Amazfit Neo Review: Cool Retro Smartwatch

We have reached a time where smartwatches have started outselling traditional watches but not everyone wants a full-fledged smartwatch. Nevertheless, there are still some users who don’t like them and that’s why you can find so many affordable hybrid smartwatches that retain the looks of traditional watches and fitness features of smartwatches.

And that’s where Huami Amazfit Neo comes in, it is made for G-Shock lovers or anyone who prefers tactical-looking watches. So if you want a smartwatch that sports retro looks, offers fitness tracking features all the while also offering good battery backup then this might be the watch for you.

At 39.99$ this is the cheapest smartwatch that Amazfit has to offer and you are getting a lot of features in fact more than you might have bargained for.

So are the looks only things going for the watch? Do all the smart features like activity tracking, heart tracking present on the watch really work, or are they just a gimmick? To answer these questions I have been testing Amzafit Neo for the last 1 month and this is my Amazfit Neo review.

Amazfit Neo Review

Updated On 28 October: We have also uploaded an in-depth video review of Amazfit Neo on our YouTube channel. The video review is done after 2 months of experience with the watch, so if you want to know even more about the watch then also check out this video.

Quick navigation:

• Build Quality And Display Of The Amazfit Neo
• Smart Features Offered By Amazfit Neo
• Fitness And Sports Tracking Features Of Amazfit Neo
• Battery Life Of Amazfit Neo
• Amazfit Neo Review Closing Thoughts
• FAQs

Build Quality And Display Of The Amazfit Neo

The looks of the Amazfit Neo might suggest that it’s just another simple watch but in fact, it’s also a good fitness tracker. It resembles the Casio watches from the early 90s so if you are looking for a retro-looking smartwatch then Amazfit Neo will the best smartwatch for the job.

The watch features a 1.2inch black and white always-on STN display and you can control the watch using four physical buttons present on the sides of the watch.

Another thing to note is that despite being a smartwatch it doesn’t have a touch screen. And, I never felt the need for it or missed the touch screen display. Buttons only user interface is interactive and engaging in its own way and I never felt buttons ruining the user experience of the watch.

Two buttons are located at the left and the other two on the right side of the watch. The buttons on the right side allow you to switch between various functions.

And, other two buttons present on the left side of the watch are Select and Back. Select button allows you to manually start features such as taking a heart rate reading. The Back button allows you to light up the watch screen simply by holding down the button for a while.

However, the watch also has a lift wrist to turn on the display feature so you won’t have to manually turn on the light whenever you need to read the time. You can also schedule the lift to turn on the display feature so the watch doesn’t turn on the light at night.

Also, the watch features a small circular display that shows the selected feature by the user. Next to that small display, the watch shows information such as heart rate, steps taken, distance covered, battery %, and more in real-time.

Despite all the information, the watch is easy to read and doesn’t feel stuffed or cluttered in any way. And, I never felt that watch is difficult to read whether it’s under direct sunlight, or indoors in fact I found myself reading time from the watch more often than from my phone.

Also, I found the watch to be comfortable to wear as there are sufficient holes in the strap giving you perfect grip like a G-Shock watch. The strap of the watch is made of polyurethane which is comfortable enough to make the watch wearable 24*7.

Unlike other Amazfit watches, the 20mm strap of the watch is not replaceable. However, the quality of the strap is great and you won’t have to worry about it breaking or getting damaged anytime soon.

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Smart Features Offered By Amazfit Neo

Amazfit Neo isn’t a full-blown smartwatch therefore it doesn’t offer complete smartwatch features. So while you would be able to see calling id and also get alerted by a beep sound upon receiving notifications or messages but you won’t be able to pick up or decline the calls or see the sender of the messages.

To enable the feature you would need to install the Zepp app on your Android or iOS enabled smartphone. Using the app you would be able to select for which apps you would like to receive alerts whenever you receive a notification. On a side note, Amazfit Neo doesn’t have a vibration motor to alert you for notifications or messages through vibration.

The lift wrist-to-view feature of the watch is also scheduled within the app so you can enable or disable the feature using the app.

With the app, you can set more than one alarm on the watch. Also, you can add timezone for other locations and keep track of different time zones at once on the watch itself. The watch can also display weather updates for your location so you are never caught off guard by any weather.

