Amazfit BIP 5 Review

Smart Function

The Amazfit BIP 5 offers satisfactory smart functionality, but is a less robust option when compared to top models. This watch runs a Zepp operating system meant for watches and managing other apps and customizations. The app is similar to Garmin's Connect app, is intuitive and easy to use. A premium version of apps are included with a paid service, and includes Zepp Aura and Fitness apps, which allow for more customization of watch faces, and greater detail and access to workout and fitness data.

You can access and download third-party apps, but the variety and quality of the apps and the ecosystem are nowhere near the level and quality of the Apple and Google app stores, and side by side, it feels significantly behind.

The Amazfit BIP 5 offers a comparable call experience to top models, which is impressive considering its modest price. We occasionally experienced slightly muffled audio, but the call quality was surprising for a budget option. Our team did have minor issues connecting the watch to a phone, but after updating the watch, the issues were resolved.

The texting experience is more limited than what's offered by more premium smartwatches. The Amazfit BIP 5 has no keyboard and no voice-to-text, but does have automated responses.

The GPS is also incredibly slow to connect, and the standard Zepp OS has no native GPS mapping, although it is possible to get directions as notifications as a weak workaround.

Health

There isn't anything terribly bad about the health and fitness monitoring abilities of the Amazfit BIP 5, but there's nothing too exceptional either. Considering the widespread adoption of smartwatches for health and fitness tracking, our second test metric, health, accounts for thirty percent of each model's overall score. The Amazfit BIP 5 offered surprising performance for a lesser-known budget offering, even outperforming the Fitbits in our test lineup.

While the step counter offered good accuracy, and the workout selections were numerous and high quality, other sensors weren't as accurate when compared to our control equipment. Heart rate data was off by about 3 percent, and the GPS by a margin of about 10 percent. The GPS radio also repeatedly took a long time to get established before it could be used.

Of course, a subscription to the premium version of the Zepp Aura and Fitness app adds to the cost of ownership, but it will provide a greater level of data and metrics for workouts, although it doesn't solve the accuracy and GPS issues experienced by our team.

Battery Life

The Amazfit BIP 5's battery didn't exhibit the most outstanding results. In fact, it has a really unimpressive GPS energy consumption.

With the GPS activated, the watch lasted only 6.3 hours. With the GPS disabled, it made an improvement in run time, but that is still significantly less battery life than the majority of models we tested.

The recharging rates aren't exactly impressive either, requiring 35 minutes to achieve a half charge and 110 minutes to achieve a complete charge. While the actual time it takes to recharge doesn't seem bad, it is not great as a ratio to run time.

Display

The Amazfit BIP 5's 1.91 inch display is a simple LCD display protected by tempered glass. It is large enough that it is easy to see and operate, but the 260 pixel per inch resolution is significantly less dense than the higher pixel densities of the most crisp and brilliant displays. However, for the price, you get a surprisingly good display.

The tempered glass is not as scratch-resistant as smartwatch models utilizing more premium Ion-X, Corning Gorilla Glass, or crystal sapphire, and earned a Mohs hardness rating of 6.5 in our in-house testing. The large screen also lacks the brightness to maintain strong contrast when outdoor viewing in a bright environment, and the tempered glass tends to glare quite a bit.

Should you buy the Google Pixel Watch 2?

If you don't want to invest too much money on your first foray into smartwatches, then the Amazfit BIP 5 is a great option. It isn't going to offer the premium watch experience or ecosystem like larger brands with huge app marketplaces, and even bigger third-party app availability. It also can't compete with the impressive OLED and Super AMOLED displays from more premium manufacturers, but its LCD display, protected by tempered glass, is still bright enough to use even in a sunny environment, although it does glare a bit. Overall, at the incredibly modest price point, about ten percent of the cost of the most premium watches we tested, the Amazfit BIP 5 is a great value, and you would be hard-pressed to find a better smartwatch in this price range.

What other Smartwatches should you consider?

The Amazfit BIP 5 is a good smartwatch considering its extremely budget-friendly price tag, and will suffice for a lot of people, but the majority of other options our team tested easily outshone this model. In the more affordable but exceptional price range of smartwatches, you'll really need to consider a model like the Apple Watch SE gen 2, or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 for Android users. If you are more interested in taking your fitness tracking to the next level, you'll need to take a look at the Garmin Venu 3, while you would be remiss if you wanted the most premium smartwatch on the market and didn't consider splurging on the Apple Watch Ultra 2.