Is The Amazfit Helio Strap Pro Worth The Upgrade?

You can track your health and fitness through the use of smart devices like a smartwatch, a tracker with a screen built in, or a screenless smart strap. The last of those examples offers similar functionality at a much lower price. If you don't want to be bothered with text notifications, phone calls, or messages popping up on your wrist, something like the Amazfit Helio Strap may be worth checking out.

Amazfit offers two versions of its smart band device: the Helio Strap and the Helio Strap Pro. Both pieces of tech track your health throughout each day and include features such as heart rate variability measurements, sleep monitoring, recovery signals, and trackers for fitness equipment and exercise. The Pro version is an upgrade to the standard model, but the base Helio Strap is already quite capable at tracking workouts and recovery. For double the cost, upgrading doesn't feel worth the effort.

Granted, the Helio Strap Pro also comes with more tech, including a geomagnetic sensor and a waist sensor for more enhanced measuring and monitoring of your body during a workout. Amazfit also states its battery will last one full day longer than the Helio Strap, but that will depend on how often it detects a workout and other various settings. It's available at a higher price of around $199, but there are more affordable fitness bands out there — and their features can rival Amazfit's.

The Helio Strap Pro is a serious smart band made for people looking to get the most out of each and every exercise or training regiment. The device stands out for its built-in geomagnetic sensor that helps track movement, GPS location, elevation, and more to provide a more accurate monitor of the user's health. Plus, its enhanced feature of a waist sensor allows it to get more precise data during a workout.

Owners say that the Helio Strap Pro is quite comfortable to wear and use while working out. It's also been praised for its durability and strength, preventing the strap from getting too beat up from being worn while sleeping or exercising. The charging speed was reported to be quick, too, and its tracking is generally seen as pretty accurate (minus some inconsistencies with step counts).

Amazfit's Helio Strap Pro is purposefully built for anyone training to become an athlete, as well as professional athletes seeking to push their body to its limit. When the Amazfit Helio Strap Pro was announced, the company stated (per Business Wire) that it was designed as a training system for Hyrox and athletes who want to learn more about their bodies as they are working out. Still, considering how the base Helio Strap is a cheaper alternative to expensive smartwatches, the Pro version just might not be worth the additional cost.

A professional tech review of the Helio Strap Pro by Samuel Philip Airey found that, while the waist sensor was a useful feature the Helio Strap did not have, you do need an Amazfit smartwatch in order to see the data. Without the watch, you won't be able to access details from the waist sensor. Amazfit backs this up on its website as well, stating you will need a watch such as the Balance 3 or Balance Ultra in order to properly track measurements.

The Helio Strap Pro may only be worth it if you are an athlete or are training for Hyrox. Otherwise, you may just invest in the standard model. They are nearly identical in tech, specs, and features, and both come with a BioTracker 6.0 PPG biometric sensor (5PD + 2LED). The only major differences are the geomagnetic and waist sensors. The money you'd spend on the Pro model may not be worth that if all you do is work out on a regular, non-professional basis.

If you can't decide between a fitness band or smartwatch, consider if you need to see notifications on your wrist or just want to track workouts. A band is designed for simply tracking and monitoring, whereas a full smartwatch acts as a more convenient way to access smartphone apps through the wearable device. The Helio Strap is one such band built for tracking sleep, workouts, and health at a much lower price.