Review of Amazfit Neo - a smartwatch with a retro design

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A novelty from Huami for those who value autonomy and do not want to spend money.

The line between fitness trackers and smartwatches is blurring. More and more gadgets occupy a borderline position between these two types of devices. Amazfit Neo belongs to such intermediate solutions. This accessory looks like a watch, but in its capabilities it is much inferior to the same Mi Band 5. At the same time, the Neo has several important features that allow it to compete with both watches and sports trackers.

Table of contents

• Specifications
• Design
• Screen
• Functions
• Application
• Autonomy
• Outcomes

Specifications

Screen	1.2-inch STN monochrome non-touch
Protection	5 ATM
Connection	Bluetooth 5.0
Battery	160 mAh
Working hours	28 days
Dimensions (edit)	40.3 × 41 × 11.7mm
The weight	32 grams

Design

Appearance is one of the main features of the Amazfit Neo. It can evoke nostalgia or questions like “What kind of Montana is this?”, Although the gadget doesn't really look like an iconic watch of the 80s. Much more similar to classic models from Casio.

The Neo has a plastic case, a rectangular monochrome screen and four mechanical buttons - also plastic. The watch is very compact, thin and lightweight. They are quite suitable even for girls with narrow wrists.

The watch is not felt at all on the hand. This is facilitated not only by its low weight, but also by a silicone strap with a classic plastic buckle and a trainer. Mounting width - 20 mm. There is no usual spring retainer, so it will be problematic to replace the strap.

On the back of the case there is a slightly protruding round block with a charging pad and an optical BioTracker PPG sensor for measuring heart rate. When active, the sensor flickers bright green.

On the left side there are Select and Back buttons, on the right - Up and Down buttons. All of them have a ribbed surface so that it is easier to feel them blindly. The clicks are soft, but tactile.

There are no questions about the assembly of the case and the fitting of parts. The Neos give the impression of being reliable and very robust, although their design is not shock-resistant. But there is protection from water: the watch will survive the rain, showering and even swimming in the pool.

Screen

The display is made using STN technology. It is monochrome, non-touch, and the symbols on it are completely invisible in the dark. Fortunately, there is a backlight, which is activated for a few seconds by pressing the Back key on the left or lifting your wrist, if this option is enabled in the application.

The display panel is slightly recessed into the body. This is done so that the plastic frame will take all the blows upon itself during physical impact. And it really works: after three weeks of use, there were no visible scratches on the display, but there are two abrasions on the case, which are noticeable only from a certain angle.

The time and date (day of the week in English, month and day) take up the most screen space. They are always shown, regardless of the functions used. To the left of the time, there are three indicator icons: for the alarm clock, the "Do not disturb" mode and the disconnection with the smartphone.

In the upper left corner, in a round frame, the function icons are displayed, which are flipped with the Up and Down buttons. The values of these functions are displayed to the right above the date. By pressing Select, you can change them, if available, and by holding the button, you can quickly turn off the watch.

Functions

You can customize the work of the watch through the Zepp mobile application (updated Amazfit). The gadget connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth 5.0. After connecting, the time is automatically set on Amazfit Neo.

Now more about the functions. Amazfit Neo can:

• display the number of steps per day;
• display the distance traveled in kilometers;
• show the number of calories burned;
• start heart rate measurement and display the number of beats per minute;
• display the level of physical activity PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence);
• show the time of the alarm clock set in the application;
• start a stopwatch;
• enable quiet mode;
• display the weather for today (temperature range);
• display the battery charge level of the watch.

The icons for each of these functions are displayed in the circular area on the left, and their values are displayed on the right above the date. That is, all the information about your activity, stopwatch, weather and so on - in one single line.

Notifications are also displayed there. When you receive an incoming call, you will see the subscriber's number, if it is not saved, or the Incoming Call message as a scrolling line, if the subscriber is among the contacts, but his name is too long. If it is short, it will be displayed instead of Incoming Call. The Back button can be used to reject the call.

With an incoming SMS, the message icon will be displayed in the round zone, and "+1" on the right, if there is only one letter. Similarly, with notifications from applications: one standard App icon for all programs and a number showing the number.

Hopefully, Huami will add the output of all application names and titles in the future. If there is not enough space, they can be shown as a creeping line.

If you sit too long, you will see an image of a man with the caption UP (read as "Get up, lazy ass"). True, this reminder works in a rather strange way: for some reason, the clock does not notice when you get up even before the signal, and informs you of the need to warm up, even if you have already gone somewhere.

Notifications activate a beep. This is a pretty nasty squeak that you will definitely hear. There is no vibration in Amazfit Neo.

Application

The list of functions and their operation are configured in the application. There you can also select programs, notifications from which must be accompanied by a sound signal on the watch.

Zepp collects complete statistics on steps, sleep quality, heart rate, athletic goals, and more.

PAI measures your physical activity. A special algorithm evaluates the relationship between exercise and heart rate over the past week. A personal index is calculated based on your daily activities. It should motivate you to train harder, more often, and more efficiently.

The application contains all the necessary information about PAI, and on the watch you can only see your index. If it is constantly growing, then you are doing everything right.

Also in Zepp, you can configure the smartphone search function. It is activated by simultaneously pressing Back and Up on the watch and launches a certain melody on the phone, which you can select.

Also, the application has different training modes: running, walking, cycling. You can start recording data only in Zepp - you can't start it from the clock. It looks like a bug that should be fixed in one of the updates. Further control is carried out using the Amazfit Neo: pressing the Select button will pause the recording, and on Back - it will end. In this case, data (heart rate, distance, time) are displayed both in the application and on the clock.

In general, Zepp looks like a real harvester: it has a lot of functions that are designed for the whole range of Amazfit devices. For example, some of the statistics are tied to smart brand scales. As a result, the user sees a lot of unnecessary information that only confuses and annoys.

Autonomy

The manufacturer claims that the Amazfit Neo will last up to 28 days on a single charge in mixed use. In fact, the period of autonomous action strongly depends on the frequency of activation of the most voracious function - the heart rate monitor. For example, if the heart rate was automatically measured every 5 minutes, 50% of the charge was consumed per week. And with a complete shutdown of the heart rate monitor for the same period - 9%.

Of course, this indicator is still influenced by the number of notifications in applications, but in general the picture is clear: if you do not need 24/7 heart rate monitoring, then you can count on a month of battery life.

The watch is charged through a special connector that is supplied in the kit. The device is secured with a clip. The lack of the usual magnetic connection is not inconvenient, especially considering the frequency of recharging.

Outcomes

Amazfit Neo is a simple electronic watch that has managed to organically fit a pedometer, heart rate monitor, PAI physical activity assessment and notifications. With all these bonuses, the classic design and monochrome screen have been preserved, and the autonomy is much better than most other smart wrist accessories.

Yes, there is no vibration, notification text or customization. However, it is these trade-offs that allow the watch to run for a month without recharging. These disadvantages can hardly be called critical for a gadget with a price of about 3,000 rubles.