Hi all,
as the name says - how is your experience with swimming with Amazfit Stratos?
Stratos looks great - but looks is not all that matters.
Regards
Hi!
I'm also very interested in swimming mode!
So far I found only a very detailed faq.
I'm not allowed to post url, so you may search amazfit 2 faq on Google.
It should bring you to amazfitcentral.com faq for amazfit 2.
See §85.
It gives information about what we should expect from swimming mode.
Despite this I found no reviews of sports functions.
So many unboxing videos, showing the box...( Seriously? Who choose a watch because of the box??), all videos shows similar stuffs, but no details about sports modes
I just know that the screen will turn off in water. The FAQ only says that in swimming mode one has to set rows manually. I do not think HR, GPS or even strokes will work in water. Anyway is there a general sports program for doing workouts? The training features is really a thing what is making me interessted in this watch. Firstbeats training load, recovery time advisor and so on, one can only find in really expensive Garmin watches or similar in the Polar M430. The cons is the size. I guess it is 50mm in diameter which is huge. Mostly too huge for 24/7. Also I don't know if I would trust Chinese in sports. They never do sports. Trust me I lived there.
All the so called reviews are just made by some silly guys never really used the watch. Doing it just for the kickback of some chinese store. Not trustworthy.
Hi!
As far as I have seen, the screen does not turn off in water.
There are some videos showing the watch in water (not a pool, just some kind of large glass, not sure of english word for that).
Only the touchscreen is disabled and it's not surprising. You can use the buttons instead of touchscreen to navigate while in water. I guess that's why there are buttons.
Regarding the FAQ, it says much more than set the row manually, copy paste:
85. Swimming function
Watch support swimming pool and open water swimming two modes.
Swim terminology
Lane Length: The length of your swimming pool. The watch will calculate the swimming data based on the lane length you set.
Set the corresponding lane length for each pool change so that the watch can accurately evaluate your swimming data.
Trip: Swim in swimming pool swimming pool length of a lane.
Paddling: wearing a watch for a complete paddling action.
Paddling rate: the number of paddles per minute.
DPS: Complete a full stroke of the water.
SWOLF: SWOLF is an important indicator of swimming scores, which is equivalent to your comprehensive evaluation of swimming speed. SWOLF for pool swimming mode = single trip (in seconds) + number of single trips. SWOLF in open water swimming mode is calculated as 100 meters. The smaller the number, the better the efficiency of swimming.
86. Swimming recognition
The watch will recognize the swimmer’s posture in swimming mode.
Freestyle swimming
breaststroke
Backstroke
Butterfly stroke
mixing
87. Touch screen in swimming
To prevent misunderstanding and water interference with the touch screen, the watch will be closed after the start of the touch screen touch function. At this point through the watch button motion control, after the end of the watch will restart the touch screen function.
Regarding HR and GPS in water, no idea....
-as far as I know, GPS is not good underwater and in a pool, it's much more accurate to count lenghts than GPS.
-HR: I heard some works in water (with reduced accuracy), no idea for the amazfit 2, that's why I wait so much for a swimming pool review .
Regarding the so called review... well I agree, and they are not really "review", only unboxing and show a couple of stuff (very very little)...there are maybe 100 videos like this, all showing the same. Those guys drive me mad: This watch has a very new feature compare to amazfit pace: this 50m resist + swimming mode... and they do videos with 20sec reviewing...the box, nothing on sports modes
Thank you for the information. I meant touch turning off in water, which is actually a good thing.
The Chinese version 2.0.8 in the pool is very bad.
English version 2.0.7.5 from Nicola Sagliano works in the pool super! Correctly considers the number of swimming pools that I swam, time, calories, swimming style and other parameters. In the water, only the buttons work. The screen works in this mode constantly.
GPS in the indoor pool does not work. For open water there is a separate regime. His name was
Swimming
phnikola said:
Hi all,
as the name says - how is your experience with swimming with Amazfit Stratos?
Stratos looks great - but looks is not all that matters.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I took my Stratos at pool swimming 8 times and result is> I am not very satisfied with watches.
Swim.
1. Firmware 2.0.8.0 tries to round up meters and pools. That is logical because It is a way you usually swim at pool.
2. Firmware 2.0.7.5 does not round up pools and meters at pool mode.. It does. The last pool is added when saving or resuming session.
3. Both firmwares have problem with first pool (graph of pace and trash starts around zero (= nonsense) and complicates graph reading because Y axis is then not very detailed at the point of interest)
4. Firmware 2.0.8.0 can correctly count last pool. With 2.0.7.5 you must start at least one more pool to count the last one. It does. The last pool is added when saving or resuming session.
5. The measuring one time crashed when saving data with notice that sport application crashed. The session was not recovered and all measured data was lost (very bad coding of Xiaomi team).
6. Watches does not measure kicked pools. (Pools swim without hands). That is normal.
7. Due to inaccuracy of measured pool counts and problematic first pool are counted trash and pace values only informational.
8. It is unable to edit measured data so you cannot add kicked pools or correct bad readings.
At pool mode does not work GPS and heart rate sensor. That is normal.
Run (Firmware 2.0.7.5).
1. Very inaccurate GPS readings when run around 8 stories buildings.
2. Due to point 1 the measured distance differs from measured at Google maps about 10 % (3.1 km instead 3.4 km).
3. Due to point 3 all calculated values dependent on distance are nonsenses (speed, kCals, strides, TE, VO2max, EPOC).
Notices.:
Watches CPU is really weak and that causes problems with application starts (e.g. swimming) or lags when scrolling or screen listing. It is not so bad as described.
