I had my best run in Las Vegas wearing the $100 Amazfit Active 2

As an avid runner, I can’t lie — CES is one of the toughest weeks of the year. Between the long hours, frequent appointments, and the Las Vegas Strip itself, it can be hard to get my miles in. But, when Amazfit tells me it has a new affordable smartwatch with a built-in GPS and more than a week of battery life, I find a way to make an exception. So, with a few hours of free time and some warm January weather, I strapped on the Amazfit Active 2 and laced up my shoes.

Here’s how it went.

More stylish than sporty

Before I could get to my miles, I first had to unbox the Amazfit Active 2 and pair it to one of the several phones I brought to CES this year. And honestly, that’s where the surprises started — I didn’t expect the Active 2 to feel quite so polished when I pulled it from its box. Usually, when I test out a budget-minded smartwatch or fitness tracker, I expect a fairly cheap build and often an Apple Watch-like design. Amazfit’s Active 2 doesn’t feel like either of those things.

Alright, I should probably mention that I’m using the optional Active 2 Premium version of Amazfit’s latest watch, which costs $130 instead of $100, but that’s not why the wearable feels so good. Yes, the Premium moniker means that the watch comes with a quick-release leather strap and a tougher sapphire glass face, but that’s about it regarding bonuses over the base model. Everything under the hood is the same — identical batteries, chipsets, and activity types.

So, whether you spend $100 or $130, the Amazfit Active 2 is a surprisingly slim smartwatch with a stainless steel bezel that feels pretty sturdy when you press either of the two control buttons. You’ll need those buttons — in addition to the 1.32-inch AMOLED touchscreen — to tackle everything from starting your activity to checking the weather, and I’m pleased with how durable they feel.

I’m also pleased with the overall design of the Amazfit Active 2. It impressively balances the line between a traditional-looking mechanical watch and a feature-loaded smartwatch, making it one I’d comfortably wear while working out and at a dinner or a more formal occasion.

Reliable (and affordable) activity tracking

Of course, with a name like Active 2, you’re probably just as curious about how the fitness tracker fared during my miles on the strip. Well, after a few misfires at the start — it took me a minute to figure out which button paused the run and which marked my laps — I’d have to say it kept up pretty well.

As I often do, I strapped the Amazfit Active 2 to one wrist and the Garmin Instinct 3 (which just started testing) on the other. Then, I headed from my hotel down to the famous Las Vegas sign at the bottom of the strip — just about three miles each way. And, although the winter winds tried to blow me away, I had no trouble pausing the Active 2 at each road crossing, nor did I feel like it struggled between the tall casino towers. When I returned to my hotel, I noticed that the Active 2 had stayed within five-hundredths of a mile of my Instinct 3 — not too shabby for a $100 wearable.

Amazfit’s heart rate tracking was pretty close to Garmin’s for the duration of the run, too. My Active 2 finished just one beat per minute faster than my Instinct 3 (153 bpm vs 152) and showed a pretty consistent range over the course of my miles. Strangely, every time I looked down at my watch while moving, it seemed like the Amazfit had me several beats per minute higher than the Garmin, but it worked out pretty closely in the end.

Oh, and running is only a tiny fraction of the activities the Amazfit Active 2 can track — it just happened to be the easiest for me to try. Apparently, the budget-conscious watch supports more than 150 activities, so I’ll have to dip into at least a few more before I can offer a final review of tracking accuracy.

Amazfit Active 2 hands-on impressions: Call me Amaz’d

Before I can render much of a verdict on the Amazfit Active 2, there’s still a lot that I have to do with this $100 smartwatch. That said, I’ve been thoroughly impressed by my 36 hours with it. For a watch that costs a quarter of what the Garmin Instinct 3 costs at retail, the Active 2 kept up through my entire run in terms of distance and heart rate. And, when you consider just how wearable it is, given its slim, simple design, the Active 2 might be worth grabbing just in case you need a travel companion.

Of course, before I can tell you to rush out and buy one, I have to see just how well Amazfit’s promise of 10 days of battery life holds up. It’s a lot for a watch to make it past a week when it has this much of an emphasis on fitness, and I’m optimistic that the Active 2 will come close. When it dies, though, I’m looking forward to using its charger. Yes, it’s a proprietary puck, but it doesn’t come with the USB-C cable attached, meaning that you can plug it into any spare cable you have lying around. It’s not as simple as offering Qi support, but if you’re going to do a proprietary setup, I don’t mind this one so much.

If you’re already interested in Amazfit’s remarkably affordable smartwatch, you can grab yours down below or wait a few more weeks for my full impressions. Either way, I think you’ll be surprised by what you get for your money.