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Battery
The Amazfit Verge ships with a charging cradle. This powers up the the smartwatch with a Pogo pin connector around the watch's back. Charging doesn't take too long - about 30 minutes will get you a couple of percent off a full charge, and if you have automated fitness tracking turned off, it will comfortably get you through four to five days of use.
Introduce exercise tracking and that eats into the lifespan of the Verge - an hour of training a day and you'll likely get about three days out of the watch. If we just left it to its own devices while we got on with our days and nights, sleep tracking and step counting but little else, it stayed alive throughout a whole working week, which is great going by any smartwatch standards, let alone one that costs what the Verge does.
Verdict
Given its price, it’s very easy to recommend the Amazfit Verge as a good looking, feature rich smartwatch for casual exercisers. It works with Android and iOS, covers most exercises - though not swimming or weight training - and it has an intuitive interface.
Where it falls down is finesse and music playback control. It also fudges tracking when you get in a moving vehicle, but those shortcomings are more easy to forgive when the watch's price is so reasonable.
At the end of the day, it’s a fun, affordable smartwatch that looks and feels well put together and packs a GPS, heart rate monitor and five day battery life, making Huami’s latest offering a great value option for anyone who wants to take calls and get notifications on their wrists.
Who's this for?
The Verge is for fitness users looking for a little more out of a wearable than the basics. It has a savvy smartwatch-esque style, but underneath its unassuming shell, you’ll find just about every sought after fitness feature you might want, but for a lower price than the competition.
Should you buy it?
If money is tight, but you want a fitness-centric smartwatch, the Amazfit Verge will fit the bill. For $160, it’s easy to find a cheaper wearable, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything better value.
First reviewed: March 2019
