Amazfit Active Max review: The best budget smartwatch of 2026?

Amazfit is the king of budget-friendly fitness trackers. This may be a very bold statement, true, but we are standing fully behind it — we have reviewed enough of the company’s wearables to know that they offer excellent value for money.

Take the Amazfit Active, for example. This unassuming smartwatch costs less than $90, but it has enough features to rival devices three times its price. In fact, we liked this model so much that we included it in our guides to both the best fitness trackers and the best budget fitness trackers. That said, the Amazfit Active may need to concede its position now that we have our hands on something even better — the Amazfit Active Max.

Design-wise, the Amazfit Active Max is a huge step up from the Active model — both in terms of its looks and its functionality. It is more durable, more customizable and richer in features, and can last up to 25 days on a single charge. Plus, it comes with a brighter 1.5-inch AMOLED display and over 170 workout modes.

All that, and it costs only $169.99. Needless to say, we were excited to put the Amazfit Active Max through its paces.

Amazfit Active Max smartwatch review

Amazfit Active Max: Design

• Relatively well built and scratch-resistant
• Comfortable to wear all day
• Removable silicone straps allow for customization

Design-wise, the Amazfit Active Max beats the Amazfit Active on all counts. It is beefier, more intuitive to use, arguably better-looking, and if our experience is anything to go by, more comfortable to wear. What's more, this smartwatch comes with detachable straps, meaning it is slightly more customizable than its older counterpart. We also liked that the Amazfit Active Max did not catch on clothing, aggravate the skin or overload our wrist in any way.

That's not to say this smartwatch is designed to perfection, but rather that any infractions are pretty minor. For example, this smartwatch is only available in black and with just one screen size. This means that individuals with petite wrists or very muscular arms (or simply those who fancy something more colorful) may not find the Amazfit Active Max a particularly good fit. However, we would not consider this a deal-breaker when talking about such an affordable fitness tracker.

Besides, you can still add a personal touch to your Amazfit Active Max. There are plenty of replacement straps available online, and they are far less expensive than similar accessories from more high-end brands. For example, you can get a simple silicone band for as little as $5, while some of the more stylish nylon or faux leather straps tend to cost under $20. To put this into perspective, Whoop can charge as much as $49 for one of its official replacement straps.

Build quality also scored highly in our books. We tested the Amazfit Active Max for over a month, during which time we frequently exposed it to harsh winter conditions and close contact with steel gym equipment. The result? Not a single scratch, nor any other wear-and-tear damage.

This is somewhat surprising, given that this smartwatch is crafted from aluminium alloy (a material that is far less robust and durable than titanium, for example) and has no Sapphire crystal or Gorilla glass for added protection on the screen. While the Amazfit Active Max may not be tough enough to withstand extremely harsh conditions, it should not fall apart at the earliest convenience, either.

This Amazfit Active Max also proved impervious to rain and sweat. This smartwatch is rated 5ATM for water resistance, meaning it can be safely taken swimming in shallow waters or worn in the shower. This does mean it is not waterproof enough for high-speed water sports or freediving, but again, this is not something we would complain about at such a budget-friendly price.

Amazfit Active Max: Display

• Bright 1.5-inch AMOLED screen
• Easy-to-read, responsive touchscreen
• Plenty of free watch faces in the Zepp app

The Amazfit Active Max features a bright 1.5-inch AMOLED display. It looks slightly more colorful and vibrant than the screen used in the older Active model, even though the specs of the two displays are not that far apart. We suspect that the improved screen visibility may have something to do with the differences in glass layer design between these two models. The one in the Active was overly thick and chunky, while the one in the Active Max is visibly sleeker and generally easier to read through.

All in all, we found this display easy to read and navigate. The touchscreen was responsive, but not overly so (rain droplets did not tend to activate it by accident, for example), and the smartwatch did not ever lag during complex tasks. True, the Amazfit Active Max does have a slight tendency to collect fingerprint marks, but that is something we frequently see in AMOLEDs anyway.

