Review: Amazfit Bip 5

By Jazzmin Wan

Work and workouts, working-out and work, blurring the lines of life, trying to maximize the precious minutes of everyday life. Staying organised and timely to meet deadlines and staying fit requires serious help from serious technology. This review of the all new Amazfit Bip 5, bigger is definitely better and much smarter, to maintain my lifestyle.

Setup and try-on

From the box, the watch size is impressive, the ULTRA-large 1.91 inch screen is “in-your-face”. The high polished display, bezel and case stand out from the strap’s subtleness.
The watch arrived 60 per cent charged and took around 40 minutes to reach 100 per cent. Pairing the Bip 5, to the Zepp app, on my iPhone was fast.
From over 70 watch faces to choose from, it took longer than expected to pick one, and the ability to download my own photos to use, I finally selected Everything.
The unique lack of strap-loop (the part of the strap that holds the strap down), took me a few tries to get the proper fit. In true Amazfit quality, the silicone strap, with plastic pin-buckle was supple and comfortable to wear.
All 26-grams of this massive watch, the dimensions are 45.94 x 38.09 x 11.2mm without the sensor base, seemed counterintuitive; a size to mass debate could be done because it was so light.

Work and organization

After checking my vital-signs, blood oxygen, heart rate and stress level, I checked the GPS location (the watch was where I expected to be, Gurney Drive).
I decided to test the phone calling feature with my sister. I could hear her talking loud and clear.
The speaker and microphone work well, the speaker at full volume is easy to hear, even outdoors with traffic noise.
I am so excited to use this for one of my hikes! I received notifications from Whatsapp, Outlook, and Line. Reminders to stand or move were welcomed and followed.

Workouts

As a competitive-amateur athlete who also works in the public-relations industry, I need to stay on top of my work in conjunction with my workouts.
I need a smartwatch that can keep me in line with clients and colleagues plus keep up with my intense fitness regimen, which the Bip 5 does in spades.
Fitness tracking is critical as an amateur body-maker, to keep track of my workouts and performance. Detailed monitoring of time, duration of session, and type of workout, help me balance my caloric base. One of the best features in the Zepp app is the recommended rest period to optimize performance after each workout. 

My seven-day fitness plan includes a 6:45 a.m., 10-kilometre walk from Gurney drive to Straits Quay.
The Bip 5 monitored BPM and VO2, highs, lows and average.
As you see from the Zepp app screenshots that follow.
Resistance training for hypertrophy of my shoulders, abdominals, back, chest, and of course legs, normally consumes two hours, which the Bip 5 accurately scored duration and repetitions, then I manually entered the sets.
I teach and practice yoga on my rest-day or take a casual hike in the many parks in Penang and use this super, comfortable watch, to ensure the quality of my recovery.
I decided to use the Bip 5 during my posing-routine for my upcoming bodybuilding competition. Since there is no “posing” in the 120+ sports modes, I selected Free Training.
The results from dynamic tension (squeezing and contracting) of muscles, for 30 seconds, simply backed-up what I already knew during one-hour of posing, I averaged 105 bpm and burned 200 kcal. Posing is a workout, maybe Amazfit would consider adding it to the list.

Overall

The price and function of the Bip 5 make this a great, big value for the smart consumer.
This is an entry-level smartwatch, perfect for the amateur athlete, who works full-time.
You will get a high-function smartwatch for RM329, for both work and workouts.
The Bip 5’s biggest attribute is comfort.
The viewability from the curved display, nice tactile function of the anti-fingerprint touch screen makes this watch a standout. All notifications work well, the audio reminders from workouts are great, calling out distance.
Battery life is good (an Amazfit standard), considering the intense usage I put the Bip 5 through for this review, it still had 60 per cent charge at the time of this writing.
Colour choices for this impressive smartwatch are black, white or pink to go bigger, go smarter.

Enjoyed this piece? Discover how Jazzmin underwent a remarkable body transformation during the pandemic here.