Amazfit Helio Strap Professional Overview: Screenless, No Subscription

Penning this Amazfit Helio Strap Professional evaluate has compelled me to confess one thing: I don’t really like carrying a smartwatch. I personal one—an costly one. It has all the highest options, nevertheless it lives in my nightstand drawer. Why? Its battery barely lasts a workday, and the show will get in the way in which whereas I sort or sleep.

WHOOP solved this downside a while in the past with its screenless health tracker. Oura did, too, with its sensible ring. However each run on pricy subscription plans, and I attempt to keep away from these. So when Amazfit’s Helio Strap Professional landed in my lap at Gadget Circulate with a screenless design and subscription-free use, I used to be intrigued.

Might it’s the wearable for folks like me, who by no means actually received into smartwatches? I needed to search out out.

Amazfit Helio Strap Professional: What’s it?

The Amazfit Helio Strap Professional comes with a field of elements: a wristband, an armband, the Core Movement Waist sensor, and the Core Movement HR sensor. The wristband holds the sensor for every day put on and sleep, whereas the armband is for train (the sensor will get a extra correct studying on the higher arm).

As for the sensors, the Core Movement HR tracks your actions and coronary heart fee all through the day, throughout train, and whilst you sleep. It’s the sensor I relied on essentially the most. For its half, the Core Movement Waist sensor is for HYROX coaching and pairs with the Amazfit Steadiness 3 or Steadiness Extremely for official HYROX Race or Simulation modes.

I’m not a HYROXer, so I couldn’t actually take a look at that half. However I’m critical about figuring out, and was excited to take the Helio Strap Professional for a spin round my every day life.

The Helio Strap Professional made me neglect I had it on

My smartwatch’s greatest flaw is its measurement. The digital face is cumbersome and uncomfortable after I sort or sleep. I suppose I’m a free chicken—I don’t like something weighing me down. And that’s the place screenless trackers shine. Basically, they’re simply wearable sensors that observe well being stats and ship information to an app in your cellphone.

The Amazfit Helio Strap Professional works the identical means. As a small sensor on a mesh band, I can put on all of it day with out desirous to tear it off. It additionally follows me as I look after my youngsters—surviving tub time (it’s rated 3 ATM) and the after-dinner dish rinse.

Bedtime (mine, not the children’) is even higher. Let’s backtrack for a minute: I may by no means put on my smartwatch whereas sleeping (the show is simply too big). So I by no means received sleep information. The Amazfit Helio Strap Professional’s slim design, nonetheless, is comfy to put on at evening; I can completely slide it underneath my pillow and never discover it. Within the morning, I woke as much as see my sleep information proper on the Zepp app.

At exercise time, I change the sensor from the wristband to the armband, and hardly discover it—although it does get slightly sweaty. The concept is you could work out with out gluing your eyes to a tiny digital show.

The dearth of a display is the entire level

I’ve been waxing poetic for some time about the advantages of screenless trackers, and with the Amazfit Helio Strap Professional, I lastly received to strive one for myself. With no further display on my wrist, I can go about my day with nothing further to verify. The health band does its job, and I do mine, which—at this level in my life—is all I need from my tech.

I verify the Zepp app after I wish to—which is often very first thing within the morning and simply earlier than mattress. And within the night, it’s good to see my step rely and exercise stats as I wind down. By the tip of the week, I spotted: that is essentially the most low-key wearable I’d ever owned.

The well being and health information I really used

Wearables, together with the Helio Strap Professional, observe quite a lot of stats. So right here I’m solely going to speak concerning the metrics I used usually.

Sleep and restoration

This can be a massive one for me. As a mom of two, I nonetheless get woken up—dangerous desires, thirst, nerves…all of it results in much less sleep for me. With the Helio Strap Professional, although, I can see the times when my relaxation is interrupted and the way a lot sleep I get on these nights.

No surprises right here; my sleep is honest, at finest. However seeing the proof proper on my cellphone made it unattainable to disregard. I spotted I needed to make sleep a precedence. Whereas I can’t management my household’s evening wakings, I can fall asleep earlier and be relaxed after I do.

Exercises and coronary heart fee

As of late, my exercises include treadmill runs and strength-training routines—that are straightforward to trace on the Amazfit Helio Strap Professional. The related Zepp app has settings for operating, biking, power coaching, cross-training, strolling, treadmill, HYROX races, and free coaching. Simply faucet the exercise you need, and it’ll begin monitoring.

For a 30-minute weightlifting exercise, it screens my common coronary heart fee, energy, and coaching load. It additionally reveals me a map of the muscle teams I work and my coaching impact (a mix of cardio and anaerobic). I admire the breakdown—I can see precisely which workouts problem me essentially the most (squats). That information additionally have an effect on my every day overview and Hybridcharge rating, the place I can see my restoration wants and readiness.

