Amazfit Falcon evaluate: Flirting with premium territory

The Amazfit Falcon is a really engaging machine. For an Amazfit wearable, it additionally comes at a comparatively excessive worth. 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 definitely not uncharted territory. The Falcon’s highlights and options are very acquainted and merely inch the model towards opponents like Garmin.

At face worth, the Amazfit Falcon is a category act. The outsized watch includes 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 an instantaneous impression. Specifically, that impression is that you simply most likely have an necessary profession like aerospace engineering (I don’t). My solely preliminary criticism is the distinguished pink stripe alongside the aspect of the watch case. This element lends to the depth of the machine’s vibe, however actually, I simply don’t like the colour pink, in order that’s on me.

On a extra goal be aware, the watch can be solely out there in a single model and one mannequin measurement, 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 just like the Apple Watch Extremely at 64g. In different phrases, this isn’t a small wearable. In case you have an particularly petite wrist it’s going to most likely be too giant. As a purveyor of cumbersome wristwear, I discovered the watch snug sufficient all through my evaluate interval, however it’s definitely weighty. On runs particularly, the heft is noticeable.

Beneath the glass, the watch includes a colourful, 1.28-inch always-on AMOLED show with a 416×416 pixel decision and an ambient mild sensor. Merely put, it’s very good. Textual content and graphics are extremely sharp all through the consumer expertise and I totally loved putzing across the UI, shopping watch faces, and scrolling menus. Some customers have complained in regards to the machine’s giant bezel chopping into the show’s actual property. Usually I might say “extra display screen extra enjoyable,” so certain, that’s an unlucky design alternative, however I by no means felt jilted or like area was missing.

The display screen itself is protected with sapphire glass, and the machine 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 huge names within the multi-sport watch area. Even the strap is snug and sturdy, with a ton of adjustment notches. It’s also very stretchy which was by no means a problem, simply an oddity. If something it made getting the proper match even simpler.

As talked about, the Amazfit Falcon ranges up the model by way of appears 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 screen, and I discovered it responsive all through my testing. However, if you happen to desire buttons, the Falcon gives 4 of these as effectively so you may dip into menus even with sweaty fingers. If wanted, you may even lock the contact display screen to keep away from unintentional faucets/swipes. Nevertheless, I used to be stunned to seek out this additionally locks the buttons, making the characteristic… much less helpful.

Navigation is intuitive, or at the least easy to memorize. Swipe all the way 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 supply fundamental up, down, again, and enter actions. The place attainable, the Falcon can be comfortably customizable, from watch faces to menus, so you may tailor the small print to your wants.

For me, this was vital. For starters, the watch faces preloaded on the Amazfit Falcon are a really particular model, 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 machine: 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 selecting a favourite static face as effectively to avoid wasting juice. Fortunately, the Falcon gives 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 gives a handful of watch apps. For those who’re after a really good smartwatch expertise, you might be significantly better off with a Put on OS watch just like the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional, for instance, or if you happen to’re an Apple consumer, an Apple Watch. The Amazfit Falcon additionally doesn’t supply a built-in microphone or speaker. Meaning you gained’t discover telephone name assist or an assistant on board both. That mentioned, the restricted app listing meant I had loads of alternative to check out what is on the market, and I’ve to say, I forgot how a lot I benefit from the old-school snake recreation. I additionally bought weirdly hooked on the toothbrush timer, which most likely says extra about me than it does about this machine.

Past the app retailer, the Zepp app gives every thing 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 enough for at-a-glance stats and the All Information menu simple to scroll when searching for extra details about a particular well being or health subject. You may also sync the Zepp app with a number of widespread 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 listing of workouts will concurrently go away you reimagining your boring exercise routine (extra seashore soccer, much less distance operating) and questioning what actually constitutes understanding (foosball?). I genuinely needed to search for a few the ultra-niche choices.

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

Whereas as regards to operating, GPS on the machine is commendable. The Amazfit Falcon gives multi-band GPS which is a superb improve for the corporate. I took the watch on a number 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 machine minimize into lawns on a number of turns however was typically spot on and the entire distances have been almost equivalent. The GPS sign additionally locks on instantly whenever you begin a exercise, which is all the time a headache on extra finicky wearables.

After a run, experience, or obscure recreation of Sepak Takraw, you may head again to the Zepp app to dig into tons of related exercise stats. The Falcon information every thing from tempo and cadence to gradient distribution and coaching impact. I benefit from the thorough breakdown of digestible info, particularly for thus many alternative actions. You too can evaluate routes for GPS-based exercises and save or add runs you need to repeat. The Amazfit Falcon even gives onscreen breadcrumb path navigation.

One other fascinating new software for athletes is the Zepp Coach characteristic. First off, it’s very clear that Amazfit centered on including coaching instruments to this machine. Zepp Coach gives customers steerage with tailor-made each day exercise strategies. When you enter your targets within the Zepp app, the corporate’s AI determines a coaching schedule based mostly in your exercise degree. 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 seemingly not as helpful. Nonetheless, it’s a pleasant addition to see on the machine.

On the restoration entrance, sleep monitoring on the Falcon lined up effectively 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 gives a complete sleep rating every morning. Regardless of its bulk, I discovered it completely snug in a single day. I additionally admire the haptic alarm which could be adjusted to your most well-liked buzzer energy. I do recommend using Theater mode in a single day to ensure the display screen 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, for my part, probably the most unlucky information set. At face worth, the guts price sensor is okay, and on a less expensive product would most likely be satisfactory. Nevertheless, when you enter the realm of competing with Garmin, Apple, and even Fitbit, the bar is greater.

At relaxation, the watch recorded fairly constant information in comparison with my each day drivers. This made options corresponding to stress monitoring and One-tap Measuring, each of which depend on coronary heart price information, largely dependable. Nevertheless, I noticed a number 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 burden of the watch on my wrist, I attempted adjusting the match of the machine between runs. Sadly, inconsistencies nonetheless appeared throughout every information set.

Likewise, SpO2 monitoring isn’t as spot on as I might count on at this worth level. In comparison with a finger pulse oximeter, I measured 3-5 proportion factors brief on the Falcon. I don’t have respiration issues however it’s nonetheless disconcerting to see inaccurate measurements on a tool I plan to depend on for health steerage.

Amazfit Falcon evaluate: Must you purchase it?

Recreationally, the Amazfit Falcon is a really strong product. It’s engaging, full of options, and gives nice battery life. It falls brief in small however noteworthy particulars corresponding to third-party apps, voice assistants, and digital cost assist. It misses the extra important mark in well being sensor accuracy. Particularly for high-level athletes, the guts price information is simply too variable to be dependable.

The construct high quality and total consumer expertise are every a fantastic 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.