Hands-on demo of Amazfit’s V1tal camera reveals surprising accuracy

Zepp Health’s Amazfit V1tal food camera made a brief but memorable appearance at CES 2026. I covered the reveal earlier this month, but now we’ve got a better sense of how it actually works thanks to a hands-on demo from Chase the Summit.

Let’s make this clear at the outset – the device is still firmly in prototype territory. There’s no release date or pricing and no firm plans to bring it to market. But what it does represent is a glimpse into the company’s broader ambitions for AI-driven nutrition tracking.

A closer look at the Vital prototype

The unit shown off in the video is roughly the size of an old flip phone, though quite a bit chunkier. It unfolds via a hinge to reveal a small embedded camera module, some LEDs and a live preview screen. There are tactile buttons on the base, a USB-C charging port and a clunky magnetic stand that props it up on a table. The outer casing feels more like a test shell than anything close to final hardware.

Check out the video below.

What’s surprising is that the interface appears to borrow heavily from Zepp Health’s existing watch OS. You get familiar menu options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, display, and sound. The main feature, however, is “Dining Mode.” Once tapped, the camera extends and activates, ready to scan your meal.

When placed next to a plate of food, the device records both a visual analysis and a time-lapse of the eating process. After finishing, the user can close the camera, triggering an upload to the Zepp Health app. Within moments, a breakdown appears showing estimated calories, macros and a short AI-generated coaching insight based on what was eaten, how fast it was consumed, ignoring what was left behind.

The software goes as far as to recommend meal adjustments for balance, taking into account things like protein deficiency or overreliance on processed carbs. In Chase the Summit’s test, it correctly identified everything on the plate. The cherry tomatoes, a avocado, orange and a handful of crackers. The calorie estimate landed surprisingly close to real-world expectations.

This is more than a nutrition gimmick

As I noted in my original article, the Amazfit Vital camera seems less about the hardware itself and more about developing a next-gen food tracking engine. Zepp Health already offers food logging inside the Zepp Health app, but this approach layers in automatic visual recognition, time-based insights and AI-generated feedback.

The prototype adds a clear behavioural component too. It doesn’t just measure what you ate, but how you ate it. That ties in with Zepp Health’s recent emphasis on health-span and readiness scoring in their Balance and Active watch lines. There’s a clear ambition here to extend biometric coaching into everyday habits without relying entirely on manual input.

During the CES briefing, Zepp Health’s reps hinted that this may not be a standalone device forever. One idea floated was embedding similar camera tech into smart glasses, which would remove the awkwardness of table-mounted hardware. Something like that would make more sense, as it would not disrupt mealtime routines.

The road ahead is unclear, but the intent is not

This kind of product is unlikely to hit the market in its current form. The hardware is too niche for daily use. But the software behind it? That feels like the real play.

Zepp Health seems to be testing the waters for a more ambient, feedback-driven approach to nutrition tracking. It’s not hard to imagine future Amazfit devices incorporating some version of this feature – perhaps through the camera on your phone or smart glasses.

For now, the Vital camera remains a quirky, unfinished glimpse at what’s possible. But it also suggests that food tracking, long stuck in barcode-scanning limbo, might be on the verge of something a bit smarter.

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