The extensive watch face customization deserves a special mention here. The Amazfit Active Max offers dozens of free “skins,” has countless more available to purchase and even allows you to create custom watch faces using your own pictures. We liked that — there is enough diversity to suit the aesthetic demands of most people, and there are far more options available than we would expect from a budget-friendly fitness tracker anyway.

Amazfit Active Max: Features

• Wide range of health and fitness stats
• Single-band GPS, compass and altimeter
• Basic smartwatch capabilities

The Amazfit Active Max genuinely surprised us with its wide range of features. This smartwatch offers way more than other wearables at this price point, and it is versatile enough to be worn practically everywhere. It can keep you company in the gym, on a running track and even while grocery shopping or camping.

Starting with the health stats, this smartwatch measures all the essentials, including heart rate, HRV (heart rate variability), sleep, stress, skin temperature, steps and movement. It also tracks some of the more advanced metrics — for example, training load, sleep apnea risk and PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence, a point-based measurement of one's level of physiological exertion). All collected data points are then available to view in the subscription-free Zepp app.

We have said it before, but we will say it again — we like the Zepp app. It may not have the depth and complexity of the Suunto or Garmin Connect apps, for example, but it is easy to understand and very accessible to beginners. All metrics are presented clearly and explained in sufficient detail, with no complex terminology or unnecessary bits of information that add no practical value to the user.

We also like that the Zepp app’s personalized lifestyle tips tend to hit the mark — they are typically very actionable and genuinely helpful, and could be especially beneficial for those new to exercise.

Speaking of beginner-friendly features, the Active Max is the first Amazfit wearable to introduce the BioCharge score. This novel metric replaces the traditional Readiness score, providing a more well-rounded assessment of one's "internal battery" based on sleep, HRV, stress and recorded activity levels. It may not be the most accurate or "science-y" method of depicting one's post-exercise recovery, but again, it is designed more to help casual exercisers make sense of their fitness stats than to guide a professional athlete.

Moving on to workout modes, the Amazfit Active Max comes with over 170 different activities, including the "classics" such as strength training, mountain biking and combat sports, as well as some of the more novel or niche activities — HYROX training or snow shoveling, for example. Eight activities can be detected automatically, and these include walking, running and swimming. From our experience, this automatic workout detection is not flawless (it hardly ever is in fitness trackers), but it is accurate enough to keep your activity logs in relative order.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Amazfit Active Max is its AI-driven Zepp Coach. If you are not sure what to do on any given day, this chat box can act as your pocket-sized personal trainer, providing you with lifestyle guidance and personalized workout plans — yet another feature that can benefit exercise beginners.

Moreover, the Amazfit Active Max comes with a good selection of outdoor-oriented features, such as built-in GPS, compass, altimeter and a large selection of offline maps, as well as most of the basic smartwatch capabilities. For example, it can do voice commands, reply to your text messages, connect to third-party devices (such as a camera, cadence meter or speedometer) and even pay for your shopping using the Zepp Pay app feature.

Amazfit Active Max: Performance

• Long battery life
• Fairly accurate heart rate measurements
• Some workout logs may not be entirely accurate

The Amazfit Active Max delivers solid performance through and through. While it is not the most accurate or longest-lasting smartwatch we have ever tested, it is reliable enough to suit most people's needs and preferences. Besides, it does seem to perform better than many other fitness trackers in this affordable price range anyway.

According to the manufacturer, the Amazfit Active Max lasts up to 25 days in smartwatch mode, 10 days with Always-on and 64 hours with continuous GPS usage — and we can confirm that this is largely true. While the GPS mode seemed to be draining the battery slightly faster than indicated, it was not by a particularly huge margin. All in all, this unassuming smartwatch is a real workhorse, making it a good option for long trips, camping and endurance sporting events.

The Amazfit Active Max also does a relatively good job with its tracking accuracy, particularly when it comes to heart rate measurements. During one workout, we wore both the smartwatch and a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor in order to compare the data collected by these two devices. The differences between the readings were not overly significant, and even when our heart rate reached around 150 bpm (the level at which most fitness trackers start struggling with accuracy), the Amazfit Active Max still managed to be relatively reliable — on average, only 10 bpm off what the Polar H9 detected.

