected well being or health discipline. You also can sync the Zepp app with a couple of well-liked third-party companies like Strava or Google Match.

When it comes to health watch fundamentals, they’re all right here. You’ll discover loads of onboard well being and exercise monitoring together with steps, stress, sleep, SpO2, coronary heart price, VO2 Max, and greater than 150 sport modes. Perusing the whole checklist of workouts will concurrently go away you reimagining your boring exercise routine (extra seaside soccer, much less distance working) and questioning what actually constitutes figuring out (foosball?). I genuinely needed to search for a few the ultra-niche choices.

When you begin a exercise, you possibly can customise information fields to show the specs you need onscreen. You may as well set the always-on show to activate solely throughout actions. This helps streamline exercises whereas saving battery outdoors of train. I discover always-on significantly helpful for exercises with a number of units like soar roping or HIIT. I discover it much less helpful once I wish to stay blind to how a lot working I’ve left to endure.

Whereas as regards to working, GPS on the gadget is commendable. The Amazfit Falcon affords multi-band GPS which is a good improve for the corporate. I took the watch on a couple of walks and runs alongside my Apple Watch Extremely and Garmin Fenix 7. The Falcon’s GPS information was very near that of the competitors. The gadget lower into lawns on a couple of turns however was usually spot on and the full distances have been practically an identical. The GPS sign additionally locks on instantly while you begin a exercise, which is at all times a headache on extra finicky wearables.

After a run, journey, or obscure recreation of Sepak Takraw, you possibly can head again to the Zepp app to dig into tons of related exercise stats. The Falcon data all the pieces from tempo and cadence to gradient distribution and coaching impact. I benefit from the thorough breakdown of digestible data, particularly for therefore many alternative actions. You may as well assessment routes for GPS-based exercises and save or add runs you wish to repeat. The Amazfit Falcon even affords onscreen breadcrumb path navigation.

One other fascinating new device for athletes is the Zepp Coach function. First off, it’s very clear that Amazfit centered on including coaching instruments to this gadget. Zepp Coach affords customers steering with tailor-made every day exercise solutions. When you enter your targets within the Zepp app, the corporate’s AI determines a coaching schedule primarily based in your exercise stage. As somebody with a really free exercise routine, I discovered Zepp Coach provided sufficient construction to be helpful and motivational. For extra devoted athletes who have already got a strong grasp of their coaching wants, it’s doubtless not as helpful. Nonetheless, it’s a pleasant addition to see on the gadget.

On the restoration entrance, sleep monitoring on the Falcon lined up properly with my trusted in a single day wearables, together with the Fitbit Versa 3. The watch tracks complete time asleep in addition to sleep levels and affords a complete sleep rating every morning. Regardless of its bulk, I discovered it completely comfy in a single day. I additionally recognize the haptic alarm which might be adjusted to your most popular buzzer power. I do counsel using Theater mode in a single day to ensure the display doesn’t blast you within the face at 3 AM.

So the place does the Amazfit Falcon fall brief? Sadly, proper on the coronary heart. Energetic coronary heart price accuracy on the Amazfit Falcon is, in my view, essentially the most unlucky information set. At face worth, the center price sensor is okay, and on a less expensive product would in all probability be satisfactory. Nonetheless, when you enter the realm of competing with Garmin, Apple, and even Fitbit, the bar is larger.

At relaxation, the watch recorded fairly constant information in comparison with my every day drivers. This made options equivalent to stress monitoring and One-tap Measuring, each of which depend on coronary heart price information, largely dependable. Nonetheless, I noticed a couple of sporadic drop-offs on my runs with bpms decrease than these of my chest strap. Considering this might need one thing to do with the load of the watch on my wrist, I attempted adjusting the match of the gadget between runs. Sadly, inconsistencies nonetheless appeared throughout every information set.

Likewise, SpO2 monitoring isn’t as spot on as I’d anticipate at this value level. In comparison with a finger pulse oximeter, I measured 3-5 share factors brief on the Falcon. I don’t have respiration issues nevertheless it’s nonetheless disconcerting to see inaccurate measurements on a tool I plan to depend on for health steering.

Amazfit Falcon assessment: Must you purchase it?

Recreationally, the Amazfit Falcon is a really strong product. It’s engaging, filled with options, and affords nice battery life. It falls brief in small however noteworthy particulars equivalent to third-party apps, voice assistants, and digital fee assist. It misses the extra important mark in well being sensor accuracy. Particularly for high-level athletes, the center price information is just too variable to be dependable.

The construct high quality and total consumer expertise are every an excellent displaying from Amazfit. The efficiency is snappy and the show is gorgeous. However at $499 within the US, the Amazfit Falcon price ticket isn’t low cost. I can’t think about spending that a lot for a multi-sport watch with unreliable coronary heart price information. Even when that isn’t a precedence, the watch’s restricted smartwatch options can’t compete with the likes of Apple or Samsung.