Coding of sports applications is really bad. When application crashes all data are gone. Sports application does not make recovery saves (at least swimming).
Watches e.g. do not sum counted steps after factory reset etc. Watches saves only higher value from measured before or after factory reset.
There is a bad sync between watches and phone app. Watches shows different sum mileage from phone app after crash of sport app at watches.
You cannot add or correct measured data, that leads to e.g. watches counts only 26 50m pools and do not calculates 14 kicked pools and that results in very low training load.
Tom
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
8 story high buildings are always a big problem without GLONASS. I guess Stratos doesn't have GLONASS.
Hopefully the crashes will be fixed on final firmware.
I agree it is a must that workouts can be edited in the companion app and then synced back to the watch. Cannot be so difficult to implement.
SteffenBerlin said:
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
8 story high buildings are always a big problem without GLONASS. I guess Stratos doesn't have GLONASS. [...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Polar V800 does not have glonass and records perfect track no matter of high buildings, deep forest or mountains.
Hi! and Tom: many thanks for this very detailed feedback !! :good::good::good::good::good:
I have a few comments/questions:
dolezelt said:
3. Both firmwares have problem with first pool (graph of pace and trash starts around zero (= nonsense) and complicates graph reading because Y axis is then not very detailed at the point of interest)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure to catch the meaning of 1st pool: do you mean 1st pool lenght or 1 swimming session ?
dolezelt said:
4. Firmware 2.0.8.0 can correctly count last pool. With 2.0.7.5 you must start at least one more pool to count the last one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have read a few weeks ago a review of several watch for swimming (not the amazfit 2).
It was suggested that pool lenght counting is based on 2 things to be catched by sensors:
- "shock" detection when hitting the wall.
- "pushing" when going back to other direction.
So for accurate count of last lenght, it was recommanded to make sure to "hit" the wall correctly with the arm that has the watch. and also to start a "last push" back on the wall, like for starting a new lenght (and then you can stop).
Not very natural but....
It was also a good idea to make sure to hit the wall with the hand with watch and make a good push at every lenghts to improve reliable counting.
dolezelt said:
6. Watches does not measure kicked pools.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I lack some english here: what is a kicked pool ?
dolezelt said:
7. Due to inaccuracy of measured pool counts and problematic first pool are counted trash and pace values only informational.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understood 1st and last pool lenght may be miscounted, but it is ok for the others in between ?
because, let's say if I do 40 lenghts, I may not be a very big inaccuracy if only 1 or 2 are missing ?
dolezelt said:
At pool mode does not work GPS and heart rate sensor. That is normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some HR sensor does work (more or less accurate)...so I'm not sure it's "normal" even if it's also common that many HR sensors does not work in water.
I have a stratos, I have been swimming 2 times with bass and the length counts very well, you do not have to bounce the hand on which the watch is. The screen is always on and locked, buttons are working.
Justinbridou said:
Hi! and Tom: many thanks for this very detailed feedback !! :good::good::good::good::good:
I have a few comments/questions:
I'm not sure to catch the meaning of 1st pool: do you mean 1st pool lenght or 1 swimming session ?
I have read a few weeks ago a review of several watch for swimming (not the amazfit 2).
It was suggested that pool lenght counting is based on 2 things to be catched by sensors:
- "shock" detection when hitting the wall.
- "pushing" when going back to other direction.
So for accurate count of last lenght, it was recommanded to make sure to "hit" the wall correctly with the arm that has the watch. and also to start a "last push" back on the wall, like for starting a new lenght (and then you can stop).
Not very natural but....
It was also a good idea to make sure to hit the wall with the hand with watch and make a good push at every lenghts to improve reliable counting.
I think I lack some english here: what is a kicked pool ?
I understood 1st and last pool lenght may be miscounted, but it is ok for the others in between ?
because, let's say if I do 40 lenghts, I may not be a very big inaccuracy if only 1 or 2 are missing ?
Some HR sensor does work (more or less accurate)...so I'm not sure it's "normal" even if it's also common that many HR sensors does not work in water.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi.
1. Look at the attached picture. Thrash speed starts with zero and every time you pause session trash speed drops to 0. This is problem for calculated average trash speed because is lower than real average one. At the pace graph is a problem with one speed drop (I paused session about 2 sec after finishing pool). This made a great speed drop and Y axis is than not very detailed at the point of interest. Y axis should be from 2 mins to 1 min 14 sec. That speed drop should be cut out. I think that first sec of swimming should be cut out.
2. Pool counting. I made some test and I must say that watches count pools correctly. The last pool is added when session is saved or immediately after session resume on 2.0.7.5 firmware.
Example: After finishing 20th pool and pausing session watches shows only 19 pools. When session is saved (ended) or resumed pool counts is corrected to 20.
3. Kicked pool.... I meant pool that was swimmed without hands only with kicking legs.
4. -
5. I think that is normal that HR optical sensor does not work at pool. I think that Garmin Fenix also does not measure HR when swimming.
Hi, thanks again for added information! :good:
3- ahhh I see . Sorry I can more or less speak general English but don't have the "technical" words around swimming.
I also just noticed it's "thrash" and not "trash" which was confusing
5- I have seen on a suunto page "ACCURACY OF WRIST-BASED HEART RATE MEASUREMENT" :they write " The optical sensor may not provide accurate heart rate readings for swimming activities."
So to me they mean it may work but not accurate..
Also a couple of sources told me that the apple watch can do it.
So I guess it depends on watch....
