Huami is one of the world's largest wearable producers and has its own product range called "Amazfit", which is primarily characterized by well-equipped and high-quality smartbands and smartwatches. The Huami Amazfit PACE was the manufacturer's first smartwatch that was already available to us for a test and impressed above all with the transflective display, the extensive range of functions and the long battery life. The Amazfit Bip is also a smartwatch that offers similar functions, but is still a good bit lower in price than the Amazfit PACE.
You want to communicate with other users? Then visit the German Huami Amazfit Community on Facebook!
Design
The rectangular watch case (41.5 x 34 x 9 mm) is made of polycarbonate and is available in the colors "Black", "Grey", "Khaki Green" and "Orange". With IP68 protection, the smartwatch is dustproof and even protected against constant submersion. This makes the Amazfit Bip suitable for numerous water sports and can easily be worn in the shower. The watch strap is replaceable, made of silicone and is adjustable in 13 levels. The length of the bracelet is 11 + 8.5 cm, with a width of 20 mm. The weight of the entire smartwatch is just 32g.
Display
The Bip uses a square, transflective color display with a diagonal of 1.28 inches. Due to the transflective property, the reflection of the display is used as a light source, depending on the ambient light, so that the display can also be read without its own background lighting. A big advantage of a transflective display is the lower power consumption, as well as the better readability in direct sunlight. The worse the incidence of light, the more legibility decreases. An additional backlight enables the display to be read even in the dark. At the push of a button, it becomes active for 9 seconds. The brightness of the lighting can be regulated in 6 levels. There is no adaptive brightness adjustment.
The display resolution is 170 x 170 pixels. In addition, the display is equipped with a touchscreen so that it can be operated using touch inputs and swiping movements. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass with a 2.5D curved cut. A special anti-fingerprint coating ensures that the display surface stays clean.
Features
Sports features
The range of functions of the Amazfit Bip hardly differs from the Amazfit PACE . Among other things, there are various sports programs to choose from, which are tailored to the respective sport. So far, activities such as indoor running, outdoor running, cycling and hiking have been listed. Depending on which program you start, the watch provides different information on speed, distance, altitude, heart rate and time. The values are determined by various sensors. All training data is collected in the Active History and clearly displayed to the user directly on the clock.
sensors
Among other things, the smartwatch is equipped with a GPS and GLONASS module, which is used to determine the exact position of the wearer. The barometric altimeter determines the altitude independently without GPS. The height deviation is a maximum of 15 meters. The air pressure is determined with an accuracy of 4 hPa. A digital compass is also available and precisely shows the respective cardinal points. There is also an acceleration sensor and a PPG heart rate sensor. The accuracy of the optical heart rate measurement is highly dependent on the wearer. A 60-second, repeating continuous measurement is possible, but it also reduces the battery life!
A sleep monitor with a smart wake-up function, as is already known from other Xiaomi or Huami smart wearables, is also on board and provides measurement data on the sleep process. Among other things, the light sleep, deep sleep and wakefulness phases are measured. The sleep analysis can only be accessed via the Mi Fit app.
Mi Fit App
The Mi Fit app is the smartwatch's fitness app. The same app also uses that, by the way Xiaomi Mi Band 2 ! A connection between the mobile device and the smartwatch or app is established via Bluetooth (BT 4.0 BLE). The smartwatch receives updates directly via the app. With the release of firmware version 0.0.9.40 (November 2017), the Smartwatch uses the respective system language, so that Chinese models are also equipped with an English-language user interface. This saves you from having to flash another firmware! The collected measurement data can also be synchronized with the Xiaomi MiFit app and analyzed in detail in daily, monthly and annual overviews.
Watch Faces
Probably the most important function of the smartwatch is the display of the time. There are 10 pre-installed watch faces to choose from, ranging from classic analogue to modern digital. However, there are now also numerous custom watch faces that have been created within the Amazfit community. The most well-known and simplest app for equipping your smartwatch with individual watch faces is the “Amazfit Bip Watchfaces” app.
Notifications
Notifications such as new e-mails, WhatsApp messages or other app notifications can be forwarded to the smartwatch. Not only is the most recently received notification displayed, you can also display previously received notifications and scroll through them.
Battery
Long-lasting battery life is essential for a good smartwatch. Who wants to have to recharge their watch every day? At first glance, the battery appears comparatively small with a capacity of only 190 mAh. Nevertheless, the manufacturer promises a runtime of up to 45 days. However, this value refers to the fact that a running program is only started once a week for 30 minutes and the display brightness is reduced to 10%. A runtime of 4 months should even be possible in standby.
A practical and completely realistic battery life is around 20 to 25 days. The duration depends very much on the individual usage. Above all, the active GPS connection quickly drains the battery. The Bip is charged via a USB charging dock. The charging time is just under 2 1/2 hours.
Amazfit Bip vs. Amazfit PACE
Conclusion
The Haumi Amazfit Bip is a “Lite” variant of the Huami Amazfit PACE . Regardless of their appearance, both smartwatches offer largely identical features. However, there are minor differences. Among other things, the Bip lacks the WiFi module, which means that the smartwatch must be constantly connected to the mobile device to access updates or other Internet activities (e.g. online music function). The IP68 dust and water protection is another advantage, which is why the smartwatch is not easily damaged by external influences. The biggest advantage, however, is the long-lasting battery life. If you are looking for a smartwatch that you can easily “forget” on your wrist, the Huami Amazfit Bip is an ideal choice.
