Photo Source: Amazon
Key Points
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The Amazfit Band 5 comes with a lot of fitness tracking features.
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The step counting feature is exceptionally accurate but counts non-walking actions as a step such as washing hands.
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The sleep tracking feature helps you track how well you're sleeping and determine remedies.
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Zepp, the companion app, helps you get a more in-depth look at your metrics.
While some men opt for a more classic watch — like a Nixon watch — there are a lot of men out there who want the perks of a fitness watch. Many simply use the health and fitness tracking features on devices like an Apple Watch for fitness metrics. However, I'm not one to need all the features an Apple Watch offers (most of which I have no desire to use). While Fitbit is another solid choice and a well-known brand, I opted for the affordable Amazfit Band 5.
I found it on Amazon and have been relatively happy with my purchase ever since. Here's my honest review of the product after over four months of using it every day.
Band 5 Activity Fitness Tracker
$28.43
by Amazfit
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11/27/2023 04:59 pm GMT
Amazfit Band 5
by Amazfit
Amazfit offers a simple fitness tracker in terms of design and features. It doesn't accomplish anything more than other fitness bands out there. Well, except maybe it comes with a longer-lasting battery.
Bradley Hill for Men's Lifestyle
Features
From counting steps to tracking your sleep, the Amazfit Band 5 accomplishes a lot for such a small yet affordable fitness tracker. It's not as in-depth as other trackers on the market, but that's simply because of its price point. I'm sure one of Amazfit's more premium fitness trackers accomplishes everything just as accurately as an Apple Watch or Fitbit.
The Amazfit Band 5 offers multiple customizable options for your watch faces — select from a vast library of designs or use your picture. Despite its compact size, navigation on the Band 5 is smooth, thanks to its touchscreen. Its icon-based user interface is intuitive, making it incredibly user-friendly.
Having the ability to customize the look of your watch face isn't something I expected and it was a pleasant surprise. I used a cyberpunk-style display for a while before I discovered that other styles display more information. For example, not every style shows how many steps you take, something I use the band for primarily.
Besides counting steps, this fitness tracker monitors a lot of other metrics from your heart rate to your stress levels. Some features I don't use, but others might find useful.
Step Counting
Step counting was my primary reason for purchasing the Amazfit Band 5. I set my goal to 10,000 steps a day, hoping to shed some extra calories off my diet each week. On top of being a major tech enthusiast, I'm also into my own fitness and health. It's a borderline obsession at this point.
I choose to walk 10,000 steps a day because, besides going to the gym three times a week, I have my butt in a chair most of the day due to work. Not only does getting up and walking outside periodically throughout the day give me a much-needed break from my laptop's screen, it helps me maintain my overall fitness goal.
I tested the accuracy of the Amazfit Band once and it's exact. I took a stroll around my block, counting each of my steps after noting my starting number, and by the end of the walk, the band and my count matched.
However, it does count some non-walking movements as steps — If you're washing dishes, for example, or drumming with your hand.
Status
The first option to look at after scrolling down on the band shows you your status for the day. This option highlights the number of steps taken for the day, the number of calories burned that day, and the distance you travel (measured in miles).
I only use this little menu when I want to see how many miles I travel in a day. Otherwise, all that information is on the main watch screen. It does, however, go on to show you your seven-day trend with steps. It's a quick way to see how your current day compares with individual days from the past week.
What Is PAI?
PAI is a metric that the Amazfit band tracks for all of its users. It stands for Personal Activity Intelligence and you receive periodic alerts from the tracker when you achieve a new PAI record. It's always when you least expect it too because every time it vibrates, it catches me by surprise.
Sometimes when it alerts me to my PAI level I think it's telling me that I completed my step goal for the day. It's also frustrating when the band vibrates to alert me of my PAI level but just displays a blank screen.
Notifications
Upon receiving notifications, you feel a gentle vibration, and the notification displays on the screen. However, the band operates on a read-only level — there's no responding to texts or calls directly from the device.
Besides notifications, apps like weather, alarm, and timers are available. Interestingly, it also supports Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, helping you control smart home devices. Ask for news, translations, and more, right from your wrist.
If you happen to miss an alert such as reaching your step goal or achieving a new PAI score, go to the notifications menu and it shows you everything you missed.
TomsGuide writer, Kate Kozuch, says, "I’ve struggled with the notification options on an Amazfit watch before, so I set my expectations low. But I was pleasantly surprised by the Band 5’s notification system. I could customize which phone notifications I wanted pushed to my wrist, plus whether I wanted to preview their contents. I could even decline phone calls if someone rang me mid-workout."