I also read some watch just disable it while swimming (to avoid showing inconsistent data)
How do you do gym training? I cannot find any sports profile for it.
Hi,
Check the faq on amazfitcentral.com, it's a mine of information!
Sports mode are jogging, running, walking, cross country running, indoor running, outdoor riding, indoor riding, elliptical machines, mountaineering, swimming in the swimming pool, open water swimming, triathlon.
I cannot post links for the moment (noob on xda), but you can Google it.
Justinbridou said:
Hi,
Check the faq on amazfitcentral.com, it's a mine of information!
Sports mode are jogging, running, walking, cross country running, indoor running, outdoor riding, indoor riding, elliptical machines, mountaineering, swimming in the swimming pool, open water swimming, triathlon.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already checked this out. But still there is no cardio, gym training or yoga profile. I do not need rep counting nor weight plans. Just time and pulse. I guess elliptical is counting steps. I mean ppl who are doing running, cycling or swimming are doing gym, training as well as part or their training plan. It must be possible to track this exercises.
Anyone who test diving into the pool or sea ,not over 10 M.
I want to know it that can measure the distance or not.
Thank in advance.
TuM
SteffenBerlin said:
I already checked this out. But still there is no cardio, gym training or yoga profile. I do not need rep counting nor weight plans. Just time and pulse. I guess elliptical is counting steps. I mean ppl who are doing running, cycling or swimming are doing gym, training as well as part or their training plan. It must be possible to track this exercises.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Elliptical and indoor cycling do not count steps, only time, heart rate and calories (based on heart rate). For gym, you can use any of these.
Alex
Hello. Can a swimmer that has stratos make a list of all the parameters that are measured during the swimming training?
Hi there!
I have a question, English is not my mother language and I 'm not sure of exact meaning of what the watch reports.
Does anybody could explain me the meaning of : pace, stroke, DPS and trips (as measured by the watch).
By the way, just received it, I may have a chance to swim with it next Friday.
Related
HI all,
Got my English version of Amazfit last week.
I was really exited as I intended replacing my old garmin forerunner 405 with the new smartwatch.
On my first run yesterday I wore both watches and ran a usual 9km near my home.
At the end I got 9.03km on the garmin and 8.79km on the amazfit.
The difference is huge for such a distance.
Has anybody else experienced this? I guess this turns amazfit an unusable tool for Runners..!!
A.
you need to get a gps fix first, before starting the activity, have you done that?
when starting an activity, you need to wait for some 15~30 seconds, till you get a fix, and start running/biking/running around with a latex tale.
please try to re-test again, and also make sure that you have the latest version updated of the watch, 1.3.1m
Good luck!
vactirio said:
At the end I got 9.03km on the garmin and 8.79km on the amazfit.
The difference is huge for such a distance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure the Amazfit is inaccurate and not the Garmin? If i compare Tracklogs from my Garmin Oregon 450 GPS with the ones from Amazfit they are both quite on the same level, the Amazfit does corners even a bit better. If the Amazfit drifts in position, the Garmin does, too.
And as already mentioned, the Amazfit starts a bit off. so if you want precision, wait for the GPS to be ready.
Beleriand said:
Are you sure the Amazfit is inaccurate and not the Garmin? If i compare Tracklogs from my Garmin Oregon 450 GPS with the ones from Amazfit they are both quite on the same level, the Amazfit does corners even a bit better. If the Amazfit drifts in position, the Garmin does, too.
And as already mentioned, the Amazfit starts a bit off. so if you want precision, wait for the GPS to be ready.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi 1immortal,
Yes I did wait a lot before starting.
In the fist 200m I had 40m of difference.
I thought thats ok - its the satellite fixing difference.
Then gradually this started getting bigger and bigger.
I run with friends who also have garmins and we mostly have a maximum of 50m difference in 10km which is acceptable.
found also this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/smartwatch/other-smartwatches/amazfit-watch-impression-t3540770
vactirio said:
found also this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/smartwatch/other-smartwatches/amazfit-watch-impression-t3540770
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That issues were fixed. Both versions (US and CN) received updates for the GPS firmware. To make sure where the problem comes from you should take a closer look on the tracklogs in a suitable app on your computer. If you provide me GPX files from Garmin and Amazfit i will have a look on it. The shown distance on Amazfit has been quite accurate to the tracklog so far, while Garmin uses other methods to show the distance so i often had different distance on tracklog and on trip computer.
Another indicator is, that the tracklog for the Amazfit is the shortest. Bad GPS receivers usually measure greater distance as the coordinates are inconsistently jumping around and therefore create more meters.
Then you should always do multiple measurements. Sometimes the GPS just goes mad. Over the years i had different Garmin devices and now and then i was walking with a speed of 200km/h and was kilometers off...
Beleriand said:
That issues were fixed. Both versions (US and CN) received updates for the GPS firmware. To make sure where the problem comes from you should take a closer look on the tracklogs in a suitable app on your computer. If you provide me GPX files from Garmin and Amazfit i will have a look on it. The shown distance on Amazfit has been quite accurate to the tracklog so far, while Garmin uses other methods to show the distance so i often had different distance on tracklog and on trip computer.
Another indicator is, that the tracklog for the Amazfit is the shortest. Bad GPS receivers usually measure greater distance as the coordinates are inconsistently jumping around and therefore create more meters.
Then you should always do multiple measurements. Sometimes the GPS just goes mad. Over the years i had different Garmin devices and now and then i was walking with a speed of 200km/h and was kilometers off...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Castra,
Thanks for the detailed answer.
I would be glad if you could examine GPX files.
