Chinese manufacturer Huami has caused a stir recently with its budget-friendly Amazfit Bip and Amazfit Bip Lite smartwatches. Now, it looks likely that they are about to be joined by a new model that comes with additional features while still holding a price that will have its more expensive rivals looking over their shoulders. Here’s what we know so far about the Amazfit Bip U.
When will the Amazfit Bip U launch?
There have been no official announcements about when the Bip U will launch in Europe or North America, but the company has said that it will be introduced in India on 16 October. We think it’s reasonable to assume then that the product could soon arrive on nearer shores in the following weeks or months.
How much will the Amazfit Bip U cost?
Again, no firm details here, although Huami did state that the price in India would be ‘impressive’. So far, this has indeed been the case, with the Bip range offering excellent value for money. Here’s a breakdown of the current models and how much you can buy them for on Amazon:
Judging from the specs outlined below, the Bip U could be a more premium device than the standard Bip, which is a couple of years old at this point, so we may see a price increase. Hopefully Huami will stick to the sub-£100/$100 range though, as any higher will start to creep into the territory of the Amazfit GTR range that starts at £129.99/$149.99.
What features and specs will the Bip U have?
After announcing the Bip U release date in India, Huami very helpfully outlined the specs of the device for all to see. There are some new additions, including the introduction of blood-oxygen level monitoring like on the latest Apple Watch, which will accompany the existing heart-rate, sleep, stress, and sleep monitoring that featured on the orginal Bip.
The battery life is surprisingly lower than the previous models, which could go for 30 or 40 days, with Huami stating nine days. So, this suggests a more powerful range of sensors and features that drain the battery faster, although nine days is still better than most smartwatches on the market right now.
There are 60+ sports modes to choose from, over 50 watch faces and the ability to upload your own photos as backgrounds, plus Huami promises a modular approach to the data shown on the display so you can tailor it to your personal needs.
Here’s a breakdown of what to expect with the Bip U:
- Display: 1.43in full-colour TFT with 320×320 resolution, 2.5D glass with anti-fingerprint coating
- Dimensions: 40.9mm x 35.5mm x 11.4mm
- Weight: 31g
- Body material: Polycarbonate
- Strap width: 20mm
- Strap length: 118mm (long version) 76mm (short version)
- Strap material: Silicon rubber
- Battery: 225mAh lithium-ion polymer
- Charging time: Around 2 hours
- Battery life: Up to nine days
- Water resistance: 50m / 5ATM
- Sensors: BioTracker 2PPG Biological Optical Sensor, 6-axis acceleration sensor
- Bluetooth: BLE 5.0
- OS: RTOS
- Supported devices: Android 5 or iOS 10 and above
- Accessories: Clip dock, user manual
- App: Zepp (formally known as Amazfit)
If you can’t wait for the Amazfit Bip U to arrive or want to know what it will be up against, check out our roundup of the best smartwatches.
Author: Martyn Casserly, Contributor
Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews for Macworld and its sister site Tech Advisor.