Which Amazfit Watches Are Actually Waterproof?

If you're in the market for a waterproof smartwatch, Amazfit is one of the cheap smartwatch brands worth considering, as it offers modern wearable features without sacrificing water resistance. In fact, all the Amazfit watches sold on the brand's website are waterproof. However, how well each Amazfit watch handles water largely depends on the model — you can't just take any of them out for a pool day willy-nilly.

In the brand's lineup, the T-Rex and Balance series offer the highest water-resistance rating. These smartwatches have a 10 ATM water resistance, so you can bring them to your free diving and scuba diving excursions. Meanwhile, the Cheetah, Active, Bip, Helio Strap, and Helio Core series all come with a lower 5 ATM water resistance, making them waterproof for lighter activities.

But what exactly does "ATM" mean, and how can you tell which water resistance rating is okay for specific water activities?

Smartwatch manufacturers use different nomenclatures to indicate the water resistance of their models. For Amazfit, you'll only see the ATM rating, which is short for atmospheres, a known unit of measurement for pressure. ATM means the device can handle the water pressure at a certain depth. One atmosphere equals 32.8 feet (10 meters) of water pressure, 2 ATM is 65.6 feet (20 meters), 3 ATM is 98.4 feet (30 meters), and so on. The higher the ATM rating, the better the watch's protection against water exposure.

Amazfit watches are rated at 5 ATM and 10 ATM. This means they're designed to withstand water pressure at 164 feet (50 meters) and 328 feet (100 meters). But that doesn't necessarily mean you could use your watch 328 feet underwater. ATM ratings are measured in a controlled environment, for 10 minutes, with no movement. Since real-life use is easily much more demanding, the actual water depth you can safely use the smartwatches in is not as high.

For instance, cheap Amazfit smartwatches like the Bip 6 with 5 ATM can only be exposed to snow, rain, and splashes. So, activities are limited to showering, swimming, water polo, water skiing, and winter workouts like downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, and sledding. Meanwhile, 10 ATM smartwatches like the T-Rex 3 Pro are capable of tolerating more than just rain, splashes, or snow, and they can also be used for diving and high-speed water sports. This includes both outdoor and indoor free diving up to 45 meters (50 meters for the T-Rex Dual Solar), scuba diving, spearfishing, snorkeling, tubing, and wakesurfing.

Besides ATM, you'll see different water resistance ratings mentioned in the tech specs of other brands. Samsung uses Ingress Protection (IP) rating, which is the same as the IP rating you see on phones. This usually appears as "IP" followed by two numbers. For instance, the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is rated at IP69K, while the Galaxy Watch9 has a rating of IP68.

The first number in the IP rating is for dust resistance, while the second number tells the water resistance. Like the ATM rating, the higher the second number is, the more resistant the device is to water. There are also different levels of water resistance in the IP rating. IPX7 means the watch can withstand temporary water submersion, while IPX8 takes it up a notch and makes the watch resistant to extended underwater periods. IPX9, on the other hand, indicates that the device is suitable for use even in environments with high-pressure, high-temperature water jets.

Meanwhile, Apple mentions a specific depth for water resistance. The Apple Watch Series 12 has a water resistance of 50 meters, and the Apple Watch Ultra 4 has a water resistance of 100 meters, which is just another way of saying the ATM rating. Instead of 5 ATM, it's written as "water resistance 50 meters." The ISO 22810:2010 standard used for these calculations is also typically mentioned. Google uses both depth rating and IP rating when talking about the durability of its smartwatches. In the Pixel Watch 5 tech specs sheet, IP68 is specified, but for the Fitbit Air, the depth rating of 50 meters is used.