If you want better value for money
Choose Amazfit Active 2. It scores 5.0 vs 4.5 for value for money, with a 4.0 overall score.
Amazfit Balance 2 Review
Bottom Line
Choose the Amazfit Balance 2 for long battery life, strong fitness tracking, bright rugged hardware, and value. Skip it if you need full Apple/Wear OS-style apps, LTE, ECG, seamless payments, or top-tier sleep-stage accuracy.
Best for
Best for fitness-focused users who want long battery life, accurate everyday training data, golf or multisport coverage, and strong hardware value without paying premium sports-watch prices.
Not for
Not for users who need a full smartwatch ecosystem with LTE, deep third-party apps, music streaming, seamless payments, ECG, or the most dependable sleep-stage analysis.
Verdict
Across the reviews, the Amazfit Balance 2 stands out as a fitness-first smartwatch with unusually strong battery life, reliable GPS and heart-rate tracking in most tests, a bright AMOLED display, rugged materials, and broad workout coverage. The tradeoff is that its smartwatch side is less mature: reviewers repeatedly point to limited third-party apps, no LTE, weaker music streaming support, regional payment limits, and some uneven map or sleep-stage behavior. Its best case is as a value-packed sports and wellness watch that can handle golf, HYROX, daily health trends, and long stretches between charges, rather than as a full Apple Watch or Wear OS replacement.
Current model
Amazfit Balance 3
View current model
Feature Scorecards
Summary
57 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.013 (23%)
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Positive 3.5-4.433 (58%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.48 (14%)
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Negative 1.5-2.41 (2%)
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Very negative below 1.52 (4%)
Pros
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Battery life was the clearest strength, with reviewers repeatedly confirming week-plus to multi-week endurance and calling it a major advantage over many smartwatch rivals.
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Value for money was a major positive theme, with most reviewers saying the Balance 2 delivers unusually strong features, battery life, and hardware for the price.
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Workout tracking variety was a clear strength, with reviewers repeatedly praising the huge sport-mode selection, golf/HYROX support, and broad activity coverage.
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GPS accuracy was one of the most frequently praised areas, though one scientific reviewer found it only adequate and less consistent than better devices.
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Heart-rate accuracy was strong in most tests, especially running and general exercise, but it was less convincing in one weightlifting-focused scientific test.
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Water resistance was widely praised, especially the 10 ATM rating and suitability for swimming, snorkeling, diving, or water sports.
Cons
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ECG functionality was a clear missing feature in reviews that compared the Balance 2 with higher-end watches or listed absent health tools.
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LTE connectivity was a weakness because reviewers repeatedly noted the lack of cellular independence from a phone.
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Flashlight usefulness scored poorly because reviewers treated the lack of a built-in flashlight as a missing convenience compared with premium sports watches.
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Third-party app support was the most repeated smartwatch limitation, especially around missing Spotify, limited app selection, and weaker ecosystem depth.
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Contactless payment support was a clear caveat, with reviewers noting Zepp Pay is less seamless than Apple Pay and that support varies by region or bank.
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Watch face quality was mixed: customization exists, but reviewers criticized the preloaded faces and broader watch-face selection.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Smartwatches, this product is above average in calorie tracking usefulness, Bluetooth connectivity, voice assistant quality, near average in GPS accuracy, style and design, below average in flashlight usefulness, ECG functionality, watch face quality.
Comparison summary
57 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher26 (46%)
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Same as average within 0.3 pts24 (42%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower7 (12%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| flashlight usefulness | 1.0 | 3.9 | -2.9 |
| calorie tracking usefulness | 4.8 | 3.2 | +1.6 |
| ECG functionality | 1.0 | 2.6 | -1.6 |
| Bluetooth connectivity | 5.0 | 3.7 | +1.3 |
| voice assistant quality | 4.1 | 3.0 | +1.1 |
| call handling | 4.2 | 3.2 | +1.0 |
| value for money | 4.5 | 3.8 | +0.7 |
| watch face quality | 2.9 | 3.8 | -0.9 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better mapping and navigation
Choose Garmin Forerunner 965. It scores 4.6 vs 3.8 for mapping and navigation, with a 3.9 overall score.
If you want better smartphone notifications
Choose Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro. It scores 4.6 vs 4.0 for smartphone notifications, with a 3.9 overall score.
If you want better contactless payments
Choose Apple Watch Ultra 2. It scores 5.0 vs 2.6 for contactless payments, with a 3.9 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
- Similar: dive-proof water resistance The reviewer says few watches, including the Apple Watch Ultra 3, offer similar dive-ready features.
- Better: smartwatch features The reviewer says the Balance 2 is far behind the Apple Watch Ultra 3 as a smartwatch.
- Similar: screen brightness The reviewer says the Balance 2 brightness matches the Apple Watch Series 10.
- Similar: dive-proof water resistance The reviewer says few watches, including the Garmin Fenix 8, offer similar dive-ready features.
FAQ
How good is the battery life?
Battery life is the strongest point across the reviews. Reviewers repeatedly confirmed week-plus endurance and several saw the 21-day claim as realistic under lighter use.
Is the Amazfit Balance 2 accurate for workouts?
Most reviewers found GPS and heart-rate tracking reliable, especially for running and general exercise. One scientific review was more cautious, finding GPS only okay and weightlifting heart-rate tracking not good enough.
Is it a good smartwatch replacement for Apple Watch or Wear OS?
It handles basics like notifications, Bluetooth calls, apps, and some replies, but reviewers consistently said it does not match Apple Watch or Wear OS for app depth, LTE, streaming, or overall smart features.
How well does it work for golf?
Golf reviewers liked the course maps, yardages, hazard information, score tracking, and Zepp app reports. The main caveat was that golf mode can feel busy or clunky until you learn the menus.
Is sleep tracking reliable?
Several reviewers found core sleep trends useful or similar to other trackers, but the scientific review criticized REM sleep detection. It looks better for trends than precise sleep-stage analysis.
Can it play music or use payments without a phone?
It supports onboard MP3 storage and Zepp Pay in supported regions, but reviewers disliked the lack of streaming-service sync and noted payment support is not as seamless or universal as Apple Pay.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - German Accent Reviews
- Review score
- 3.9
YouTube - Dave Does Fitness
- Review score
- 4.1
YouTube - Chase the Summit
- Review score
- 3.8
Article Reviews
howtogeek.com
- Review score
- 4.7
tomsguide.com
- Review score
- 3.5
golfmonthly.com
- Review score
- 4.3
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