Huami released plenty of fitness watches over the past 2-3 years to woo buyers who don’t want to empty their pockets for premium smartwatches. Almost all of them were first released in India where the affordable smartwatch market is bigger than anywhere else, and the latter entered the US.
Amazfit Bip series was first introduced in 2018 and so far there are at least five variants of the original Bip. We are going to discuss the Bip S, Bip U, and Bip U pro. All of them are arguably the best smartwatches in their price bracket ($50-70) with few rivals to match them. Apart from their dirt-cheap price tag, they boast longer battery stamina, plentiful health and fitness features, and a lightweight design.
For those who are looking for a full-fledge smartwatch with features like standalone calling, music storage, and contactless payment, the trade-offs here probably aren’t worth the bargain-basement price. However, if fitness and health features are your concern, then these watches cover them quite well.
These smartwatches undercut even Huami’s own GTS, GTR lineup that has many watches with slightly improved design, and advanced features. Here is a detailed review of Amazfit GTS 2 for those who are interested. This probably won’t come as surprise, Huami releases the most watches every year with only a slight difference. Many don’t make it to the international market. Therefore, there is always is confusion on which model should you prefer and which one to ditch.
Related Post: Amazfit Bip U Pro vs GTS 2 Mini vs Ticwatch GTH Comparison
We have compared the most popular Amazfit BIP Variants. We don’t have many differences between these variants to make this a long post. For your convenience, we have divided this battle between the same team members into sub-sections so you can easily keep track of all the things.
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Amazfit Bip U vs Bip U Pro Vs Bip S: General Comparison
Considering that these fitness smartwatches are released in quick succession, we didn’t expect some breakthrough improvements in designs and features. Amazfit Bip U and Bip U pro are almost identical, you can’t find the difference between the two unless you look very closely, especially at the back.
There is a microphone on Bip U pro for the Alexa, but no speakers so the response will be in the form of text only. Bip Watches come with the new heart rate sensor which means a slight improvement in accuracy while tracking health and fitness metrics. Plus, On Bip U pro, there is an onboard compass and GPS for a standalone experience.
On the other hand, Bip S lacks the voice assistant and it is a little boxier. It has a built-in GPS but no compass inside. However, you will get plenty of color choices to meet your style.
Amazfit Bip U vs Bip U Pro Vs Bip S: Design & Display Comparison
| Amazfit Bip U | Amazfit Bip U Pro | Amazfit Bip S | |
| Shape | Squarish | Squarish | Squarish |
| Casing Size | 41mm | 41mm | 42mm |
| Casing Material | Polycarbonate Plastic | Polycarbonate Plastic | Polycarbonate Plastic |
| Strap Size | 20mm width, 76-118mm adjustable length | 20mm width, 76-118mm adjustable length | 20mm width, 85-110mm adjustable length |
| Strap Material | Silicone (quick release) | Silicone (quick release) | Silicone (quick release) |
| Weight (with strap) | 31 grams | 31 grams | 31 grams |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM (Safe for both pool and open-water swims) | 5 ATM (Safe for both pool and open-water swims) | 5 ATM (Safe for both pool and open-water swims) |
| Screen Size | 1.43-inch | 1.43-inch | 1.28-inch |
| Screen Protection | Gorilla Glass 3 | Gorilla Glass 3 | Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Screen Technology | TFT LCD | TFT LCD | Transflective screen |
| Resolution | 320×302 Pixel | 320×302 Pixel | 176×176 Pixel |
| Always-on-Display | No | No | Yes |
In terms of design and display, Bip U smartwatches are twins, and they share almost the same built with the Bip U. For instance, all these watches have a polycarbonate plastic casing, thick and big, and yet lightweight.
The 20mm silicone straps are interchangeable on all these watches with a quick-release mechanism. You won’t get uncomfortable at any given point in time with the strap which has 14 holes. The loop comes with an interlocking system which makes the watch sit in hand firmly.
They are 5 ATM rated which translates into waterproof performance in both pool and open water swimming. Of course, you can shower and bath without taking them off.
Bip U series are slightly smaller in size, but they have less bezel and more screen real estate. You will feel the real difference in UI when compared to Bip S. The Bip U series has a brand new improved UI with new elements like activity circles, faster navigation, improved notifications view, and increased responsiveness.
Huami has improved the screen resolution on the Bip U line up thus bring the much-needed vibrancy and color contrast. The bump from 176×176 Pixel on Bip S to 320×302 Pixel on Bip U has brought the display to life. On all these watches, the screen is protected by 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Unfortunately, Huami ditched the Always-on display feature in the Bip U series. However, if you are interested in this feature, we have done a roundup of best smartwatches with an always-on display for you.
The brightness level could have been better, but this could not be the deal-breaker. Having a touch screen with good response and gesture operation, the Bip U series has one of the best you can find on budget smartwatches.
There is a button on the right side which performs a host of different functions like powering on, turn on the screen, opening the menu, go back, and summon Alexa. (only in Bip U pro)
Amazfit Bip U vs Bip U Pro Vs Bip S: Smartwatch Features Compared
| Amazfit Bip U | Amazfit Bip U Pro | Amazfit Bip S | |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Notification Alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar, Weather | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Timer & Alarm | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable Watch Faces | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Assistant | No | Yes ( Alexa) | No |
| Music Storage, Control | No, Yes | No, Yes | No, Yes |
| Third-Party Apps | No | No | No |
| Contactless Payment | No | No | No |
These watches are compatible with both IOS and Andriod, and you would have to install the companion app ‘ZEPP’ for pairing and syncing data.