Files attached.
Andreas
Okay, my name is not "Castra" btw.
Castra Regina is the ancient name of a roman fort that is called "Regensburg" nowadays. Thtat's where i come from.
I had a close look at your Tracklogs and did even look at the location in Google Street View. Really nice little town where you live. I think i will have to go to greece sometimes.
Mostly residential buildings so there is not too much influence on the signal. Anyway, the Amazfit does not perform as good as the Garmin and is drifting off in some locations. They are both not bad but the tracklog seems to be really a bit better on the Garmin.
Did you wear both watches on the same wrist or one left and one right? Was there probably someone running next to you that shielded or reflected the GPS signal? If not, the Garmin performs better here.
You did do the OTA Update to firmware 1.3.1m?
See Images, Blue is Amazfit, green is Garmin.
Beleriand said:
Okay, my name is not "Castra" btw.
Castra Regina is the ancient name of a roman fort that is called "Regensburg" nowadays. Thtat's where i come from.
I had a close look at your Tracklogs and did even look at the location in Google Street View. Really nice little town where you live. I think i will have to go to greece sometimes.
Mostly residential buildings so there is not too much influence on the signal. Anyway, the Amazfit does not perform as good as the Garmin and is drifting off in some locations. They are both not bad but the tracklog seems to be really a bit better on the Garmin.
Did you wear both watches on the same wrist or one left and one right? Was there probably someone running next to you that shielded or reflected the GPS signal? If not, the Garmin performs better here.
You did do the OTA Update to firmware 1.3.1m?
See Images, Blue is Amazfit, green is Garmin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Sorry about the name... and if you come to Athens I can give you a tour....
I wore Amazfit on the left and Garmin on the right. Amazfit was sometimes "blocked" by my running shirt which was not a thick one as the weather was good enough.
Its very usual that the 6 years old Garmin is blocked by the shirt (specially when its cold weather) but NEVER had a problem with that.
There was a friend running next to me but not blocking me.
So my fear that amazfit is inaccurate is probably true.
Thanks for the time spent. I think this is something runner should know before buying this watch as it turns it to be unusable.....
Latest firmware is installed.
Andreas
vactirio said:
I wore Amazfit on the left and Garmin on the right. Amazfit was sometimes "blocked" by my running shirt which was not a thick one as the weather was good enough.
Its very usual that the 6 years old Garmin is blocked by the shirt (specially when its cold weather) but NEVER had a problem with that.
There was a friend running next to me but not blocking me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well as the Amazfit is quite good when you are running in one direction and then drifts away in the other it might be that it just lost direct view to some satellites and then used reflected signals which make accuracy notable worse. A person just running by your side or your own body could cause that, while a shirt should not have any influence. So if the person was running to your left it might have had a big influence on the result.
A bit more scientific approach would be to wear both watches on the same wrist and do more runs for comparison before posting that the Amazfit is unusable.
I have been using the watch for two months now and did not experience such huge differences from my other GPS devices. And i really have a close look on many tracklogs as i use it to map new paths in Open Street Maps. I always have the watch and a Garmin Outdoor-GPS with me and use both tracks.
Beleriand said:
I have been using the watch for two months now and did not experience such huge differences from my other GPS devices. And i really have a close look on many tracklogs as i use it to map new paths in Open Street Maps. I always have the watch and a Garmin Outdoor-GPS with me and use both tracks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really agree with you
I run with Garmin for approx 5 years and I rarely got big deviations and it was always +/- 30m.
When you wear a watch you need to know that it works well in order to evaluate your pace.
As you saw in the maps Amazfit does not record well and this cannot / should not be explained by minor factors (left right hand).
The only really acceptable factor could be big buildings and bad weather. This is not my case.
I also searched on the net and found that there are some references about bad GPS reception.
Just for the info, why do you run with 2 GPS devices?
Andreas
vactirio said:
Just for the info, why do you run with 2 GPS devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not run with two devices but when i explore new areas or when i am Geocaching i use the additional Garmin GPS to get a second tracklog and to store Points of interest as new waypoints.
That is helpful sometimes when editing in OSM.
If Garmin works better for you, stay with it.
Their devices are quite good but a bit expensive. I had a few over the last 17 years.
Another test today in steep terrain. Today i had some minor drifts from the Amazfit compared to Garmin, previous tracklogs and OSM data, see attached image.
(Garmin magenta, Amazfit cyan)
The Amazfit really should get another update but as the sensor is quite new, chahces are good to get one.
Weirdest thing is that my Garmin created 725 trackpoints while the Amazfit created 14690. Distance 6,5 km....
They should probably reduce the amount a "bit" which could also save some energy.
I've received my Amazfit Pace version few days ago, updated to last US version. I noticed than GPS accuracy inside the building is terrible. I start Run workout in the office walking around 200-300 meters inside the room. After 6 hours Amazfit counted 30 !!! km of distance. I was shocked so much. Initially I was planning to use Amazfit for itinerary tracking or geotagging tracking during holiday trip. But with such accuracy it's not possible. Anyone has the same problem?
Noramas said:
I've received my Amazfit Pace version few days ago, updated to last US version. I noticed than GPS accuracy inside the building is terrible. I start Run workout in the office walking around 200-300 meters inside the room. After 6 hours Amazfit counted 30 !!! km of distance. I was shocked so much. Initially I was planning to use Amazfit for itinerary tracking or geotagging tracking during holiday trip. But with such accuracy it's not possible. Anyone has the same problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you serious? GPS inside buildings for sure isn't working!
alexinc said:
Are you serious? GPS inside buildings for sure isn't working!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazfit show me GPS as available inside the building because of large windows. BTW, if signal is low why Amazfit distance is jumped so much? I saw that distance on the screen was counted and increased almost every second without any watch movement.