The Amazfit Active Max’s sleep quality assessments, stress levels and training load measurements were also relatively accurate. Calories burned, on the other hand, seemed way off the mark — but then this measurement is notoriously difficult to calculate properly, and even some of the more expensive smartwatches tend to fail at capturing it properly.

Step count and certain workout logs (such as your stroke rate in indoor rowing, or sets and reps in strength training, for example) also seemed to be slightly imprecise. The Amazfit Active Max appeared to consistently underestimate or miscalculate our movements, albeit not to a huge extent. Still, it is something we would take into account if tracking workouts in precise, painstaking detail was our priority.

Finally, the GPS tracking. It is not bad, but it is not great either — and that is because it is only single-band. For general purposes, single-band GPS should work well for most people. If you want to be more precise with your distances and geo-tracking, however, you may be better off with a device equipped with dual- or multi-band GPS.

Amazfit Active Max: User reviews

At the time of writing this review, the Amazfit Active Max had been on the market for less than a month. As such, the user reviews for this model were still relatively sparse. The initial testimonials appeared to be largely positive, though — on Amazon, for example, this smartwatch was rated at a solid 4.6 out of 5 stars.

The Amazfit Active Max tended to be praised for its visually appealing design, long battery life, useful features and good value for money. As one customer commented: "Had a Garmin Fenix 6X Pro for 4 years and while it is a great watch, it was more than I needed. Decided to give Amazfit a chance and saw this new release. Honestly, I could not be happier with it. It does everything I need and more! Also, I like the app better than Garmin Connect. I would never have slept in my Fenix, it's a very heavy watch, I sleep with this one without any issue at all."

Negative reviews, though few and far between, focused predominantly on individual faulty units and a "cluttered" display. One user said: "They really need an overhaul on their user interface. It just looks cheap compared to Samsung. Also the free watch faces are a joke and the paid ones aren't much better. Wore it for a few days and returned it."

Should you buy the Amazfit Active Max smartwatch?

The Amazfit Active Max has nearly everything a casual exerciser may need or want, and is way more affordable than similarly designed smartwatches from more high-end brands. True, it does not have an ultra-durable design or sophisticated workout logs, but then this is not something we would expect from a fitness tracker at such a low price point.

✅ Buy it if: You are a casual exerciser looking for a good-quality, versatile smartwatch that does not cost a fortune.

❌ Do not buy it if: You want something sturdier, bigger and/or more geared towards outdoor activities in extreme environmental conditions.

Amazfit Active Max: Related products

The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is a great alternative to the Amazfit Active Max, especially for beginner and casual exercisers. Both of these smartwatches are relatively similar in design, functionality and tracking performance, but the former comes in a wider range of colors and is compatible with more third-party apps. That said, it is also nearly twice as expensive — the Garmin Vivoactive 6 costs approximately $299 and is rarely on sale.

If you are looking for something more durable and waterproof than the Amazfit Active Max or Garmin Vivoactive 6, consider the Amazfit T-Rex 3. This smartwatch can sustain the water pressure of up to 328 feet (100 meters), meaning it can easily withstand open-water swimming, snorkeling and high-speed water sports, plus it is certified for freediving up to 45 meters. The best part? It only costs $100 more than the Amazfit Active Max.

Want something even more budget-friendly? Then you can't go wrong with the Xiaomi Smart Band 10. For less than $50, this fitness tracker offers comprehensive tracking features, an exceptionally sleek design and up to a whopping 21 days of battery life. However, it is nowhere near as rugged and smartwatch-like as the Amazfit Active Max.

Amazfit Active Max: How we tested

We spent over a month trying and testing the Amazfit Active Max, looking into its design, features, day-to-day tracking performance, battery life, ease of use and value for money. We wore this smartwatch during the day, while sleeping and when doing a range of activities, from indoor rowing and high-intensity strength training to dancing and hiking outdoors. Finally, we compared the heart rate measurements taken by the Amazfit Active Max with the data we obtained using a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor.