The Amazfit Active Max is a sophisticated fitness smartwatch that scores with an exceptionally long battery life, a bright AMOLED display and a comprehensive sensor package. And all for just under 170 euros. Anyone looking for a robust sports watch with numerous sensors without wanting to spend a small fortune on it will find a serious candidate in the Active Max. However, there are also weaknesses and we take a close look at these in the test.
Technical data of the Amazfit Active Max
| Product name | Active Max |
| Operating system compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3, BLE, GPS (dual band and 6 satellite positioning systems), NFC, WiFi 2.4 GHz, |
| Features | Accelerometer, Gyroscope sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Barometric altimeter, Ambient light sensor, Temperature sensor, Blood oxygen |
| Display | AMOLED (1.5 inch, 480 x 480 pixels, 322 PPI) up to 3,000 nits |
| Battery life | up to 25 days |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 48.5 x 48.5 x 12.2mm |
| weight | 39.5 g (without wristband) |
| Water resistance level | 5 ATM |
| Price | € 163.76 * |
Amazfit Active Max test: design and workmanship
First things first: The Amazfit Active Max is not made for petite wrists. With a case diameter of 48.5 mm, a height of 12.2 mm and a weight of 39.5 grams, it is a real chunk on the arm and, depending on your perspective, this is either its biggest feature or its biggest problem. If you have narrower wrists, you should definitely take a look at the device first. We’re talking Apple Watch Ultra or Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 size here.
The case itself is made of a combination of aluminum alloy (case and buttons) and plastic (back with metallic coating). To be honest, this is the point where you can most clearly feel that you are not holding a premium device in your hand. The higher-priced Amazfit models such as the T-Rex 3 Pro or the Balance 2 come with titanium and sapphire glass. The Active Max has to make do with mineral glass. That’s not a big deal, but it’s a difference you should be aware of.
What surprised me positively, however, was the quality of the workmanship in everyday use: solid gaps, no rattling buttons, no cheap creaking. The silicone strap with its many small ventilation holes is breathable and can be precisely adjusted to different wrist sizes thanks to the many grid points. A real advantage in my eyes. Hardly any other smartwatch fits so precisely and comfortably. At least for me.
The bezel design deserves a positive mention: a 24-hour scale adorns the edge, which is discreetly integrated into the glass and gives the whole thing a sporty but not obtrusive character.
Equipment and features of the Active Max
The features of the Amazfit Active Max are impressively comprehensive for a street price of just under 170 euros. At its heart is a 1.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 × 480 pixels and a pixel density of 323 PPI – sharp fonts, rich colors, no pixelated mush. The peak brightness of 3,000 nits is a real eye-catcher and enables very good readability even in direct sunlight. However, there is a small limitation here: as soon as the battery falls below 30 %, the watch automatically reduces the maximum brightness. This may be accepted as a cost-saving measure, but it is occasionally noticeable in everyday use.
An always-on display (AOD) is also on board. Anyone who wants to see the time at a quick glance without having to turn their wrist will appreciate this feature. Of course, it costs battery power. And not just a little, but more on that later.
On the sensor side, there is little to complain about: accelerometer, barometer, GPS receiver, gyroscope, compass, optical heart rate sensor and temperature sensor are all included. The GPS supports five satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS) – but only on one frequency. If you need dual-frequency GPS, as offered by the more expensive siblings T-Rex 3 Pro and Balance 2, you will have to dig deeper into your pocket. However, this is not a problem for most everyday sports enthusiasts.
In terms of connectivity, the Active Max offers Bluetooth and NFC for contactless payment. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, is completely missing, as is an LTE option or a built-in ECG module. For longer outdoor adventures away from civilization, it also lacks barometric weather warnings and satellite emergency calls, such as those offered by premium Garmin models. However, the features are absolutely sufficient for ambitious beginners and recreational athletes.
The internal memory is 4 GB. This is a drastic increase compared to the predecessor Active 2. There was only around 180 MB of free memory available. Now offline maps, music, watch faces and third-party apps can live together on the watch without having to constantly weigh up what has space and what does not.
Reliable button and touch control
The Amazfit Active Max’s controls combine two physical buttons with a touchscreen. The top button opens the main menu and also serves as a back button to the watch face. The lower button is assigned quick access to the sports profiles. Both buttons have a slight knurling that improves tactile feedback. Operation is flawless, even when wearing gloves.
The Zepp OS operating system runs smoothly. Swipe left and right to navigate between the widget pages, swipe down to access notifications and swipe up to open the control center with quick settings such as do not disturb, sleep mode, flashlight and the device search feature. This is intuitive and very pleasant to use after a short familiarization period.
There is one small point of criticism: The scroll sensitivity is not uniform within the system. The app list reacts very sensitively to swipe gestures. In the settings, however, the sensitivity is noticeably more muted. This inconsistency is a little annoying in the long run, especially because it cannot be adjusted.
The AI assistant Zepp Flow is quickly activated with a click of a button and understands requests in German perfectly. However, the output is in English, which is a bit annoying. However, the feature is still useful for calendar entries, voice notes and web searches directly from the watch and is unusual for this price range.
Android users can respond to notifications with predefined answers or via a QWERTY keyboard. Speech-to-text is also possible, but works more reliably in English than in German. iPhone users are somewhat limited: Replying directly to messages via the watch is not possible on iOS, but most other functions are.
Call notifications can be displayed with an adjustable delay – for example, only after three seconds. This is practical for anyone who has their phone to hand anyway and doesn’t want it to vibrate on their wrist every time they receive a call. This is a small detail, but it shows that Amazfit really thinks for itself.
Amazfit Active Max battery life: the star of the show
Let’s move on to perhaps the Amazfit Active Max’s strongest argument: the battery. Amazfit claims up to 25 days in smartwatch mode with reduced measurement functions. In the real test with the always-on display activated, continuous blood oxygen measurement and sleep tracking, the watch lasted a good 10 days, which roughly corresponds to the manufacturer’s specification for intensive use. If you switch off the AoD, the runtime can be extended by another three to four days.
What really impressed me: According to the manufacturer, the battery lasts up to 64 hours with GPS switched on. If you also play music, you still get around 22 hours of GPS runtime. These are values that are usually only found in much more expensive outdoor smartwatches. Compared to its predecessor Active 2 with around 21 hours of GPS runtime, this is a considerable improvement.
Amazfit has also been unusually transparent when specifying the battery life for intensive use: The associated usage parameters are broken down very specifically. Including the number of notifications, training sessions, NFC payments and calls per week.
Charging takes place via a proprietary magnetic charging cable with a USB-C connection on the other side. The Active Max uses the same charging puck as the Helio Strap (our test), for example.
App connection: The Zepp app
The Zepp app, which is used to configure the watch and view all health data, is extensive. Perhaps even too extensive for beginners. Anyone who likes to immerse themselves in graphs and analyze every sleep cycle, every heart rate variability and every stress value in detail will be happy here. Those looking for a lean, uncluttered app experience might be overwhelmed by the density of information at first.
Highlights of the app include the AI-powered sleep routine (you can even enter what you did before bed – e.g. read or played – and the AI calculates individual sleep metrics from this), the BioCharge system (a combined vitality score from 0-100 that summarizes physical and mental recovery) and Zepp Coach, which creates individual training plans based on your fitness level.
The Zepp app can also be connected to Apple Health, Google Health, Strava, Komoot and Adidas Running – which should cover the most important platforms for most athletes. Over 400 additional mini-apps can be downloaded from the integrated app store, including meditation tools, focus timers and travel utilities.
Amazfit Active Max in a practical test
After several weeks of intensive everyday use, including strength training, cardio, cycling, hiking and daily sleep tracking, I can say that the Active Max delivers really good measurement results for its price.
The GPS accuracy remains at a remarkable level. In comparison with a Pixel Watch 4, there are no major deviations when tracking laps in a confined space. A pleasing performance for a watch in this price range with single-frequency GPS.
In an urban environment or under tree cover, the accuracy naturally decreases somewhat, but remains perfectly practical for training recordings.
The optical heart rate measurement is impressive at rest and during steady endurance runs.
However, during intensive interval training with rapid heart rate changes up and down, the optical sensor occasionally lags significantly behind. Here, for example, my Pixel Watch 4 delivers faster and more accurate results. Especially as the Active Max’s automatic activity recognition does not always work flawlessly.
When running on the treadmill, it took around 11 minutes for the smartwatch to detect any activity at all. Instead of 20 minutes, only around nine minutes were recorded. Annoying. The same was true of my subsequent strength training session, during which only around 41 minutes (out of 60) were recorded. Amazfit still has room for improvement here.
The one-tap measurement function is worth mentioning: a single press of a button starts a simultaneous measurement of heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, stress level and breathing rate. This is practical and fast, even if the measured values are of course no substitute for a medical diagnosis. But it works just as well as Huawei’s.
The Active Max supports over 170 sports profiles. From running and cycling to swimming (water-resistant up to 5 ATM) and more exotic disciplines such as dragon boating, shoveling or square dancing.
If you need running data, you get the full package: cadence, stride length, vertical oscillation, ground contact time, running performance in real time, heart rate zones and more. In this respect, the Active Max hardly differs from the significantly more expensive models.
The PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) system is one of my favorite features: Based on training intensity and duration, the watch awards daily points. According to a long-term study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology with over 230,000 participants over 35 years, people with a PAI score of 100 or more are said to have a lower risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Believe it or not, as a motivational tool PAI works brilliantly.
What’s missing: ECG measurement, fall detection, satellite emergency call and barometric weather warnings. If you need these features, you’ll have to turn to the premium competition from Garmin or Apple.
Amazfit Active Max Review: Conclusion
The Amazfit Active Max is a smartwatch that knows exactly what it is and does it very well. It is not a Garmin killer, an Apple Watch alternative for eco-system fans or a luxury watch. It is a large, durable mid-range all-rounder for just under 170 euros.
What makes it really good: the battery life is simply exceptional for this price. The display is bright, sharp and beautiful to look at. The sensors usually deliver reliable values in everyday use. The range of functions exceeds what you would expect for this money. What it doesn’t do so well: The scroll sensitivity is inconsistent. The AI assistant responds in English, even if you ask in German, and the automatic workout recognition only works poorly. And if you need an ECG, fall protection or real adventure GPS features, you’ll have to invest more.
So who is the Amazfit Active Max made for? For ambitious recreational athletes who are looking for a reliable, well-equipped smartwatch that can last for weeks without charging. For anyone who wants a larger round display case and is not prepared to spend 400 euros or more on it.
- Powerful battery
- Great display
- Precise sensors
- Attractive price
- Very bulky
- Automatic tracking inaccurate
- No rotating crown
- Software problems
Amazfit Active Max
Workmanship
Everyday use
Sport functions
Battery
Value For Money
88/100
Durable, versatile and reliable fitness smartwatch at an attractive price. The ideal choice for price-conscious users looking for a complete package.
