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While there have been no official UK stockings the Amazfit range of watches has been immensely popular in the UK. These very affordable watches have offered most of the functionality you want from a smartwatch while providing superb battery life and they are typically less than a quarter of the cost. The only minor downside is that there was not a smartwatch with a proper operating system underneath meaning the functionality of the watch was set. Similar to feature phones from years ago.
Xiaomi Huami has now announced the Amazfit Verge which is possibly the cheapest proper smartwatch to ever be released at just £130, which is quite a big difference than the £400 needed for the latest Apple Watch.
The Amazfit Verge has a circular 1.3-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 x 360. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and the watch’s body is 46g heavy and 12.6mm thick. It’s powered by Huami’s own operating system called MI8. Unlike the new wearable chips from Apple and Qualcomm, this has a dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM, which may be a little underpowered for bloated operating systems but the Huami version should run fine.
When it comes to features, the Amazfit Verge has just about everything you could ask for — including:
- NFC for mobile payments via AliPay
- Built-in GPS
- Heart-rate sensor
- IP68 waterproofing
- Xiao voice assistant
- Integration with Mija smart home ecosystem
The biggest selling point is the claimed 5-days of battery life on a single charge making this much more functional for daily wear.
The official pricing is CNY 800 (£88) but with the various markups applied by Aliexpress, we will have to fork out £130
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