In terms of smartwatch features, you will get only the bare bone capabilities like notification alert, music control, weather forecasts, alarms, and world clock setting. Notifications appear as they arrive on your phone. You can’t act on them, but they are at least well optimized to the screen. On Bip S however, you will be annoyed by little quirks: It can’t display emoji and apostrophes have an unwarranted space.
The Bip U lineup is more refined in this regard. The music control works during exercise. Only a few watch faces are customizable on Bip S, whereas Bip U Pro gives you the freedom to add even photos from your smartphones as a watch face.
We weren’t surprised when advanced smartwatch features like music storage and streaming, contactless payment, and third-party app support didn’t make the cut on these watches. These watches are the first and foremost fitness devices there to compete against Fitness trackers like MI Band 6 and Fitbit Charge 4. However, Bip U Pro tilt the balance slightly towards smartwatch features by introducing Alexa.
You can use the voice assistant whenever the watch is connected to a smartphone that has internet connectivity. There is a microphone that picks up your voice without any trouble. The best part is the watch’s capability to control IoT devices apart from the text response to basic queries like ‘currency conversion’, ‘weather updates’, and so on.
Amazfit Bip U vs Bip U Pro Vs Bip S: Fitness & Health Features Compared
| Amazfit Bip U | Amazfit Bip U Pro | Amazfit Bip S | |
| Heart Rate | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Oxygen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | No | No | No |
| Steps, Calories | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal Activity Intelligence | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sport Mode | 60+ | 60+ | 10 |
| Sync Data With Strava, Apple Health | Yes | Yes | No |
Huami promised a solid fitness tracker on a budget, and the Bip series delivers. Apart from the ECG measurement which only a few watches offer till this data, these fitness watches offer almost similar health and sports data as the Apple Watch. You get a reliable heart rate sensor, the data from which feeds into PAI or personal activity intelligence.
The heart rate tracking is both continuous and on-demand (takes 10 seconds), and when pitted against Amazfit Stratos 3 and Mi Band 6, the results are almost identical. However, the new sensor in the Bip U lineup gives them an advantage over Bip S and other mentioned devices. The accuracy of the data goes downhill when you throw intensive exercises into the mix.
Sleep tracking is in line with Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 which are considered the gold standard. In addition to sleep duration, you get a detailed breakdown in 3 intervals (REM, light, Deep). These watches track stress levels too and guide you on breathing exercises to reduce them.
The blood oxygen level can be a vital indicator of your wellness and has become more important during these COVID years. Huami’s blood oxygen saturation accuracy put the giants like Apple, Fitbit, and Samsung to shame. In under $70, you get both on-demand and continuous blood oxygen level tracking. (Takes almost 60 sec and tight holding. Apple Watch takes less than 30 secs)
Despite the widgets on the screen, you will find more rich data on the companion app. Bip S is notorious for its connectivity and data syncing problems. Fortunately, Huami has fixed the issue in the BIP U series.
Sports Tracking:
There are 10 sport modes on Bip S, and it feels like Huami hasn’t made the best use of onboard GPS. The company later added 60+ modes in the BIP U variants. The tracking profiles range from outdoor running, treadmill running, cycling (outdoor and indoor), walking, open and pool swimming, yoga, indoor rowing, cricket, and table tennis.
However, the metrics are not plenty and detailed as you find on the dedicated sports watches by Garmin and Polar. The tracked data, despite limited, is comparable to premium Garmin Watches like Forerunner 745 and Venu 2.
Another important feature is GPS accuracy. Bip S and Bip U Pro have both GPS and GLONASS (Russian variant of GPS) compatibility. These watches take almost the same time to lock onto GPS signal as the Apple Watch of Garmin Fenix, but the tracking a bit off.
Amazfit Bip U vs Bip U Pro Vs Bip S: Battery Life & Charging Comparison
| Amazfit Bip U | Amazfit Bip U Pro | Amazfit Bip S | |
| Battery Type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery Size | 230 mAh | 230 mAh | 200 mAh |
| Battery Performance | Up to 9 days | Up to 9 days | Up to 15 days With GPS (22 hours) |
| Charger Type | Proprietary (Clip/2-pin POGO pin) | Proprietary (Clip/2-pin POGO pin) | Proprietary cradle |
| Charging Time | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2.5 hours |
As far as the battery life is concerned these watches aren’t very different. One particular anomaly is the size of the battery and the performance of Bip S and Bip U watches. Though Bip S has a smaller battery, it lasts longer than the Bip U pro and Bip U. Why? The screen resolution of Bip S is significantly low, and it is missing the voice assistant and a couple of other battery-killer features.
Bip U is particularly disappointing as it doesn’t possess a standalone GPS and yet it has only 9 days of battery juice.
Both the Bip U and Bip U Pro comes with pin connecter magnetic type charger as compared to the cumbersome cradle of Bip S. The latter also takes about 30 min more to charge, but if you reduce the widgets to only time telling, the battery life can be extended to 45 days.
Amazfit Bip U vs Bip U Pro Vs Bip S Comparison: Final Words
All these watches are similarly priced and have almost the same features. However, if we had to pick one, the preferred choice would be the Bip U Pro as it has a voice assistant and standalone GPS. Also, we get more than 60+ sport features and the new BioTracker 2 PPG sensor.
For $10 more than Bip U and similarly priced as Bip S, the Bip U Pro Fitness watch is the best deal you can get with only one missing feature: Always-on Display.
If none of these watches meets your needs, we highly recommend you fork out a little extra for the Amazfit GTS 2 mini or better still, Garmin Venu Sq.
