Amazfit Cor Overall Score: 7.6
Design Score: 7.5/10
Ease of Usability: 7.5/10
Use of Information Score: 8.0/10
Motivation Score: 7.5/10
Advantages:
- Accurate, in-depth data is provided.
- There is a long life span for the battery.
- Strong impermeability to water.
- A lot of advice and instruction is given.
- It is very affordable.
Disadvantages:
- There is neither an altimeter nor a GPS
- Customers would have chosen a watch buckle if given the choice.
Huami’s most recent introduction to its lineup of reasonably priced fitness trackers is called the Amazfit Cor. A device that competes with Fitbit is one that performs well in most categories when it comes to basic activity tracking 24 hours a day. The fact that it is extremely durable, has a fantastic water resistance rating and has a long battery life are characteristics that are typically reserved for more expensive fitness trackers and wristbands. This is one of the reasons why it stands out from the crowd.
Although the Amazfit Cor has been on sale in Asia since the latter part of 2017, the manufacturer has only recently made the product’s availability outside of Asia public knowledge. You may purchase it from Amazon or Amazfit.com for the price of $79.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been putting the monitor through its paces to see how it compares to other similar products on the market. What I came up with is as follows:
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A Review of the Design and Construction of the Amazfit Cor
The Amazfit Cor seems to be a combination of the now-defunct Microsoft Band and the Fitbit Charge 2 in terms of its design. A device that, all things considered, has a rather respectable appearance. When worn, Cor has a very sturdy feel despite just weighing 32 grams, and it is clear that it was constructed with longevity in mind.
The screen on the smartphone measures 1.23 inches diagonally and is an extremely bright and sharp IPS LCD. The device is available in a variety of colours. The display, which is guarded by a layer of scratch-resistant 2.5D Corning Gorilla glass and is turned off by default, comes to life when the user lifts their wrist or taps lightly along the bottom border of the screen. Both indoors and outdoors, the responsiveness of the screen and visibility is at a satisfactory level.
When Huami set out to develop Cor, one of its goals was to design a bracelet that would be useful to those whose employment requires them to be exposed to adverse conditions, such as working in dirty or wet environments. Because of this, the fact that the business chose to go with a contemporary buckle that has a pop stud and a little loop instead of a conventional watch fastening appears a little bit strange. In my opinion, the traditional buckle would have been the superior choice between the two alternatives. Throughout the majority of the testing period, the tracker provided the impression of being safely attached; nevertheless, there was one instance in which the fitness band became dislodged.
In spite of this, the actual design of the wearable implies that you can carry the tracking system not just when you are working out, but also in demanding conditions when you are not working out at the gym and in all weather elements. Internal components of the Cor are protected by premium materials like the enclosure, which is made of marine-grade 316L stainless steel. As a result of this, the fitness tracker is also protected against total submersion in water, making it suitable for use during swimming and underwater exercises down to a depth of 50 meters.
However, there is a great deal more to Cor than just its robust construction and its big screen.
The device’s 3-axis accelerometer and optical heart rate sensor make it capable of providing thorough tracking of one’s fitness progress (PPG). It is important to note that there is neither an altimeter nor an integrated GPS system, but the mix of the two does make it possible to monitor a wide variety of data. Continuous readings of your heart rate are taken, but you can also turn on readings whenever you want.
When it comes to its runtime, the lithium polymer battery with 170 milliampere-hours (mAh) will provide more than a week’s worth of power with typical use, which is an incredible feat. Especially so when you consider that it also monitors your heart rate continuously and has a display that is in full colour. During the course of my testing of the product, I only had one occasion where I needed to replenish it. When it’s time to charge, you plug one end of the proprietary cable into a USB port and attach the other end to the fitness band with a few small magnets.
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A Look at the Features and Functionalities of the Amazfit Cor
Users of Cor have access to a wide variety of actions that can be recorded by the platform. It monitors your heart rate (both at the moment and over time), your daily stats (the number of steps you take, the distance you travel, the number of calories you burn, and the amount of time you spend sitting), your exercise, and your sleep, and it may send you reminders to move if you choose.
The band fulfils virtually all of the requirements for the typical individual who is interested in measuring their levels of fitness around the clock. It is not particularly complicated, but it does the job well enough and functions without any problems. The absence of an altimeter that counts floors is most likely the only element that is lacking, but for the majority of people, this should not create much more of a difference.
The current time and date are displayed in the top left corner of the screen, along with a bright yellow circle that begins to fill up as you get closer to reaching your step target for the day. The tracker can be woken up by pressing along the bottom of the screen or by elevating your wrist; swiping up allows you to navigate through the tracker’s different features. This includes notifications, exercise, and a variety of auxiliary tasks in addition to showing your status, which displays your daily activity numbers.
