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Amazfit CES 2020 lineup includes crazy cheap AirPods rival and new smartwatches

Published: Jan 08, 2020, 5:20 AM

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Amazfit PowerBuds

Even though Amazfit is not exactly what we'd call a household name in the global wearable device industry, the Huami-owned brand has developed a pretty substantial following in the US of late with feature-packed and incredibly affordable products like the Verge, Verge Lite, Bip, GTR, and Stratos smartwatches.

Confusingly enough, the China-based company behind all these Amazfit-branded devices is in no way connected to Huawei... or Amazon, for that matter. But Huami is one of the world's largest manufacturer of smart wearable devices, partnering with Xiaomi on the crazy popular Mi Band line of fitness trackers.

It shouldn't be that surprising therefore that the company has taken the ongoing 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by storm, unveiling a very interesting contender for Apple's market-leading AirPods, a somewhat unusual pair of "companion" earbuds, as well as two new smartwatches.

Amazfit PowerBuds and ZenBuds - features, pricing, and availability

There are so many true wireless earbuds being announced practically every week nowadays that it's virtually impossible to distinguish the truly special ones from the bland and unremarkable AirPods copycats. But the hot new AmazFit PowerBuds have at least two big things going for them that few other TWS (true wireless stereo) headphones can currently match.

We're talking first and foremost about a built-in heart rate sensor that not only monitors the state of your "ticker" continuously, also providing real-time "status updates" and alerts right in your ear. Secondly, the PowerBuds are purportedly capable of keeping the tunes going for a solid eight hours on a single charge, with a sleek portable magnetic charging box bumping up that number to an almost mind-blowing 24 hours. In comparison, Apple is touting a mediocre 5 hours of uninterrupted listening time for the $249 AirPods Pro, although a wireless charging case sold as standard alongside those bad boys raises the endurance bar to "more than 24 hours."

Of course, the PowerBuds are significantly cheaper, at a suggested retail price of $100, launching in February with a weight of only 7 grams per bud, removable magnetic sport ear hooks included, and an overall design more closely resembling Amazon's Echo Buds than the AirPods family.

Meanwhile, the Amazfit ZenBuds are curiously without a release schedule or price point, although that's far from the only curious thing about these "soothing companion" earbuds. Bizarrely enough, the ZenBuds (which is a name we kind of expected Asus to use sooner or later) are not meant to play music or anything else besides "soothing sounds" before you go to sleep.

Said sounds automatically turn off once you actually fall asleep, and the ZenBuds will then wake you "gently" with a "personal alarm" after blocking all surrounding noise to improve the quality of your rest. Naturally, said sleep quality will be closely monitored, along with your heart rate, body position, and movement, all without you having to worry about the battery life for up to 12 hours between charges.

Amazfit T-Rex and Bip S smartwatches

As the name suggests, the Bip S is not entirely new, following in the footsteps of the Amazfit Bip and Bip Lite with a "colorful transflective" display, an incredible 40-day battery endurance rating, a lightweight (and fairly rudimentary) design, a weight of 30 grams, top-notch water resistance, built-in GPS functionality, and a "revolutionary" indicator of personal activity.

Obviously, the Bip S doesn't come with Wear OS software or many of the advanced features needed to be considered a serious Apple Watch rival, but we're pretty certain the price will be right. The original Amazfit Bip normally costs a measly 80 bucks, and the Bip S is unlikely to be much pricier when it hits stores next month.

Last but by no means least, the T-Rex is set for a commercial rollout later this month at a reasonable price of $140 with a robust set of features and an even more robust build. This bad boy is military-certified to withstand extreme temperatures, as well as other harsh outdoor conditions, while still sporting a sharp 1.3-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels and always-on functionality.

Protected against water immersion up to 50 meters deep, the Amazfit T-Rex doesn't run Wear OS either, but it does also come with an optical heart rate sensor, GPS, Glonass, sleep monitoring features, and up to 20 days of battery life (with most of those features switched off). Not bad for a lower price than the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active or Fitbit Versa 2.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.