Last month, Xiaomi-backed Huami launched the fitness band Amazfit Cor along with Amazfit Pace in India. Both are available on Amazon for Rs 3,999 and Rs 9,999 respectively.
The new Amazfit Cor and the Pace variants support Google Android and Apple iOS platforms, making them compatible with almost all smartphones available in India.
I have been using the Amazfit Cor for a little over a week and here's my take on the new fitness tracker.
Display, design and build quality:
Amazfit Cor flaunts ergonomically designed curved case, which covers your wrist with a 1.23-inch LCD screen, the brightest we have seen in the affordable price range. The display legibility in the sunny conditions is really impressive, as my eyes did not get stressed while checking the steps count on the screen in the morning or to check the time during the afternoon in outdoors.
I found all the watch faces to be well-designed to offer required information in the compact structure and also stainless steel case though light on weight is very sturdy, as I able to know its strength when I accidentally brushed my hands to the doors while getting down from the bus. Even the silicone straps are flexible and strong.
Furthermore, Amazfit Cor comes with 5ATM ratings, meaning it can survive underwater up to 50 meters (or 164 feet). Though I didn't go for a deep sea diving to test it but was impressed with the device's capability to sustain heavy rains and it worked flawlessly during the entire review period.
Ease of use:
As said before, Amazfit Cor is compatible with most of the Apple (iOS 9.0 or later) and Android (v4.4 or later) phones in the market. It took hardly a few minutes for me to connect the fitness band to my iPhone. I just installed the Mi Fit app and turned on the Bluetooth, within seconds both were paired and ready to go. [Note: User should have a Mi account or else have to open one after installing the Mi Fit app]
The charging is also one aspect of the Amazfit Cor. It comes with magnetic pin charger and it just attaches to the base of the case and gets started with charging without having to pull the case from the straps, which is the case with most of the rival brands. It really annoys me to pull or detach the case from the straps, but Amazfit Cor's refreshing design has no such issues and I appreciate it.
Amazfit Cor's interface is easy even for first time user. It comes with a capacitive button at the base and it is easy to navigate through the fitness band to find features without any confusion.
Performance and battery life:
Amazon Cor is a very handy fitness band. In addition to steps count, heart rate monitor, sleep tracker, it also flashes email/SMS notifications, phone call alerts, which I found to be very useful when travelling. I was able to see who messaged or called me and if I needed to reply urgently I would take the phone to do it or else reject it.
Also, I like the stand-up reminder, which the fitness bands asks me, whenever I am idle for too long (over an hour), to get up and take a walk to get physical exercise to the body.
For comparison, I used Apple Watch Series 3 LTE (review) on the other wrist and most of the time, the average of the readings (heart rate and step counts) on both the devices were same, but since they use different metrics and algorithms to measure calorie burns, Amazfit Cor showed different results. But, have to say, it wasn't that big a margin.
The scores are good enough to trust the Amazfit Cor and the best part is, it will help track your sleep pattern, which is the most important aspect of a person's well being. If humans don't have adequate sleep, the immunity power will come down and become vulnerable to illness.
Make sure you have a minimum of 6-8 hours of sleep with good deep sleep (having no physical movement and the period when Rapid Eye Movements are happening).
Another plus point of Amazfit Cor is that you don't have to charge every day like the Apple Watch. The former offers close to two weeks of battery life with a single charge.
Final thoughts:
Amazfit Cor is one of the best value-for-money fitness band in the market. It ticks almost all the right boxes for an ideal fitness band, which doesn't burn a deep hole in your pocket.
Key features of Amazfit Cor:
Display: 1.23 inches IPS LCD colour touch display with 2.5D Corning gorilla glass (3rd Gen) and AF (Anti-Fingerprint) coating
Durability: ATM / 50 m / 164 ft water and dust resistance rating
Case material: 316L stainless steel housing
Sensors: 3-axis accelerometer for activity, sports and sleep tracking, Optical heart rate sensor (PPG)
Battery life: Up to 12 days on a single charge
Add-ons: Bluetooth v4.0, Exercise tracking with heart rate zones, as well as a 7-day weather forecast, alarms, timer and a stopwatch
Tracking: Daily steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned, heart rate, sleep quality and exercises with opt. movement reminders.
Compatibility: Apple iOS 9.0 or later versions and Android 4.4 or later versions