As was previously indicated, Cor is also monitoring your physical activity. This encompasses activities such as walking, jogging, biking, and swimming. The time, the number of calories that have been expended, the current heart rate, and the heart rate zone are displayed on the activity screen. When you push and hold the bottom of the screen for an extended period of time, the activity will pause, and you will then be given the option to either stop working out or continue it. After your workout is over, the monitor will also show you your HRmean and HRmax numbers.
The associated mobile application for mobile devices provides access to the statistics in greater detail. The tracker is compatible with the MiFit app, which can be downloaded on devices running the Apple iOS or Google Android operating system. After opening the application, the Bluetooth pairing will begin immediately and on its own. The data will sync after a period of roughly 30 seconds has passed.
The software is quite feature-rich, user-friendly, and polished, and it offers a wide variety of customizable choices for performing in-depth analysis of your statistics. Those who are addicted to data should feel most comfortable here. The software also works with Apple Health and Google Fit, so you can link the information about your steps and sleep to other things you do on your device.
There is an “everyday overview” page that you see when you first log in. If you tap on pretty much any measure, you’ll be taken through a series of further screens that organize your data by date, week, and month. The program has a clean interface and does a satisfactory job of showcasing your recent activities.
However, statistics on their own are not very useful. Because of this, the app will provide coaching recommendations and pointers. It will analyze your tendencies and select intriguing pieces of information to bring to your attention. In addition, comparisons are made to users who are the same age and gender as the examined population. This is especially helpful because it provides you with a general idea of the areas in which you could focus your attempts to become better.
You will receive information regarding the quality of your deep sleep, light sleep, and awake time, in addition to an overall score for your daily sleep. In addition, the program will give you lots of quality assessments, such as, “You went to sleep late” or “Deep sleep duration is very short,” among other things. If you give each of these suggestions some thought after reading them, you will find that they are all helpful.
The accuracy of the data was probably the aspect that struck me as most surprising. While I was putting both watches through their paces, I kept the very pricey Garmin Forerunner 935 on my left wrist and the more affordable Cor on my right. On the majority of days, the difference in step count was less than 100. The highest it got was somewhere around 200. The average resting heart rate that Cor recorded for me was 55 beats per minute, which is higher than the 51 beats per minute that Forerunner recorded. The only half of the puzzle that was somewhat incorrect was the sleep data, which is not surprising given how difficult it is to accurately measure sleep via a wrist monitor.
The accuracy of the heart rate sensor, which I used while I was working out, was probably the thing that astonished me the most. After keeping track of my heart rate over two separate runs, I found that both times resulted in exactly the same average heart rate, even though the highest pulse rate was subtly different. The fact that the Cor does not come equipped with a built-in GPS means that you will not be able to obtain comprehensive maps of your trips. But taking into consideration the cost, that is most likely to be expected.
There is also not that much in the way of community or rivalry features, unlike in some other mobile applications. You also have the ability to add contacts and examine information about their sleep and activity, but that’s about all you can do with it at this point.
In terms of non-fitness capabilities, the Cor activity tracker enables access to phone calls, texts, and other push notifications just like the majority of linked fitness trackers. A seven-day weather forecast, alarms, a timer, a stopwatch, and settings that allow you to change the watch faces, alter the screen brightness and include a function that allows you to “locate your phone” are all included.
Review of the Amazfit Cor: Concluding Thoughts
The most recent fitness tracker released by Huami undoubtedly has a lot going for it. You can take this high-tech wearable device with you anywhere you go, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. When worn, Cor has a very sturdy feel despite just weighing 32 grams, and it is clear that it was constructed with longevity in mind. Regarding the design, the only thing I would change is for the manufacturer to go with a traditional watch clasp instead of the pop studs and the little ring. However, this could just be a matter of personal opinion.
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The fitness band offers everything that is necessary for an ordinary individual in terms of monitoring their activity around the clock. It is not particularly complicated, but it does the job well enough and functions without any problems. The precision of the information, and the fact that it’s not something you would expect to find in a wearable device with such a low price tag, is probably what shocks people the most. The one sensor that is lacking is an altimeter for tracking levels, although, for the majority of users, this probably will not make a difference.
The Cor is an excellent choice if you want a hassle-free activity tracker that can withstand splashes and rain, has a long battery life and comes with respectable software. It holds up extremely well when compared to the other options, and it is undeniably something that should be taken into consideration. If you are an avid runner or workout enthusiast, a device that already has a GPS built-in could be a wiser choice for you.
