Amazfit Balance 2 Review: A Stylish Bargain
The Amazfit Balance 2 looks and feels more expensive than its $300 price tag suggests.
Amazfit Balance 2: suits relaxed training more than serious racing
Summary
If you want a sharp-looking watch that lasts forever on a charge, gives useful daily health insights for free, help with sports & fitness, and doesn’t cost a fortune, the Balance 2 sits squarely in your sweet spot. It’s not flawless, but it is enjoyable to wear and use every single day.
Pros
- Insanely good battery life (2–3 weeks)
- 33-hour sports use
- Looks and feels premium
- Comfortable for all-day wear
- Free app with AI food logging
- Great value ($300)
- Swim-proof, shower-safe and will handle a few knocks.
Cons
- Screen is hard to read in direct sunlight
- REM sleep tracking is unreliable
- No Android notification replies
- Heart rate can lag during intense lifting and twisting movements
- GPS routes sometimes drift a bit
It has a sleek aluminium body, an impressively bright AMOLED screen protected by the best sapphire crystal glass, and comes with two comfortable silicone straps. On the wrist, it’s noticeable but never heavy, and the rotating crown feels great at every twist.
Day-to-day use is smooth and pleasant. The interface is simple—swipe down for quick settings, up for notifications—and everything moves and flows exceptionally freely. Battery life is the real standout: even with the screen set to wake only on wrist raise, it easily lasts two full weeks (sometimes closer to three). The full-accuracy GPS recording time is well over 30 hours, so Balance 2 is another of the new crop of smart-sport watches that dismisses battery anxiety.
The Zepp app is presented well and very easy to use, whilst still packing in several more advanced nuggets about your favourite subject – you and your health! No subscription paywalls here, folks.
The AI food logging is super handy—just snap a photo or describe your meal, and it figures out the calories and macros. All for free, no more extra subscriptions for MyFitnessPal.
Daily readiness scores, training advice, and sleep summaries are thoughtfully added, offering insights without the data overload found in some sports-heavy watch apps.
It’s plenty capable for swimming and showering (10ATM water resistance), and obviously, you can run, cycle and go to the gym with it. While you’re there, you can show off that gorgeous display; it really pops indoors. When you’ve finished, flick to an elegant watchface like my favourite “Concentric Data”, and you’ll feel that your wrist looks as good as the rest of you.
Heart-rate tracking is broadly OK for steady-state exercises, but even then, it might fluctuate more than I’d hope. GPS routes are pretty good overall, but not market-leading. Both are fine for casual training and 24/7 tracking.
Following my GPS testing methodology over a difficult 10-mile run, Balance 2 scored 85% – very good by industry standards vs. over 30 other GPS watches.
Take Out
Amazfit’s sports and smart watches tend to stay under the media radar more than they deserve. They are popular and frequently refreshed, reflecting the company’s commitment to the space. Consequently, the app also gets investment and regular updates and is now generally good.
In fact, it’s good all round. Not perfect. Just good.
Amazfit Balance 2 price: where to buy
This review puts Amazfit Balance 2 at around $300. Check the price in your market before you buy.
Amazfit Balance 2
GPS sports watch
For the full Amazfit range, accuracy data and Zepp Health analysis: Amazfit sports watch guide.
Last Updated on 8 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
Do you plan to update this with the watch on the latest firmware (with Biocharge)? Also, have your tried running with the watch on your upper arm? Curious how those impact HR & GPS accuracy.
i will possibly periodically this article depending on how popular it is.
i woudln’t test on the upper arm. it woudl almost certainly improve hr accuracy but probably decrease gnss accuracy. that’s why you’d get the helio strap or chest strap to pair with this for hr