I did the same test at home. If Amazfit is located near the window then distance is not counted and stuck on 0.00km. If I try to walk inside the room the the distance start to count and after few minutes show 300-400 meters. Strange.
Noramas said:
If I try to walk inside the room the the distance start to count and after few minutes show 300-400 meters. Strange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not strange. GPS works by measuring the time signals from different satellites take to reach your device. Then your position is calculated by triangulation.
It is only accurate if you receive direct signals from satellites all over the sky. Inside a building you have no sky view so all the signals you get are reflected by objects like buildings, mountains. If they are reflected they travel a longer distance and so the calculation loses precision. That causes jumping positions and therefore creates some mileage.
Older, less sensitive GPS devices only used direct signals and were much more precise but they also completely lost position in dense forests and between high buildings.
All modern GPS consumer oriented modules on the market are optimised for a quick fix, even under worst condtitons, then comes power saving and price.
Precision is the least of the requirements as you can adjust your position to a map when using it for navigation. (Lock to road)
Good for all the smartphone manufacturers and Google Maps users but bad for all outdoor enthusiasts.
same issue
Hi!
I got the same issue. Amazfit CN version. Firmware Rel 9 (1.2.14) from XDA.
Running in forest, orienteering. Amazfit watch in Trail run mode always reports 400-500m less within 7-9km distance. Difference is confirmed by 5-6 runs.
For example today Amazfit watch: 7.97km, Endomondo (Samsung S7): 8.42km.
I see also issues with max speed, its unreal on Amazfir watch (crap should be filtered out).
I plan to do test using Amazfit and my old Garmin Forerunner 300 in next weeks to prove test results.
Kind regards,
J.
js_online said:
Hi!
I got the same issue. Amazfit CN version. Firmware Rel 9 (1.2.14) from XDA.
Running in forest, orienteering. Amazfit watch in Trail run mode always reports 400-500m less within 7-9km distance. Difference is confirmed by 5-6 runs.
For example today Amazfit watch: 7.97km, Endomondo (Samsung S7): 8.42km.
I see also issues with max speed, its unreal on Amazfir watch (crap should be filtered out).
I plan to do test using Amazfit and my old Garmin Forerunner 300 in next weeks to prove test results.
Kind regards,
J.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi J.
After opening this thread I did get in contact with Huami.
I informed them about the GPS accuracy problem and they were kind enough to send me a new watch.
Unfortunately this did not help. The new watch had exactly the same bad behavior.
So I stopped using the amazfit. I found also to have more than 200-300m less at a 9Km run.
As you probably know that's too much for such a distance.
Below is the mail I did send to Huami.
I did not get yet an answer to that and I think I will not get one
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Got yesterday the new Pace. Pretty exciting I must admit.
I did a 9,5km run on purpose last night in order to test it.
On my left hand both Amazifit Pace and Garmin 405.
Unfortunately the results were not better and much disappointing
So to start I should say that I run in rural areas but in open space.
I attached to this email two GPX files in order to get examined by your team.
One from my old Garmin and One from Amazfit.
On the 9,5km run I got a liithe more than 200m of difference.
This difference is translated in 6 seconds of pace difference which is vary big for a runner.
Pace difference is shown bellow:
(strava is from amazfit and runkeeper is for garmin)
So I uploaded both GPX files on http://www.mygpsfiles.com/app/ in order to visualize them and the findings were interesting.
It seems that though Amazfit gets much more points than my old Garmin, those points are often very inaccurate.
Please find bellow some examples.
Orange trace is Garmin.
Blue trace is Amazfit Pace.
Amazfit (in blue) seems really off road.
Here it seems to loose distance. I did run as Garmin says to the roundabout
I must emphasize that its really an open space run with a very good GPS signal reception.
So it seems that its something going wrong with the GPS of the Amazfit.
I am wondering if there is a calibration problem with Europe/Greece.
vactirio said:
Hi J.
So I stopped using the amazfit. I found also to have more than 200-300m less at a 9Km run.
I am wondering if there is a calibration problem with Europe/Greece.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for explanation and visualization. Unfortunately I can't link my workouts with street as there are no streets in forest
I am little bit surprised about this: Endomondo makes less measurements and counts more, Amazfit makes times more measurements and counts less.
I was searching answers and found this article online (type: www dot fellrnr dot com/wiki/GPS_Accuracy), must read... Explains many issues from technical perspective.
I believe and hope that issues are related to software (firmware) of GPS chip and post processing and will be solved in the next firmwares.
Please also note: "AMAZFIT includes the world's first 28 nm Sony GPS sensor". As you know first is always first and requires debugging
"Sony – GPS (with 1/10th the power!) now sampling.
You know how using mapping apps on your smartphone kills your battery? Well now there’s hope. Sony’s getting some super impressive results with their new GPS using 28nm FD-SOI technology. These GPS are operated at 0.6V, and cut power to 10x (!) less than what it was in the previous generation (which was already boasting the industry’s lowest power consumption when it was announced back in 2013)."
You can find more info online.
I completely agree that for running numbers are important. Especially for high pace 4.30 and below, because each seconds counts. I will take Amazfit to my next street workouts for marathon training to do the same gps data analysis as you did above.
My strategy is to wait for firmware updates and hope issues will be resolved.
Thanks.
So I bought the pace model.
