Why You Can Trust CNET Prime Day deal: The Amazfit Bip U Pro smartwatch is $56 (save $14)
Already a great deal at $70, the watch features Alexa, GPS, heart rate, SpO2, a nine-day battery, dozens of faces and more.
The Amazfit Bip U Pro is another impressive smartwatch that's surprisingly affordable.
So many Prime Day deals, so little time. (Literally: the sale ends tomorrow.) Here's a good one: For a limited time, and while supplies last, the Amazfit Bip U Pro smartwatch drops to $56 at checkout. Regular price: $70 (already a bargain). It's available in your choice of black, green or pink.
The Bip U Pro is an upgraded version of the Bip U; both hit the market late last year. There's little point in buying the latter when the Pro is just $10 more (sale prices notwithstanding) and adds one crucial feature: built-in GPS. It also adds built-in Alexa, which isn't nearly as crucial but can be nice to have.
Like the majority of Amazfit watches, this one packs in a wealth of features -- some implemented better than others, but overall a solid roster. It sports a razor-sharp 1.43-inch color screen, heart-rate and blood-oxygen monitors, over 60 sport modes, women's health tracking and a battery that's good for up to nine days.
What you don't get here is an always-on option. If that's important to you, consider the Amazfit Bip S, which is currently also sale for $55 at Amazon (but has been as low as $55) and has a lower-resolution transflective screen. However, it offers only about 10 sport modes and no Alexa.
None of the Bip models let you reply to or dictate text messages, and they don't automatically detect workouts. The clunky, sometimes confusing companion app -- bafflingly named Zepp -- remains a thorn in the entire Amazfit lineup, but it's far from a deal-breaker.
Indeed, based on the couple weeks I spent with the Bip U Pro, it might just be the star of that lineup. The hardware is superb, the fitness features capable, the price borderline unbelievable. (That said, B&H Photo had it for $50 as part of a Father's Day sale, and that deal is likely to resurface at some point.)
Your thoughts?
First published earlier this year. Updated to reflect new sale price. Removed expired bonus deal.
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