When it comes to multi-sport GPS watches, you probably know the main players. Garmin, COROS, Suunto, Polar and now even Apple offer premium wearables that can go with you, whether you’re running, cycling, windsurfing, kayaking, skiing, etc.
Amazfit, a wearable brand known for its number of budget-friendly products fitness trackercurrently hoping to be considered alongside those household names with the introduction of premiums Amazfit Falcon. The new one smart watch costs $499 and tracks 150 indoor and outdoor sports (and records eight of them automatically, in addition to recognizing dozens of strength-training movements to track reps and sets).
Falcon, running on Amazfit’s Zepp OS, comes with Zepp Coach – a training algorithm that personalizes the watch’s recommendations to suit your fitness level – and is packed with features health such as heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen index and sleep monitoring. Plus, it includes stress measurements and pairs with major third-party apps like Apple Health, Strava, and Google Fit for comprehensive fitness insights.
But is it worth the $499 price tag? After two weeks of testing, here’s what you need to know.
Affordable multi-sport watches
The Amazfit Falcon is a good, more affordable alternative to Garmin’s popular high-end multi-sport watches, offering great battery life and GPS functionality for the price.
Out of the box, the Falcon looks super similar to some of my outdoor wristwatches. The frame is made from titanium and it has a sapphire crystal glass display (it also has anti-fingerprint coating). I don’t rate the device highly – the company claims it’s tough enough to pass 15 military-grade tests – but after plenty of outdoor workouts, two strength training sessions with warm weights, and a few tries Drop it from wrist height, I found a scratch or scratch on the screen or frame. It’s also water resistant up to 200 meters, although I submerged it the most in the shower.
I fully charged the Falcon before setting it up, and after two weeks of wearing it, I still haven’t recharged it. That’s standard for the device, according to the company; With typical usage, you’ll get 14 days on a single charge, down to seven days with heavy use. There are some GPS settings that give you 21 to 50 hours of use on a single charge, or in battery saver mode the Falcon can last up to 30 days. When you’re running low, it only takes two hours to recharge.
Easy setup, simple application and intuitive use
It took me less than five minutes to set up the Falcon. It combines with Huami’s Zepp app, which should look familiar to anyone who’s used it Fitbit or other fitness tracking app; you can find all your key stats – like sleep and step count – as well as recent activities on the home screen and clicking on any of them will give you deep insights more about your own data.
The Falcon has a 1.28-inch always-on AMOLED display that lights up when you flick your wrist, and you can navigate using four buttons, two on each side. I’ve noticed that when I click on menus (like workout options, using the button on the top right), it’s easier to swipe up and down and side to side using the screen capabilities. touch image.
Accurate GPS is one of the most important features of an all-in-one sport watch, and I find the GPS in the Falcon to be almost as accurate as Apple Watch Ultra during outdoor workouts and hiking (in one run, the Apple Watch recorded 6.01 miles, while the Falcon scored 5.93 miles; while hiking, the Apple Watch tracked 2. .84 miles and Falcon tracks 2.8).
Both devices use dual-band GPS (L1 and L5) for better accuracy in areas with tall trees or tall buildings; however, that probably won’t be as accurate as the multi-band tracking that a company like Garmin uses. One thing I didn’t like was the 10-second wait for the GPS to work; Obviously not for long, but the other watches I use attract almost immediately.
At 64 grams, the Falcon leans towards the heavier end of the wearable spectrum – which is to be expected for a sturdier watch. It’s not as heavy as the COROS Vertix 2 89 grams or 76 grams Garmin Epix and it’s actually pretty much the equivalent of a 61-gram Apple Watch Ultra, but it’s significantly heavier than my standard running watch, COROS Pace 2 (29 grams) and got used to wearing it 24/7, especially when trying to sleep.
One of my hardest points about using the Falcon is the lock screen feature during workouts. When I want to swipe through different screens to see different stats, I keep getting a “screen locked” message that prompts me to “press the button” to unlock. Those are the up or down buttons on the left, but that wasn’t obvious mid-workout and led to repeated inadvertent workouts because my instinct was to use the right buttons. (This is probably a customizable feature, but I haven’t figured out how to get rid of it yet.)
The Amazfit Falcon is similar to the multi-sport watches from Garmin, COROS, and Suunto in terms of the stats and activities it tracks, and even shares some similarities with the new Apple Watch Ultra. Although it uses dual-band GPS like the Ultra, you are unlikely to get as accurate GPS measurements as the Garmin device; That company is known for its mapping and navigation features, and would be recommended for more serious outdoor adventurers.
However, up to 30 days, its battery life, even with the best features used, is quite impressive; it’s just a little less than what you get for the relative price COROS Vertix 2 or a little more expensive Garmin Fenix 7. I find the interface a bit less user-friendly than competitors, but I’ve also never used a Zepp-based wearable before and expected a learning curve. .
The Amazfit Falcon is a worthy competitor to the top multi-sport watches currently on the market from Garmin, COROS, etc – especially since it costs $499, which is several hundred dollars less than the line Garmin’s popular Fenix.
I don’t like the constant screen locking. Plus, the navigation and GPS features don’t quite meet the high standards set by Garmin, but if you’re not a professional athlete or an adventurer going too far off the beaten path , then that is not so important. For anyone wanting a more affordable entry point into the world of multi-sport GPS watches, the Falcon gets the job done.
