In India, smartwatches never took off in the same way as smartphones because of three simple reasons. The first reason is the huge starting price of a decent smartwatch, second being their bulky and uninspired aesthetics and the last reason is the poor battery life on most of the smartwatches.
Now Huami, a subsidiary brand of Xiaomi, is trying to fix at least two of those issues. After the success of their previously launched Amazfit Verge, Huami has launched the Amazfit Verge Lite in India at a price of Rs.6,999. It comes with a 1.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, up to 20 days of battery life, music controls, and activity tracker.
Let’s see what features Huami has managed to pack inside this smartwatch at this price segment and if it’s worth the price tag.
What’s in the box?
- 1x Amazfit Verge Lite
- USB Charging Dock
- A couple of instruction manuals
Design & Build Quality
The Amazfit Verge Lite comes with a very eye-catching design. The watch has been launched in two color options – White and Black. The white color unit looks stunning and the black one looks good too while maintaining a stealthy approach. If you are wearing any of them, both look attractive enough to start a conversation.
Amazfit Verge lite comes with a circular watch face. The screen is AMOLED and comes with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, similar to the Amazfit Verge. The entire watch is made of polycarbonate material which is not bad at all for a smartwatch but does not feel as premium as ceramic or stainless steel. The watch also comes with an IP67 waterproof rating. There’s a single button at the side of the device and the clicks are satisfying. Also, the wristbands on the Verge Lite are replaceable. The ones shipped with the product are made from polycarbonate and silicone. It is comfortable enough to keep it on your wrist for a long duration. At Rs.6,999, Huami has made sure that the watch maintains its build quality without compromising on the style factor.
Display
- Display Type: AMOLED Touch Screen
- Size: 1.3-inch
- Resolution: 360 x 360
- Display Protection: Corning Gorilla 3 reinforced glass with Anti-fingerprint coating
The Amazfit Verge Lite features a 1.3-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 360×360 pixels and a circular diameter of 43mm. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, similar to the original Verge watch. Huami also applied an anti-fingerprint coating on top of the glass to keep it away from smudges.
The display produces decent colors but falls a bit short when using it in direct sunlight. Auto-brightness is turned off in default so you have to turn it on manually when you are setting it up for the first time. The display also produces sharp text and numbers because of the resolution. Huami certainly didn’t cheap out on the display.
Hardware & Connectivity
- Sensors: PPG heart-rate sensor, Multi-axis acceleration sensor, Ambient light sensor
- GNSS satellite positioning: GPS + GLONASS
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 BLE
The smartwatch comes with PPG heart rate sensor, 3 axis acceleration sensor, ambient light sensor and a built-in GPS + GLONASS for pinpoint location accuracy. It has Bluetooth 5.0 BLE and compatible with Android 4.4 or iOS 9.0 and above. The smartwatch can be paired to these platforms using Xiaomi’s Mi Fit or Amazfit app. You cannot pair the wearable to both apps at the same time. The connection is stable but data synchronization can be really slow sometimes.
Battery
One of the biggest highlights of Amazfit Verge Lite is its impressive battery life. Huami has managed to put a 390mAh battery inside that bulky frame which paid off really well. Huami claims 20 days of battery life on a single charge. But you can achieve better results with light usage. We noticed 1-4% battery drain after wearing it for 12 hours which is shockingly impressive. After a week, the battery percentage dropped down to 47% despite continuous activity tracking with GPS and heart-rate monitoring. The dock charger shipped in the box takes around 2½ hours to charge the smartwatch from 0% to 100%.
Software & Features
As mentioned earlier, the Verge Lite can be paired with an Android or iOS device. We used the Amazfit app for synchronizing tracked data. But every time the app is opened, it waits to sync the data. In case of a location data sync, it takes a long time to sync the data. We hope a software update will probably fix this issue in the near future.
There’s also a watchface store with a variety of dials available. However, the number of watchfaces available is limited. Though it is possible to add custom watchfaces, the process is quite complex.
Accurate fitness tracking is one of the key features of the Verge Lite. It can track workouts such as walking, running, treadmill, cycling or any other exercise. We found it most accurate for tracking outdoor run sessions. Not only the watch tracks your run but also maps it with the help of built-in GPS. After every session, the smartwatch shows heart rate, distance, pace, duration, cadence, and burned calories. Though we are not really sure about the accuracy of the data. We encountered a few false positives, which can be tackled with future updates.
The Verge Lite is also capable of sleep tracking. In order to make this work, you need to go to bed wearing the smartwatch. The bulky frame of the watch doesn’t really bother because of the 46gm weight. It tracks sleep with perfect accuracy and also offers sleep quality analysis and comparison with other users.
Music volume can be controlled directly from the watch without having to pull out your smartphone. It is very useful at the time of exercising. You also receive notifications for emails, messages and other smartphone apps directly on the screen.
You can set silent alarms on your watch to wake you up or remind you about your schedule, without bothering people around you. The vibrations can be customized so you can easily differentiate the type of alarm or reminder it is. There’s also an event reminder feature which notifies you about your important events on the watch.
Verdict
The Amazfit Verge Lite maintains a perfect balance between aesthetics and features. At Rs.6,999 this has to be one of the best smartwatches we have seen to date under Rs.10,000. The screen, build quality, and battery life on this is excellent. Though the software is a little rough on the edges, it can be fixed with future software updates. If you are looking for a feature-rich smartwatch on a budget, or an upgrade from your existing cheap smartwatch, then this is a great option for you.
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Talha Ali is your tech generalist, covering a wide spectrum of topics within the ever-evolving world of technology. With a curiosity for the latest innovations, industry trends, and breakthroughs. Whether it’s hardware, software, emerging technologies, or the intersection of tech with daily life, Talha’s articles provide readers with a well-rounded perspective on the dynamic landscape of the tech industry.