My solely hang-up with the exercise monitoring is that it’s not computerized. The gadget is aware of after I’m sleeping and tracks my steps and energy, however I nonetheless have to inform it after I’m exercising. That’s straightforward to neglect, and a few instances I missed capturing exercise information.

Readiness / Restoration

That is my favourite bit. After getting my sleep routine so as and figuring out a number of instances every week, I used to be genuinely excited to see my overview scores within the Zepp app each morning. Generally my well being scores didn’t transfer as far within the constructive course as I hoped. That motivated me, although, to work on constructing actual habits.

Curiously, the Overview and Hybridcharge rating adjustments all through the day. Exercises, HRV, sleep length, what I’ve eaten, and so on., have an effect on them.

After a few week of constant put on, the app’s insights turned fairly helpful. I received extra ideas on bettering my well being and noticed how my exercises affected my present power ranges. Actually, for a screenless wearable with no subscription, I used to be impressed by the extent of element.

The Zepp app is the place the Helio Strap Professional will get attention-grabbing

I discussed the Zepp app above, nevertheless it deserves its personal part as a result of the wearable itself is deliberately easy. The Zepp app is the place all of the well being information goes and is interpreted.

The interface is simple to make use of and navigate, with sections for Overview, Hybridcharge, Sleep, and Exertion on the high, and sections for Exercises, Badges, Aura (paid options), and System on the backside.

I can faucet or swipe to entry any of the highest classes. Every part presents detailed insights. For instance, the sleep part reveals the earlier evening’s sleep length, wakings, and time in REM and deep sleep. It then tells me if these instances are regular.

The Aura subscription plan presents much more insights, like sleep well being evaluation and leisure content material. These options improve the Helio Strap Professional additional, however I’m proud of the usual information. There are not any AI teaching options, however the HYROX coaching seems fairly intense. I don’t practice that means, so sadly I can’t take a look at that characteristic.

Battery life is one among my favourite issues

The sensor on my Amazfit Helio Strap Professional lasts for about 11 days earlier than needing a cost. That’s actually glorious for a wearable. And in comparison with my costly smartwatch, properly, there is no such thing as a comparability; the Helio Strap Professional is far more environment friendly. When it’s lastly low on battery, it even sends my cellphone a reminder.

Sure, well being trackers and not using a display can go for longer—as a result of the display has been relegated to your smartphone. And also you’re in all probability charging that daily.  

What I didn’t love concerning the Helio Strap Professional

The Helio Strap Professional isn’t excellent. The most important limitation for me is that it doesn’t detect exercises routinely, so I generally don’t gather exercise information. The dearth of a display additionally means I have to open my cellphone to see the information, which is usually a downside. Sure, I received distracted by e-mail notifications after I simply needed to verify Zepp—however I suppose that’s a cellphone downside, not an Amazfit one.

And, though Amazfit recommends carrying the armband for train, I not often switched. Principally as a result of, as a mother, I’m fortunate if I can change my garments earlier than a exercise. Switching straps pushes the restrict. So, for comfort’s sake, I’d like a sensor that tracks on the wrist in addition to on the arm.

Amazfit Helio Strap Professional vs WHOOP and Garmin

The Amazfit Helio Strap Professional is one thing between a standard health tracker and a extra specialised restoration wearable like WHOOP. Like WHOOP, it offers you detailed well being and restoration information. However you don’t want a membership to get actually glorious insights.

It’s additionally easier than a Garmin smartwatch. You gained’t get GPS, maps, notifications, or exercise stats in your wrist. However in case you already carry your cellphone and need one thing that screens you within the background, that’s a bonus.

Amazfit Helio Strap Professional evaluate: My verdict

After carrying the Amazfit Helio Strap Professional for every week, I’m offered. This band is comfy, unobtrusive, and lasts over every week on a single cost. It gave me extra well being and health data than I anticipated, and I didn’t pay for a subscription or purchase one of many model’s watches.

Priced at $199.99, it’s an important worth, particularly in comparison with wearables like WHOOP and Oura. WHOOP prices the identical for its normal plan, however you’ll pay it yearly. Oura Ring 5 is priced at $399, and the (required) membership is $69.99 per 12 months. So the Helio Strap Professional is definitely actually reasonably priced.

Would you get extra out of it in case you used it as a HYROX tracker? Undoubtedly. Is it just for HYROX athletes? Nope. I used to be extraordinarily proud of the product, even when my beast-mode days are behind me.

Most significantly, I really wish to put on the Amazfit Helio Strap Professional. I just like the sporty model, and the petite measurement means it will probably sustain with me whereas I work, look after my youngsters, and sleep. It really blends into my routine.

For me, that’s precisely what a screenless health tracker ought to do—adapt to every day life whereas supporting more healthy habits.