Amazfit Verge 2 is a budget running watch with an ECG monitor on board

Amazfit Verge 2
Image credit: Huami

Launched alongside the Xiaomi Mi Band 4, the new Amazfit Verge 2 is a more feature-packed device that's still affordable compared to the competition.

The Verge 2 is one of the very first smartwatches to come with an ECG monitor
- at the moment the only others are the Apple Watch 4 and the as-yet unreleased, Withings Move ECG.

An ECG monitor allows you to identify whether you're at high risk of atrial fibrillation, which is a heart condition that can cause an irregular heart rate. It's a condition that can be hard to spot without the test.

The watch also comes sporting e-SIM support, meaning you'll be able to use this watch separately from your smartphone if you're looking to go running without being encumbered by your device.

Activity tracking on the watch can automatically work out 10 different types of workout including running, cycling and swimming - it's IP68 water- and dust-resistant, meaning it's safe to wear it in the pool.

It's also being powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2500 chipset, which we've yet to see in any other device, so we can't be certain of how powerful it's going to be, although it should deliver enough power for the Amazfit Verge 2 to monitor your workouts.

There's 4GB of storage onboard for you to upload music for listening to on your runs, while the display is a 1.39-inch 454 x 454 AMOLED that will show all of your stats in an easy to read way.

Huami (a sub-brand of Xiaomi, and the name behind the Amazfit line) has confirmed that the watch will last for a single day on a full charge - it's a 420mAh cell - but we hope that estimate is on the conservative side, and that you won't have to charge the smartwatch up every night.

At the moment the Amazfit Verge 2 is only confirmed for Chinese markets; we've yet to learn a worldwide release date, although there's no guarantee the device will come to the UK, US or Australia.

If it does, the Chinese price may give us an idea of how much it'll cost. The normal version of the watch costs 999 CNY (about £115, $145, AU$210) while a version with the ECG monitor costs a bit extra at 1299 CNY (about £150, $190, AU$270), although of course the price in Western markets could be quite a bit different.

Via Wareable

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.