Exercise
This fitness tracker is rich in fitness-tracking features. There are options to monitor specific workout types like running, cycling, and swimming. All these measurements are accessible through the accompanying phone app.
Some other metrics it tracks are:
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Heart rate
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Stress levels
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Breathing
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Blood Oxygen Levels
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Weather
Design and Build Quality
I didn't expect a color display when I first took it out of the box. The AMOLED screen is bright and vibrant but poses some viewing difficulties in direct sunlight. I especially didn't expect something so cheap to be so responsive. It never fails to respond to my vertical swipes.
However, it takes an additional tap or two sometimes to wake it up.
Durability
Bradley Hill for Men's Lifestyle
When I first got the band and used it day in and day out, I would have said it comes with a solid construction. However, now my band is falling apart. First, it lost the loop that keeps the band stable on my wrist.
Now, the band is slowly tearing, threatening to render the band unwearable. I don't wear it to sleep anymore because that seems to be the root of the problem. I seem to move around a lot in my sleep, explaining my poor sleep scores the majority of the time. I'm looking into either a replacement strap if it's possible or a replacement tracker.
However, this isn't an issue everybody experiences. My fiance has the same band and experiences no such problems.
Comfort
Bradley Hill for Men's Lifestyle
I sometimes forget I'm wearing the band. That's expected from something that only weighs 0.8 ounces. It's especially beneficial during my time at the gym and when I sleep with it on. It always stays in place, too, never slipping off or requiring any adjustment once it's strapped on.
Battery Life
For starters, The Amazfit Band 5 utilizes a charging dock that magnetically attaches to the back of it. Charging the band isn’t time-consuming either, going from zero to a full charge in about 2 hours. Luckily, its long-lasting battery ensures this isn't frequently necessary.
It stays true to its promised life of 15 days before requiring a charge. There are energy-saving features that allow you to extend its life up to 25 days if you want to. I don't utilize any of those features, but they're there.
Downsides
As with every electronic product, there are some flaws. The band doesn't come equipped with its own GPS. If you wish to track your routes at all, you need your phone with you while you walk, run, or cycle.
Furthermore, it doesn't support audio control at all, a feature that's helpful in the gym when you don't want to take your phone out. Meaning you're unable to skip music tracks.
If you're practicing a variety of outdoor activities, you might be better off with a more extensive and versatile fitness tracker such as a Fitbit Ace 3. For someone like myself who only requires the bare minimum, the Amazfit Band 5 is ideal.
Zepp App
Bradley Hill for Men's Lifestyle
Zepp is the name of the companion app for the Amazfit Band 5. It's a fairly extensive app that lets you get a more in-depth peek at the numbers that matter to you. Having an app to get a more in-depth look at the suite of metrics this affordable band tracks is nice and honestly unexpected.
I probably use the app more than I look at different settings on the band itself.
Features
Everything the band tracks shows up in the Zepp app in more detail. This is the place to go to get a good look at how well you sleep, how many calories you burn, and at what time during the day you accomplish different tasks.
Widget
Bradley Hill for Men's Lifestyle
Zepp comes with a useful widget, giving you access to pertinent information. As you see in the image above, it tells you exactly how many steps you take and at what times you walked the most on that day.
Sleep Tracking
This is my favorite thing about the Amazfit Band 5, besides the step-counting. Before my band began to fall apart, I tracked my sleep habits daily. It became a part of my morning ritual. The app assigns you a score based on how much sleep you got, how much of it was deep, and a few other factors I'm sure I'm not aware of.
For a while, I regularly didn't get any better than 45 minutes of deep sleep, poorly impacting my overall sleep score. Then I had a dentist appointment and had some work done. After that, my deep sleep is consistently longer than an hour. You don't realize how connected outside factors impact your sleep until you track it.
by Amazfit
My Verdict on the Amazfit Band 5
Having never used another fitness tracker, I give this one a solid 7.3 for its plentiful features. However, if you're less basic than myself or have the budget, take a look at its competitors like the Xiaomi Smart Band or Fitbit.
They offer more in-depth metrics and come with more advanced features. However, not many hold a candle to the Amazfit Band 5's battery life from what I see. It's easily its most impressive feature. For its price, too, it's hard to beat.
That's who the Amazfit Band is for, though, those who like to stick to a budget and don't need all the bells and whistles more advanced trackers offer. They're all nice features to have but if you're not using them, it's a waste of money.
The titular character of the September 2023 premiering show The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon certainly would get a lot out of the Amazfit Band 5.
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