I wore this $80 / £80 AI-powered Apple Watch rival for two months, and I still love it

Amazfit Bip 6: One minute review

I was eager to get my hands on the budget-friendly Amazfit Bip 6 to see if it matches up to the likes of the CMF Watch 2 Pro or Amazfit Active 2, our five-star best cheap smartwatch pick. When we reviewed the Amazfit Bip smartwatch back in 2019, we praised its amazing value, stylish design, and excellent companion app. Now at version 6, the Bip 6 is better than ever.

Across the board, the Bip 6 delivers. A sleek design, copious number of workout options, and onboard GPS all contribute to delivering a smartwatch that rivals many of the best smartwatches and fitness trackers. That’s not all the Bip 6 can do though, and it’s not quite all positive. However, considering its low price, it certainly delivers where it counts.

Amazfit Bip 6: Specifications

Amazfit Bip 6: Price and availability

• $79.99 US / £79.90 UK
• An impressively good watch for the price

The Amazfit Bip 6 smartwatch is one of a growing number of budget-friendly smartwatches that deliver surprisingly good specs. You can pick it up for only $79.99 US / £79.90 UK with available colorways including black, red, and stone. By way of comparison, the five-star Amazfit Active 2 costs $99.99 US / £99.99 UK. AU pricing is TBC.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Amazfit Bip 6: Design

• 1.97-inch AMOLED display
• Liquid silicone strap
• 5 ATM water resistance

Let’s turn our attention to the design and build quality of this watch. Straight out the box, I was amazed by how good it looked. I had seen pictures of it, but because of the low price I was expecting to receive a poorly-built smartwatch. Sorry for my pessimism, Amazfit, you’ve ended up exceeding my expectations.

The frame is made of aluminum alloy while the case is fiber-reinforced polymer. It’s ever-so-slightly larger than the Bip 5, although not noticeably. I appreciated how flush it sat on my wrist and is light enough to blend into the background, even when exercising.

This smooth, bevelled metal case houses a gorgeous 1.97-inch AMOLED display which is an upgrade from the TFT on the previous iteration. This results in higher contrast, vibrant colors, and lower power consumption. And at a peak brightness of 2000 nits, I had no problem viewing the screen in even the brightest of lighting conditions.

The screen has a 380 x 450 resolution and 302 PPI, which isn’t far short of the Apple Watch Ultra. All of this is protected by 2.5D tempered glass so you don’t have to worry about it smashing – within reason, that is.

The watch is operated with two buttons located on the right-hand side of the case. They are large enough to be easily locatable but not big enough to get in the way. Personally, I love wearing a smartwatch with a crown button because it helps me navigate through the long list of workout options. As much as I missed it on the Bip 6, I soon got used to swiping the touchscreen instead.

The liquid silicone strap is comfortable, although a little awkward to put on. This is because the process of tucking the strap away actually clamps the watch in tighter. This made it difficult to reliably find the right position for the catch time after time. To provide a high level of choice and individuality, the strap can be purchased in a variety of different colors including black, charcoal, stone, red, and blush.

The Bip 6 has a water-resistance grade of 5 ATM, which means it can withstand water pressure down to 50 meters. Despite this, it’s not designed to be taken swimming for long periods of time or for intense water sports. I’m not doing either of those but have worn it in the shower and not encountered any problems at all.

• Design score: 4/5

Amazfit Bip 6: Features

• 24/7 Health monitoring and over 140 activity modes
• Make and answer calls
• Track progress through the Zepp app

As well as an AMOLED display, 5ATM water resistance, and on-board GPS, the Bip 6 delivers an impressive range of health monitoring and more activity modes than you could shake a stick at, alongside functionality for making and answering phone calls.

First up is Amazfit's BioTracker technology, enabling round-the-clock health monitoring. This includes heart rate, blood-oxygen levels, stress levels, and sleep quality. There’s nothing out of the ordinary or particularly special but strong for a budget smartwatch.

