Amazfit Helio Bracelet vs. Fitbit Air: which screenless tracker should you buy?

Screen-free health trackers are a great alternative to smartwatches if you’re looking for a distraction-free way to keep tabs on your heart rate, steps, sleep, and other health metrics. The Amazfit Helio Strap and Google Fitbit Air are two popular options in this space. They are both highly rated and similarly priced. However, during our research we found that the Amazfit seems to have slightly longer battery life, while the Fitbit is smaller, lighter, and has a few extra health and fitness features.

These two trackers are affordable alternatives to the popular Whoop strap. Whoop is a subscription-based tracker starting at $199 per year for one device and one subscription, while the Amazfit Helio and Fitbit Air each cost around $100. The Fitbit Air offers an optional Google Health Premium upgrade for $99 per year, which gives you access to an AI coach and provides additional health information. However, the Amazfit provides all of its features and app access without subscription fees.

Which of these devices should you buy? They’re similar enough that your choice comes down to some of the finer details of their appearance, performance, and battery life.

The Amazfit Helio and Fitbit Air bands have a very similar appearance. They are both simple nylon bracelets with sensors without a screen. They are typically worn around the wrist, although some people prefer to wear the Helio around their bicep so they can still wear bracelets or a regular watch. The Amazfit only comes in black, while the Fitbit Air comes in four colors and some special editions like the Pokémon Sleep edition. The Fitbit Air is also smaller and lighter than the Amazfit Helio.

Both devices track your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, stress, sleep, and activity. In apps that connect to these devices (Zepp for Amazfit Helio, Google Health for Fitbit Air), you can view additional information about the data collected by your device. The Fitbit Air also offers distance and VO2 max tracking, while the Helio has a dedicated swim training mode. In the reviews, we also noticed that some customers raised concerns about the accuracy of the Amazfit’s heart rate and sleep tracking. Similar concerns have been raised about the Fitbit Air in Reddit posts, although most reviews for both devices are positive.

Users of the Fitbit Air claim that the claimed seven-day battery life is accurate, with several users reporting that the device loses around 10% of its battery per day. Likewise, the Amazfit Helio boasts an impressive 10 days of battery life, and reviews confirm this.

Many people who ultimately choose an Amazfit Helio or Fitbit Air do so because they’re looking for an alternative to Whoop. Whoop is a comprehensive health and wellness service centered around the Whoop device, a screen-free fitness tracker that collects data about your sleep, movement, recovery and stress. The service offers advanced health information such as lifespan (your estimated “Whoop age”), blood pressure and stress. There are different membership levels with different devices and features, but they are all of the screen-less strap style.

The Amazfit Helio and Fitbit Air are both cheaper, but the data they collect and the information they provide aren’t as comprehensive as Whoop. While Whoop might be a great choice for athletes or people looking to fine-tune their performance or overall health, the Amazfit Helio or Fitbit Air would be good choices for people who are new to health tracking or working out — or for people who have broader health goals, like getting healthier or losing a few pounds.