Did an interval workout on the treadmill, after I checked the app it measured 195 heartbeats/second. Which was nice and well becase i know thats where I end up at the end of those 4 minutes.
However, after that I did some strength training, and then finished off with some uphill walk on the treadmill where the treadmill measued 150 BPS, and my watch... 88 BPS. I know 150 is more accurate because my breath was around there.
After that, it hasnt been able to register anything over 110 BPS. Tried it for several workout sessions, still doesnt measure above 110. I tried factory reset.. doesnt change anything.
Someone else seen this?
I'm testing one amazfit and comparing with one garmin 630.
Amazfit measures correct just after 10 minutes of workout and then, after some minutes it measures wrong about a minute or two, and back to measure correct again.
Very bad algorithm.
Has nothing to do with bad algorithm.
Why do you guys think that there is no gym workout on the watch?
Because there is no known wrist hr sensor that is working correct for that.
Doing workouts means bending and flexing the wrist, which means that the sensor looses contact, which means inaccuracy .
And 90% of people that complain, have the sensor on a spot that is not really working.
Have seen very hairy guys complaining or people that have the watch "between the hand and the bone".
And make sure it is tight.
jhenrikb said:
I checked the app it measured 195 heartbeats/second.
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Holy crap, 195 beats PER SECOND!!?!! How are you still alive? Are you The Flash? Or possibly some kind of super smart hummingbird with an xda account (that would be cool).
Jokes aside, I also find the HRM on the Pace problematic.
It seems to work ok when you do "check now" as long as you stay still and its on tight. But whenever I use continuous HRM or do an activity like biking the reading seems to be about 20+ bps too high.
For example, I did "check now" just before a bike ride and got 65bpm, then again right after the ride and got 104bpm, but the bike activity recorded a starting heart rate of 84bpm and an ending rate of 134bpm.
yeah, sometimes my watch seems to measure my heart rate correctly, but other times it shows quite strange results.
I just finished indoor cycling workout. I used together Suunto Ambit watch with HR strap and Amazfit Pace. Amazfit HR data is useless. Here is merged image with both graphs.
Amazfit was tight, and my hand didn't moved to much. I tried several times to move hand on different positions to check is there any improvement, but without change.
Here is paralel graph (top is Suunto, bottom is Amazfit)
sometimes when physical exertion increases (when I go up a slope, for example) the heart beats are reduced.
The HR sensor in the pace seems about as accurate as someone guessing your heart rate from across the room.
Yes the bip is the same.
Absolute ****.
I've compared it with Polar watch + chest strap. There were differencies in the meassured pulse, however the average pulse for the trainings was very close on both devices. What is important for Peace, it has to be fastened very tightly on the wrist.
Wysłane z mojego ALE-L21 przy użyciu Tapatalka
I have compared Amazit Pace (1.3.6d) with Garmin Chest Strap HR monitor and FR235 doing Interval training running, and to FR235 optical HR monitior doing indoor biking.
In both activities Amazit Pace worked inestable the first 10 min then worked showing nearly same HR thank Strap HR and optical HR monitors.
Amazfit Pace showed a sudden decrease in HR reading about the middle of activities (about 1 hour each) and then back to proper reading.
In summary, Amazfit Pace uses about 10 min to have proper HR values, and sometimes during the activity has sudden decreases in HR reading.
For the rest of activity it performs quite well.
but you know that you can pair amazfit with a heart rate monitor strap, for example Polar H7?
This is about the Pace, and that can't be paired with a strap.
fzelle said:
This is about the Pace, and that can't be paired with a strap.
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Click to collapse
oh, ok, i was talking about Stratos
heart rate sensor go crazy
I have the pace model too
sometimes (recently with more frequency) the heart rate sensor go crazy
yesterday, when i did an Indoor Run, he show the alert: "heart rate too low: 75", seconds after this, he show: "heart rate too high: 185", seconds after: "heart rate too low: 81", "heart rate too high: 172", etc etc.
Someone else seen this?
Someone know how to fix it?
ahander said:
I have the pace model too
sometimes (recently with more frequency) the heart rate sensor go crazy
yesterday, when i did an Indoor Run, he show the alert: "heart rate too low: 75", seconds after this, he show: "heart rate too high: 185", seconds after: "heart rate too low: 81", "heart rate too high: 172", etc etc.
Someone else seen this?
Someone know how to fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the watch brand new? Do you sweat a lot? Check the cover of the HR sensor, some people that had used the watch while bathing/showering had problem with the cover getting loose.
lfom said:
Is the watch brand new? Do you sweat a lot? Check the cover of the HR sensor, some people that had used the watch while bathing/showering had problem with the cover getting loose.
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Click to collapse
I bought my pace in Feb/18 (3 months ago)
my sweat is near to zero
never bath/shower using it
the pace work well until one week ago, when i need to do a factory reset because something was draining the battery too fast (one charge in one night)
after the reset, the battery issue has gone, and the watch work well until yesterday (when the HR sensor issue start)
thinking about do one more factory reset... :fingers-crossed:
just to illustrate: HR (red) x Cadence (blue)
alexhan said:
I have the pace model too
sometimes (recently with more frequency) the heart rate sensor go crazy
Someone know how to fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue here, with every Rom update HR accuracy gets worse in Sports activities. Continuous HR monitor seems accurate when compared to my chest strap, but goes haywire and at least 50% off true when in Run Indoor and Cycle indoor. Elliptical seems to be accurate at least some of the time. Have factory reset many times but nothing seems to help.
Yesterday I realized that with new ROM update, Peace have option to connect to other Bluetooth sensor(s).
