Huami reveals Amazfit Pace 2 smartwatch

Huami has revealed two versions of the new Amazfit Pace 2 smartwatch. The device is available in China from today, with international availability to be announced soon.

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The first generation smartwatch was launched this time last year. The inexpensive device was very impressive on the hardware front, but it left much to be desired on the software side. The fact that it was released without a good native app was baffling to many. It meant that you were reliant on the watch itself to review much of the fitness data.

The next generation timepiece takes the built-in GPS, continuous heart rate tracking, and on board storage for music from the previous device and upgrades it with some new features. This time around you’ll get a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of storage (of which 2 GB is usable), 5 ATM water resistance (bumped up from IP67), improved heart-rate tracking and a new swim mode.

In fact, the watch recognizes if you are in open water or not, which is something we have not seen to date. In total, there are 11 built-in sport profiles including a new mountaineering mode, as well as some more advanced Firstbeat performance metrics such as Vo2Max, Training Effect and more.

Battery life is pretty much unchanged. The 280 mAh Li-Po battery has enough juice to keep going for 5 days on a single charge, and 35 hours with GPS switched on.

In addition to waterproofing, there are couple of other changes on the design front. The watch is still round, but it now comes with a 316L stainless steel finish combined with other materials such as carbon fiber to provide the lightest weight possible. Version 2 has three physical buttons with which to interact, in addition to the always-on 1.34-inch, LCD touch-screen (320 x 300 pixels resolution).

In terms of smartwatch features you’ll find AliPay, smartphone notifications, music and camera control, time, alarm, reminders and more. Amazfit Pace 2 can also be used to control smart appliances around your home.

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There is a standard version of the watch and a premium 2S version which sports a reinforced leather strap and a 2.5 sapphire crystal top. The first one is available in China now with the second one set to land on January 9th. In terms of price, the lower spec edition will go for around $140 and the premium one for just under $200. You can check-out the official slide-show below.

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