FAQs
What is the difference between the Amazfit Bip and the Amazfit Bip Lite?
There is only one model of the Amazfit Bip. Various dealers add the “Lite” suffix to the product name because the Bip is a “Lite” version of the larger Pace.
Do I have to pay attention to whether I receive the Chinese or international model when buying?
Now it doesn't matter which model you choose. You should choose the cheapest one. Both the international and Chinese BIP are operated with English user interface. Alternatively, you can flash the international firmware onto your Bip using the “GadgetBridge” app. This means you can turn the Chinese model into an international model in just a few steps! However, you should note that the Chinese model does not have a CE marking!
Can I take a shower or even swim and dive?
The smartwatch is both dustproof and protected against permanent submersion in accordance with protection class IP68. Experience has shown that you can shower with the Bip without any problems and also wear it while swimming. However, the manufacturer himself recommends not to wear the watch for sporting water activities, as the influence of water and moisture cannot be ruled out if the water pressure changes. Salt water should be avoided!
Can I use the smartwatch GPS to navigate?
No, this is not possible. The GPS is used purely to record your activities. You can export the route of your training session in GPX / TCX format, but you cannot import it.
My display says “Connect App to update resources”. What should I do?
This message appears when the Bip wants to perform an update. Connect the Smartwatch to the Mi Fit app and wait for the update to be received. Then the Smartwach restarts and can be used as usual.
Haumi Amazfit Bip
andy
24. July 2017 09 to: 58
The linked version, however, is the Chinese one ?! There is also an internationally marked version of the watch in the shop that is not yet for sale.
Timo admin
25. July 2017 11 to: 35
Hi and sorry for the late feedback. There is the Chinese model and the international model of GDP. When I wrote the post, only the Chinese model was listed. The international version will probably not appear until mid-September. In the case of PACE, the Chinese model was more worthwhile because it was priced below the international model and, after unlocking the bootloader, you could also flash the English ROM or the custom ROM "PACEfied".
Presumably Huami will have locked the bootloader at the Bip from the beginning, so that custom ROMs and language changes are not possible afterwards. I would, however, wait and see and regularly check XDA-Developers whether there will be some way to change the language.
Bastian
13. October 2017 15 to: 55
Is there a trick how to extend the duration of notifications, e.g. from Whatsapp? For me it vibrates and before I have looked the watch face pushes itself in front of it again. Of course, I can then swipe up and look at the notification, but that's not the point. Maybe I'm just spoiled by my Pebble Steel.
Godwin
27. January 2018 14 to: 26
In the meantime, it doesn't matter which version you buy. The Chinese language also automatically changes to the language of the connected smartphone the first time it is connected to the MiFit app.
Uhr
13. March 2018 09 to: 59
Is the display always on or does it go black like most other watches?
Timo admin
13. March 2018 10 to: 47
The display is always on.
dodo
29. May 2018 07 to: 56
how about the synchronization with google fit or something? Is that possible?? 🙂
Timo admin
1. June 2018 11 to: 50
Hi dodo, yes you can synchronize and evaluate the data with Google Fit.
Darkdonald
5. July 2018 14 to: 20
Hi,
Can one prefabricated routes e.g. in the. Copy gpx format to the BIP and use it for hiking?
Does the GDP have a function that shows you the way back when you get lost?
Thank you for the answer!
Timo admin
5. July 2018 14 to: 41
Hi Darkdonald, you cannot use the GDP to navigate. You can only export the route of your training session in GPX / TCX format, but not import it. However, your project would work with an Amazfit Pace or Stratos!
Frank
16. July 2018 10 to: 38
The watch is really well made. I especially find the battery life and the good GPS astonishing. Allersings, the heart rate monitor (probably due to the design) is not useful for "real" sport. From about 145 / minute it does not go any higher. My Polar chest strap already showed over 180, but the GDP got stuck at under 150 / minute. If you're trained and never get over it anyway, that's okay, but the watch is definitely not for beginners or those “high-pulseers” like my wife, who already has a pulse over 130 while walking.
christian
1. September 2018 22 to: 00
Does the bip have an activity profile for swimming (open water), like the Amazfit 2 (Stratos)?
Timo admin
3. September 2018 19 to: 27
Hi Christian, there is no such function for GDP. Amazfit has not officially provided that the watch can be worn while swimming. From my own experience and that of other users, the Bip also withstands water and can be worn while swimming.
Jürgen
20. October 2018 13 to: 42
Thanks for the great review. What I'm still wondering is how this works with GPX. Can I use it to navigate while hiking? Have you been able to gain experience with it? The function would be super important to me.
Gerhard
15. May 2019 08 to: 15
The Amazfit BIP is now officially German and therefore also shows all umlauts. I use an iPhone. If you have the latest miFit app, the update runs automatically. First a font update and then 2 more updates. Is a slightly longer process. I was very surprised when suddenly everything was German. That was not announced in the update at all 🙂
Karen Tischer
28. September 2019 10 to: 19
Why does the clock go out when I quit the app. Must it always be connected to the cell phone or only to update