I tested it and it with cheap 20$ Bluetooth sensor and works nice.
I open this post because I haven't been able to find any review or opinion about one of the functionalities that offers Stratos: Skiing.
Has anyone try it and can share his or her experiencie?
I am interested mainly if it is able to dismiss the skilifts automatically on Alpine ski.
I assume it can measure speed, hear rate, and the other normal variables that are shared with running.
Any experience?
As well I am interested to know if for long multi-day hiking trips the battery would resist with the GPS active? (like 12hours sport tracking?)
In general, it would be good to know the tracking difference between one sports mode or the others
Last weekend I just made a long hike and starting with full battery and with GPS on of course, it recorded all my 11 hours hike. At the end, the battery was at 12%
I have just returned from a 400+km hike where I used the Stratos constantly. With an average of 7h of hiking I got 3 full days of battery life: Bluetooth on, sleep tracking but obviously internal HR sensor off during activities and outside.
Tioz90 said:
I have just returned from a 400+km hike where I used the Stratos constantly. With an average of 7h of hiking I got 3 full days of battery life: Bluetooth on, sleep tracking but obviously internal HR sensor off during activities and outside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the readings on altitude? Looks pretty inaccurate in the reviews and it's a very important metric when hiking.
Does anyone else have any feedback on the "Skiing" mode please? I am also interested in this mode, and whether it automatically detects travel on the ski lift. Thanks.
Stratos skiing mode
Just used my stratos for a couple of days skiing and am pretty disappointed in the results. Firstly the altitude readings are pretty inaccurate, out by more than 10% in some cases. Amizfit support responded with the following "The altitude error is greatly affected by the environment.
Due to environmental factors, the error may reach tens of meters or even hundreds of meters." So even though this is a metric that is important to skiing dosn't look like it can be improved.
Secondly, yes it looks like the watch does stop recording during lift travel and start again during a downhill run. This is what I noticed when I looked at my tracks. There was the odd lift travel that may have been a bit downhill that got recorded as a lap but most of the laps were actual runs. I even looked at my watch at the end of a run/lap and noticed that it recorded the downhill distance and descent for that lap. When I started riding the lift these results cleared and the watch was ready for the next run/lap. So this is were the good news stops. Even though I was under the impression that the watch was recording all this great individual lap information when I tried to see my results in the evening on my phone app most of my metrics were all combined into totals. For example total laps, total downhill km, total descent and total time. The only metrics listed per lap/run is max speed which is good and the time each lap ended, which is useless becuase it includeds lift waiting and riding time.
It is sad as I believe the watch has been designed and is capable of gathering detailed information but the phone apps inability to present this information totally ruins a potentialy good product. At the moment I would not recommend this watch for skiing. Go back to using your phone and any of several free ski tracking apps.
Many thanks for the detailed feedback. I used the Skiing mode on my Pace a few months ago and found it almost useless because it didn't detect travel on the skl iift and treated it as part of the ski run, thus totally ruining the data it collected.
So it meant I had to take my glove off to manually start and stop the Pace (since it doesn't have buttons like the Stratos), which of course means digging under the sleeve of your ski jacket and fleece, and then adjusting the clothes back. Doing this at the start and stop of every run is a big hassle when you're with a group of people. It's not worth it.
I don't think I checked the altitude accuracy, so I can't comment on that. I also couldn't work out how to use the 'lap' function. It treated every run I did as the first lap, even if it was a repeat run on the same slope.
Amazfit still doesn't seem to have any instructions for this mode.
Hi guys,
I just got my new Amazfit GTR and noticed strange behavior of heart rate monitor. It shows values even if the device is not on my wrist. I left the device on the table for more than hour and any time I looked on main screen there was heart rate value and it was also changing the values. So it wasn't just last value stuck. I tried to run exercise activity while leaving device on the table and it was showing heart rate as well. Not all the time but sometimes there was value and sometimes not. So is the device faking heart rate values? Is it normal behavior?
It is how PPG sensors work, they use the reflected light to estimate the number of beats. Search the internet for more info.
Well, I have another watch with PPG sensor but they don't show nothing when they are not on wrist.
So it will probably not be about sensor type. In this case they for example report my rest heart rate during the night even if they lay next to me on the table so the values will be completely faked.
The sensor works that way, but other devices may use *other* sensors to disable the reading when they detect the watch isn't being used, the accelerometer for instance.
HR
lfom said:
The sensor works that way, but other devices may use *other* sensors to disable the reading when they detect the watch isn't being used, the accelerometer for instance.
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Click to collapse
HEyy,
- Also got 2 other product with the same comportment `` Fitbit Charge Hr ´´ and `` Fitbit Blaze ´´ , both detect when they are not in the wrist. Why doen's GTR do the same?
- Also both got more accuracy in Heart rate measurments...Because they are doing it consistently. With Amazfit GTR i only can program it to do it 1min in 1min. Already change it with Notify & Fitness. nothing seems to change....
- Another outburst from my side : heart rate scale doen't save scores higher than 180 BTM !
Are some of them just software issues ?
Regards to all
The heart beat sensor on the GTR is utter garbage. It does indeed fake heart beat results. Also the sleep analysis functionality is totally broken.
Just got my GTR and the heart rate monitoring is way off. Always some 20 to 35 Beats above the real one. As I have some hair I tried it in my finger and in my belly with the same wrong results. The firmware version is 1.3.4.19 which was updated immediately after first turn on. In contrast the free Android app I use is pretty accurate. I will still test the GPS.
