We have been using the Amazfit Bip S Lite for well over three weeks now and it manages to offer a clean and smooth experience just like its elder sibling while also maintaining the accuracy of the fitness parameters. Does that mean you should save money and pick up the Amazfit Bip S Lite instead of the Bip S? Or should you spend slightly more and pick up the Bip S instead of the stripped-down Lite version? We will help you decide.
Build Quality and Design
Everything we said in our Amazfit Bip S review holds true for the Bip S Lite as well given that they are identical in terms of looks and design. They are built with the same materials and dimensions so if you have them side by side, you won’t be able to tell them apart. The main watch module is constructed out of plastic and feels extremely lightweight even with the rubber straps attached. It’s important for a wearable to feel lightweight and comfortable since you’re going to have it strapped onto your wrist all day, maybe even while sleeping, and the Bip S Lite fits the bill perfectly in this department. There is a single crown on the right side of the watch which is tactile and is used to access different menus. The straps that come pre-installed with the Bip S Lite are similar to any conventional watch strap and can be swapped out for an aftermarket alternative. The Bip S Lite is water-resistant up to 50 meters which means you can wear it to the gym or for a swim too but the Bip S Lite cannot track your swims. If you want the ability to track your swims, the more expensive Bip S has that functionality and this is one of the important differentiating factors.
Display
Just like the Bip S, the Bip S Lite also gets a transflective display which in plain terms is an LCD panel that both transmits as well as reflects light. When there is no external light falling on the display, like indoors, the LCD has its own backlight through which you can view the contents on the screen. In outdoor conditions though, where there’s a lot of sunlight, the panel reflects the light to make it appear brighter than usual. Essentially, brighter the environment, better is the visibility of the display on the Bip S Lite.
While the display itself is good, what gives the watch a slightly dated look is the bezels around the display. It would have been nice if Amazfit shaved off a few millimeters from each of the four sides. However, the glass protecting the display is curved towards the edges which gives it a nice look. The display is always-on, by the way, which is convenient and truly serves the purpose of being a watch.
Fitness Tracking and Other Functionality
Amazfit has been making wearables for quite some time now and their experience of calibrating fitness trackers has translated into metrics that are very accurate. Be it step tracking or tracking your workouts, the Bip S Lite does a great job at accurately measuring the metrics that too without counting any ghost steps. You get multiple workout modes like walking, treadmill, running, cycling, etc. which can be activated right from the watch itself. The Bip S Lite also gets PAI which stands for Personal Activity Intelligence and is used to set fitness goals over a period of time rather than having goals for every single day. There is a heart rate sensor on the back which also works accurately and has an option to automatically record your heart rate at set intervals. This can also be used to track your sleep more accurately.
All the recorded data from the watch can be synced to the Amazfit app that can be installed from both the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store. This means that the Bip S Lite is compatible with both Android as well as iOS devices. The app can be used to set notification settings, change watch faces, update the firmware, etc. Speaking of notifications, the Bip S Lite can display incoming calls, SMS, WhatsApp messages, etc. but obviously doesn’t give you the ability to reply to them. The Bip S Lite can also be used to control the music on your smartphone and can also be used as an alarm or a stopwatch. There are multiple watch faces to choose from within the Amazfit app and there are workarounds to use third-party ones too. The UI on the watch is fairly simple and is surprisingly quick. There’s little to no delay while swiping across the UI and the digital crown can be set to perform certain activities like showing the weather forecast or starting a workout. The biggest difference between the Bip S lite and the Bip S is that the latter has in-built GPS support which means you can leave your phone behind and go for a run while tracking your location co-ordinates. This cannot be done with the Bip S Lite as it relies on GPS data from your phone to track your workouts.
Battery Life
During our usage, we didn’t have to charge the Amazfit Bip S Lite until the 17th day of unboxing it and the watch only had 72% battery at the time of unboxing. Note that this is with notifications turned on and automatic heart rate monitoring turned off so if you’re using the Bip S Lite for tracking your heart rate continuously, the battery life will take a hit accordingly. Even then, the Bip S Lite offers solid battery life for a smartwatch. The proprietary charging cradle can charge the Bip S Lite completely in about 2 hours.
Should You Buy It?
The Amazfit Bip S Lite retails for Rs. 3,799 which makes it Rs. 1,200 cheaper compared to the Bip S. While retaining the same core functionality of the Bip S, the Bip S Lite skimps out on built-in GPS and swim tracking. If these two features are important to you, then it’s worth spending the extra thousand odd rupees. But, if you want the same experience and design as the Bip S but can forgo the abovementioned features, it makes sense to save your money and get the Bip S Lite. If you are okay with having the same set of features as the Bip S Lite but can settle for a different form factor, even the Mi Smart Band 4 for Rs. 2,299 will serve you well. Buy Amazfit Bip S Lite