Things get a little more exciting when we get into activity modes. Not only are there over 140 of them including running, cycling, and swimming, but there’s also a dedicated HYROX race mode. I’ve never actually partaken in one of these races but if you’re into HYROX,this would be the ideal smartwatch for you. Tracking through the series of 1km runs and various functional fitness tests would be a nightmare on any other smartwatch, but with the Bip 6 all parts of the set order of exercises are handled for you.

Thanks to a built-in microphone and Bluetooth technology, the Bip 6 is able to make and answer calls like a pro. You’ll also be able to receive notifications and reply to texts using Zepp Flow.

Health tracking and activity records can be accessed through the watch but the most extensive insights are available through the Zepp app. If you’d like even more advanced wellness information then you’ll have to subscribe to Zepp Aura inside of the Zepp app itself.

• Features score: 4/5

Amazfit Bip 6: Performance

• Single-frequency GPS, but accurate
• Zepp flow streamlines using the phone
• Positive user-experience

In terms of using the smartwatch, everything was very positive. The watch wakes up quickly and reliably when the wrist is rotated and the interface is adequately responsive. The watch lost pairing with the app a few times but re-pairing was quick and painfree. Data such as notifications and weather information were also delivered promptly and effficiently.

The Bip 6 also features built-in GPS, although it’s only single frequency at this price. Despite the lack of dual-frequency GNSS technology I found the Bip 6 to be both reliable and accurate. If you need super accurate tracking even through densely built-up areas then you’ll be better off with a dual-frequency watch such as the Garmin Forerunner 255 instead. That being said, I did take the Bip 6 into a dense forest and it had no problems picking up GPS within seconds.

During walks, runs, and cycling, I tested the Bip 6 alongside the Suunto Race S which is my usual tracking preference. I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the results were comparable, including heart rate, pace, distance traveled, and more. I also love how granular the Zepp app presents all this data, with in-depth graphics, plenty of stats, and bar chart dials. Being able to compare similar types of workouts over a period of time was also very helpful.

The Bip 6 also supports offline maps which helps when you know signal is going to be sketchy. By downloading unknown routes ahead of time, I was able to guarantee that navigation wouldn’t be a problem.

It is possible to play music while working out, but you’ll have to download music to the watch first. The lack of support for music streaming services like Spotify means you’ll have to be prepared ahead of time and preload your favorite music onto the watch. I like that it’s possible to listen to music through the watch, but the lack of convenience is a negative for the overall experience.

Image 1 of 8

Battery life is impressive, especially given the price of the watch. The battery capacity has actually been raised from previous models from 300mAh to 340mAh, boosting overall performance and offering 14 days battery life with typical usage. By tracking around one or two activities per day, I found the watch actually lasted between 15 and 20 days.

As soon as I increased that and made use of the GPS more frequently, I quickly found that the battery life dropped to nearer 10 days. Recharging was possible through the custom Amazfit charging attachment that connects to the back of the watch. My only gripe was that there was no USB-C cable included, so you’ll need to source that yourself. A full recharge from empty took 120 minutes.

Finally let’s talk about Zepp Flow. This feature allows users to operate the watch using simple voice commands. Once I became familiar with the range of accepted commands, I found myself hardly using the GUI and associated buttons. I was able to adjust settings, check health data, start workouts, and reply to notifications with ease.

If Sam Altman and Jony Ive have their way, then the future of devices will look very different to what we have today. Devices will likely become entirely unobtrusive and operated solely with the voice. The Bip 6, with Zepp Flow, appears to be a step in that direction and Amazfit has absolutely nailed the implementation. I am excited to see how it pushes this design even further in future iterations.

• Performance score: 4/5

Amazfit Bip 6: Scorecard

Amazfit Bip 6: Should I buy?

Buy if it...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested

Having worn the Amazfit Bip 6 for two months, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to get a proper feel of what the watch is like in reality. My testing has covered all elements of the watch including ‘smart’ features alongside the health and fitness tracking parts. I’ve also had it on at night to give the sleep tracking a rigorous test. This is a watch that I’ll continue to enjoy wearing, not only from a comfort point of view but also from a performance perspective.