Amazfit Nexo
Huami's new smartwatch is called "Nexo" and was officially launched in China on June 11th. The smartwatch is available in two versions. The standard version without ECG function costs 999 yuan, which is the equivalent of €128. The model with ECG is available from 1299 yuan or €166. The Avengers special edition costs 1499 yuan or €191. An international sales start for the Amazfit Nexo is expected within the coming weeks.
High quality ceramic housing
The Amazfit Nexo relies on a predominantly neutral design that goes well with both leisure and casual business dress. The simple watch case consists of particularly skin-friendly and scratch-resistant zirconium oxide ceramic. The weight is still a pleasant 49g.
Depending on the model, the length-adjustable watch strap is made of silicone (standard version) or a combination of leather and silicone (ECG model). According to protection class IP68, the smartwatch is dust and waterproof. However, Amazfit does not recommend wearing the Nexo while showering or even swimming!
Colorful AMOLED display
The display is of the AMOLED type and is characterized by particularly strong color rendering and an almost infinite contrast. With a diagonal of 1.39 inches, the circular display reaches 454 x 454 pixels at retina level (326 PPI). The protective glass is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and has a special anti-dirt coating. The so-called 2.5D curved cut ensures a visually rounded display edge.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2500
The built-in system-on-chip is the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2500. The SoC, presented in mid-2018, is based on the Snapdragon 2016, which was released in 2100, and combines four ARM Cortex A7 processor cores (1.1 GHz) with 512MB RAM and a 4GB eMMC data storage device.
In terms of connectivity, the smartwatch is equipped with an LTE-capable eSIM, uses Bluetooth 4.2 BLE and can be connected via 2.4 GHz WiFi (802.11b / g / n). The capacity of the battery is 420 mAh. The active usage time is approximately 28 hours. Huami specifies the charging time as 1.5 hours.
Although the processor was designed for Android Wear OS, the Amazfit Nexo runs the proprietary Amazfit OS. Although this is also based on Android, it does not allow the subsequent installation of Wear OS apps. As a user, you are bound by what Amazfit specifies.
In addition to various sports and health functions, Amazfit OS offers the possibility of receiving incoming calls or notifications on the smartphone, displaying the weather report, regulating music playback, setting the alarm or controlling Mi Home products.
Voice control, NFC and eSIM
The Amazfit Nexo is equipped with a microphone. The wearer can use it to make calls or activate the voice assistant. The NFC module enables mobile payments (Alipay) or the public transport ticket to be loaded onto the watch. The integrated eSIM can connect to the 4G LTE cellular network regardless of the provider. It is therefore possible to make calls directly via the eSIM of the smartwatch without having to be connected to the smartphone.
Unfortunately, voice control, NFC and eSIM have a catch. These functions have so far only been announced for the Chinese market. To what extent the international model will contain similar features is not yet known. At least when it comes to voice control, Amazfit showed that global models can be equipped with a Western voice assistant. As with the Amazfit Verge, Amazon's Alexa will most likely find its way instead of the Xiao AI.
Sports program, BioTracker PPG and ECG
The Amazfit Nexo supports 10 different indoor and outdoor sport modes. The choices are:
- Run
- Indoor skiing
- Go
- Cycling
- Indoor Cycling
- Cross trainer
- Mountaineering
- Trail Running
- Football
- skipping
The extensive sensors (GPS, acceleration sensor and G-sensor) record precise sport and position data. Depending on the sport profile, the Amazfit Watch App (or MiFit App) can display the route, the steps taken and the calories burned.
So that the PPG heart rate measurement is even more accurate, the Nexo uses a BioTracker PPG sensor specially developed by Amazfit. The optical sensor not only reduces power consumption for all-day measurements, but is also directly linked to the PAI health assessment system. The Amazfit Nexo EKG, which is available separately, can record the heartbeat and heart rhythm using an electric heart sensor. Irregularities such as atrial fibrillation are detected in real time and the wearer is notified.
First impression
The cat is out of the bag! The Huami Smartwatch, originally teased as Amazfit Verge 2, has appeared in China as Amazfit Smartwatch 2 or Amazfit Nexo. The new Amazfit Smartwatch not only looks classy, but also offers many new functions with the EKG, the BioTracker PPG and the eSIM.
So far, however, the Nexo is only available in China. When and with what functions the international model will appear remains to be seen. Experience has shown that Huami publishes the international equivalent a few weeks after the Chinese release. As soon as a test copy reaches us, the detailed test report follows.
