Amazfit Neo Review: Go Down The Memory Lane With Retro Design

One look at the Amazfit Neo and you'll get nostalgic about these digital watches of the yesteryear. It reminded me of the Casio digital watch that was quite popular nearly a decade or two ago. Looks aside, the Amazfit Neo, priced at Rs. 2,499, is a smartwatch that comes with a couple of handy features, but also lacks a few. This detailed review talks in-depth about the hits misses on the new Amazfit Neo smartwatch.

 

A Retro Design That Take You Back In Time

As I said, one look at the new Amazfit Neo and you're going down the memory lane. Everything about the design and feel of the smartwatch screams retro. Compared to most modern smartwatches and fitness trackers, the Neo makes its mark with the classic digital watch design. I happened to dig out an old Casio digital watch and the similarity is stark. Apart from the fact this old Casio is a simple digital watch, it's hard to chalk out differences between the two!

There are a couple of physical keys on the Neo and a digital display - no touchscreen on this one. This could be a drawback when you look at the asking price and other modern wearables. However, if Amazfit had brought in a touchscreen, it wouldn't have stayed true to the original retro design. While some may disagree I personally liked it without a touchscreen.

Let me talk about the display first. The 1.2-inch STN monochrome always-on display is classy that's held together by a PUR strap. Since there's no touchscreen, nearly all the info you need is displayed on the screen. There are four physical buttons - Select, Back, Up, and Down that help navigate the smartwatch.

The rectangular display has a tiny circular separation at the top-left corner. This small display can be navigated to show you the ‘feature icons' like the number of steps, battery percentage, heart rate, PAI (will talk more about this later), alarm, notifications, and more. Accordingly, the ‘feature value' of a particular feature is displayed next to it. For instance, if you've selected steps tracker - you'll find the number of steps covered so far right next to the small circular dial.

Plus, when you press Up or Down, or even the Select button - you'll hear a traditional digital beep, just like the old school digital watches. On the whole, the smartwatch is comfortable to wear, irrespective of your hand size. Unlike bigger designs like the Amazfit T-Rex or the Amazfit Stratos 3, the Neo sports a squared dial that's sleek and comfortable to wear throughout the day and into the night. I think it's apt to say that the design of the Amazfit Neo is the star highlight here, something that all 90's kids would agree!

Amazfit Neo: Lacks Sports Modes

Moving on, the performance of the Amazfit Neo is something that needs to be discussed. Firstly, there are very limited sports modes on the smartwatch. You can only tap into walking, running, or cycling modes on it. So if you're into hardcore fitness or sports, the Neo would be a disappointment. And no, you can't track your yoga routines or your strength training either.

However, apart from sports modes, the Amazfit Neo packs a couple of handy features. Like most fitness trackers and smartwatches, you can monitor your heart rate, sleep, number of steps, and more. Apart from this, the smartwatch also shows you the weather, location, and more. As far as notifications as considered, the Neo displays the notification on your smartphone - but doesn't reveal other information. Again, this may be preferred by many, while others would have liked to have more information displayed on the smartwatch.

More importantly, the Neo includes the PAI feature. PAI expands to Personal Activity Intelligence, which is a personal physiological activity indicator. The indicator uses a special algorithm that combines data like heart rate, active time, and other indicators into values to assess the health of an individual. In other words, the PAI score is personalized and given after an assessment of seven days by combining the heart rate, daily activity, and other factors. It helps you understand your body strength better and further motivate you to do more.

Amazfit Neo Battery: Worth All The Praise

The battery on the Amazfit Neo is impressive. The 160 mAh battery can last up to 28 days, as per the company claims. To a large extent, I agree as I've been using the Neo for more than a week and the battery percent has hardly dropped a few points. Despite the always-on display, the Amazfit Neo can last for days together. If you switch on DnD or limit the number of notifications on the smartwatch, it could last longer. Plus, since there are very few sports modes, the battery required during these sessions is also limited.

Now coming to the charger - the box ships with the traditional charging pin and not the magnetic ones like the Stratos 3. Once connected via a USB adapter, the Neo charges from 50% to 90% in just 30 minutes. You can also see the smartwatch charge level rise with bars on the main display, which could even remind you of those traditional battery-operated video games! Given around 2 hours, the smartwatch will fully charge from 0 to 100 percent and can last for weeks together.

Zepp App: The Much-Needed Upgrade

The Amazfit Neo links to the revamped Zepp app. Previously known as the Amazfit app, the company has presented many much-needed upgrades. This includes better syncing, better upgrades, and even bug fixes. The Zepp app is where you can in-depth analysis of all the sensors including your heart rate, sleep, PAI, exercise, and other scores.

Amazfit Neo Verdict: Is It Worth The Dime?

Absolutely! The Amazfit Neo ships for Rs. 2,499 and it's worth every dime. You get plenty of smart trackers in the price range from various brands. However, Neo is the only one that'll make you nostalgic. The niche and classic design is also comfortable for long usage. And not to mention the long-lasting battery, allowing you to charge and forget for weeks together.

I agree that it has limited sports modes unlike other fitness bands in the market - but still, the Amazfit Neo is worth the price tag. The Amazfit Neo is a wearable that'll take you down the memory lane and also make a fashionable statement!