What is the average lifespan of Amazfit smartwatches?

It’s hard to say no to Amazfit smartwatches that offer the features of more expensive models for just $70. In general, the hardware of the most affordable smartwatches can last a few years, but the biggest problem is software support. With Amazfit, you get about two to three years of updates (depending on the model), which isn’t bad for a cheap wearable. But will the hardware stay alive until support runs out? What is the average lifespan of an Amazfit smartwatch?

According to online users, Amazfit can be hit or miss. Although the average lifespan is around three to four years, you can expect a lot of variation. For example, one Redditor’s experience is particularly telling: their Amazfit GTR 3 Pro lasted barely a year, but they also claim that their Amazfit Verge Lite is still functional despite being released in 2018. The same person remained loyal to the brand and reported that their T-Rex 2 smartwatch lasted three years. Another Amazfit fan had an eerily similar experience: Their Amazfit Neo bit the dust after a year and a half, but the Verge Lite and GTS 4 Mini held on for three years or more.

There are outliers, including a user who saw his watch break after ten months and another who kept his for seven years. For the price, it’s actually not bad at all, and if you’re lucky enough to fall into the average range, you’ll probably get at least three years of use out of your device. But what happens if he dies prematurely? Well, it seems like a stretch to complain about an $80 watch.

Just as lifespan can swing from one extreme to another, so can problems. A handful of users complained that the clock face (the top part) came loose on their Amazfit Bip watches after exactly two years. The solution was to simply put the watch back on and continue with their day. While it’s not a clear trend, some touchscreens can be questionable, as evidenced by many people reporting either a pure failure or a loss of responsiveness.

A more common problem seems to be pimples. For example, one proud user of an Active 2 Round still makes it vibrate despite having two top buttons, while another returned the watch when the top button failed after ten months. One really unlucky person had button issues with the GTR 4 and the Amazfit Bip6. At best, you’ll have to deal with functional buttons that sometimes don’t respond.

Overall, getting a few years out of a cheap smartwatch is perfectly acceptable. The unfortunate trade-off with Amazfit is the lack of consistency between products, likely due to questionable quality control. Sure, shelling out a little more for a Google or Samsung smartwatch might hurt your budget a little more, but chances are you’ll save your sanity and get a smoother experience. With these two popular brands, you get longer software support (5 years in Samsung’s case) and more robust hardware. So what will it be? Save money or preserve your sanity?