When in a rush you can use the find my watch feature of the watch and your watch will start making a beep sound indicating its location. It also has nifty features like a stopwatch and hourly chime function that can also be useful for some users.

Fitness And Sports Tracking Features Of Amazfit Neo

The main USP of the Amazfit Neo is that not only is the watch retro-looking but also has fitness tracking features. The watch comes with an accelerometer sensor that is used to detect your movement so you don’t have to manually record your running or walking. It is also equipped with a Bio Tracker PPG sensor which is an optical heart rate sensor that can measure your heart rate 24*7.

Using the Zepp app you can set heart rate frequency so you would be able to select whether you want your heart rate to be tracked every 30min, 10min, 5 min, 1min, or continuous. And, the watch also has an activity detection feature so if the watch detects that you’re doing exercises it will automatically start tracking your heart rate continuously for that workout session.

Amazfit Neo can also track your run, walks, and cycling, and then you can see useful metrics such as calories burned, distance covered, and step count. Users would also be able to set daily fitness goals and view how much progress you have made towards completing it on the watch or on the app itself.

The watch also awards users with PAI scores which indicates the overall fitness of the users. Based on your heart rate, fitness activities, and other data, the algorithm will award you points and these points reset to zero every week. And Huami recommends earning 100 points every week to remain fit. With time, earning points would become more difficult which would encourage you to be more active.

One department where the watch falls short is sports activity tracking but that’s to be expected as the watch is more of a health or fitness tracker. An important thing to note is that the watch doesn’t have an altimeter so it won’t be able to track stair climbing like Fitbit devices.

Apart from that, the watch also comes with a sleep tracking feature and it can detect all the sleep cycles you go through while sleeping. On the Zepp app, you would be able to accurately see how much deep sleep, light sleep, and REM sleep you are getting. You also get an accurate graph detailing your sleep cycles.

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Also, you would also be able to record your pre-sleep state and wake-up mood so you can use it as a journal that can help in eliminating bad bedtime rituals. We would say sleep tracking is pretty accurate and can definitely be compared with some of the best wearable sleep trackers available in the market.

Battery Life Of Amazfit Neo

Upon testing, I noticed that if the watch is connected with phone 24*7 then the battery consumption of the watch increases marginally. Therefore, setting up a notification alert feature would deplete the battery of the watch faster. The watch also has a battery status display which allows you to keep track of battery life without opening the app.

Amazfit claims that the watch would offer 28 days of battery backup on a single charge which doesn’t seem far-fetched if you disable some of the watch features. However, during my usage, I found that watch offered almost 2 weeks of battery backup with all the features enabled.

The watch features a 160mAh battery that takes 2.5 hours to charge. It’s not the fastest charging smartwatch in the market but given its price, we would say it’s not very bad either.

Overall, we were satisfied with the battery life of the watch, and we can assure you that battery life would be the least of your worries if you do end up going with the watch.

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Amazfit Neo Review Closing Thoughts

This smartwatch is for those who love wearing G-Shock or old-school Casio watches and also want something extra. The watch provides the best of both worlds, retro look along with smart fitness tracking features. If you are tired or simply don’t like wearing band-type fitness trackers then Amazfit Neo might be the watch you are looking for.

At a reasonable $39.99 price watch has all the basic fitness tracking and also offers good battery life.

FAQs

Is Amazfit Neo Worth Buying?

Yes, retro looks along with fitness tracking features make this a perfect smartwatch for users who like Casio-inspired watch designs. Also, at $39.99 the watch is practically a steal and the perfect hybrid smartwatch that gives you the best of both worlds.

Is Amazfit Neo Accurate?

Yes, the fitness tracking of Amazfit Neo is pretty reliable as it uses an accelerometer to count your steps accurately. Also, the sleep tracking of Amazfit Neo is also pretty accurate.

Does Amazfit Neo Have A Light?

Amazfit features an always-on STN display and also comes with a built-in light that allows you to read the watch in dark or in a bright environment.

What Is PAI In Amazfit Neo?

PAI is an acronym for Personal Activity Intelligence. And, Amazfit Neo awards you PAI score based on your fitness activity, heart rate, and other data. It would motivate you to lead a more active and healthy lifestyle.

Does Amazfit Neo Have GPS?

No Amazfit Neo doesn’t have a GPS as the watch is targeted towards individuals who don’t want to wear a band-style fitness tracker. And, GPS would severely impact the battery life of the watch.