Kaka0 said:
Just got my GTR and the heart rate monitoring is way off. Always some 20 to 35 Beats above the real one. As I have some hair I tried it in my finger and in my belly with the same wrong results. The firmware version is 1.3.4.19 which was updated immediately after first turn on. In contrast the free Android app I use is pretty accurate. I will still test the GPS.
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Click to collapse
I returned the GTR and got another one from another vendor and it has the same problem. I can now say that the heart rate monitoring in the GTR is useless, just a boring toy.
Amazfit admits that the heart rate monitor is "prone to inaccuracies" in its faq: https://support.amazfit.com/us/faq/839
As the heart rate sensor is basically a pulse oximeter which monitors the perfusion of blood to the dermis, it’s prone to inaccuracies.That’s because skin perfusion — a measure of how much blood flows through your skin-varies significantly from person to another. Especially the ones who have dark skin, hairy wrists, tattoo, and scar.
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Click to collapse
Kaka0 said:
Amazfit admits that the heart rate monitor is "prone to inaccuracies" in its faq: https://support.amazfit.com/us/faq/839
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oddly enough I have found the heart rate monitor to be remakably accurate if worn correctly and over the range 60-110. A few moments ago I confirmed previous results and while the watch showed 91 bpm a simultaneous ECG showed 90 bpm. The problem I have with the HR monitor is that it seems, when the cpu is stressed, to produce crazy results. To get around this I run exercise from the phone and get sensible results from the HR monitor. I might add that I was cooling down after exercise!
Well seems I am testing today. Had the watch about 2 days. I am guessing the watch does NOT show the current temperature? Like that matters. The GPS took about 45-60 seconds to connect, as others had. Seem to do faster NOT on wrist. Now my heart-rate monitor works really good. Tested it and I when I got 86 the watch got 85. did it again I got 84 thee watch got 85. Now I did take it off put it on the rubber mat and it kept going up to about 96 lol Put on my keyboard( light on top of keys) it went down to 40. Yet on my wrist works really good.
has anyone tried swimming with the Amazfit Stratos 3?
any feedback on the Strokes count? plus other features
my Stratos 2 gives me a low stroke count of 25 strokes for 50m in 1mins plus a single random spike in the data recorded of 58 strokes for one lap in every one of my 1km swims for 20 laps
hopefully, it is solved in the new watch, otherwise will just continue using the Stratos 2 haha.
currently using the pause button for laps and resume to continue after a 30sec pause for each 50m lap.
I am also curious how the new startos 3 handle with swimming. I have Suunto Spartan Sport baro, and it works perfect when swimming, it only has weak vibrations
it's the same as on STRATOS 2, a pity no progress
Kt2019 said:
has anyone tried swimming with the Amazfit Stratos 3?
any feedback on the Strokes count? plus other features
my Stratos 2 gives me a low stroke count of 25 strokes for 50m in 1mins plus a single random spike in the data recorded of 58 strokes for one lap in every one of my 1km swims for 20 laps
hopefully, it is solved in the new watch, otherwise will just continue using the Stratos 2 haha.
currently using the pause button for laps and resume to continue after a 30sec pause for each 50m lap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's the same as on STRATOS 2, a pity no progress
my 1st swim with stratos 3: In a 25m pool I swam all the time alternating freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke every lap in different swim type and I didn't stop. The distance is not good, I swam about 200-300 m more. The Stroke rate chart contains 0 values, which I think is wrong because I didn't stop. On the stroke rate chart the name of Y axis is wrong instead of BPM should be SPM. The title of the chart is Chinese, the name of the current stroke rate is also Chinese. On the pace chart the overlay data menu is also Chinese.
my 2nd swim: I expreienced the same, stratos 3 counted less laps as I really swam. E.g. after 4 laps it showses 3 laps.
I have bad experience, so inaccurate that it cannot be used.
EkkerT said:
my 1st swim with stratos 3: In a 25m pool I swam all the time alternating freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke every lap in different swim type and I didn't stop. The distance is not good, I swam about 200-300 m more. The Stroke rate chart contains 0 values, which I think is wrong because I didn't stop. On the stroke rate chart the name of Y axis is wrong instead of BPM should be SPM. The title of the chart is Chinese, the name of the current stroke rate is also Chinese. On the pace chart the overlay data menu is also Chinese.
my 2nd swim: I expreienced the same, stratos 3 counted less laps as I really swam. E.g. after 4 laps it showses 3 laps.
I have bad experience, so inaccurate that it cannot be used.
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It was my failor, becouse I weared the watch on the other wrist as it was configured. The initial setup was made by my son, he configured it to wearing on right wrist. During the test written in my previous post I weared the watch on my left wrist. I tested it on my right wrist, in that case the watch was accurate, it counts the laps exactly.
swim menu
could you post a screen shot of the pool swim menu?
is there any option for connection of an external heart rate monitor, chest strap or polar OH1+ etc.
stratos 2 does not allow connection of heart rate accessories.
apparently Bluetooth signals don't travel well in water.
I think the stratos is very accurate when it comes to poolswimming, open water is a total mess!
Hello,
I can confirm that the GPS for outdoor swimming is a complete mess, however data HR/Strokes/distances, look ok apparently...
Surprisingly, GPS for "Paddles" outdoor activity on a lake worked fine either with GPS map it looks "almost" ok and not getting "crazy" like in swimming activity.
Other classic outdoor activities works fine, walk, run, cycling etc...
I'm using Startos3 with Everest2-4.0.20 custom ROM from Saratoga79 (my saver ) because 4.2.6.0 was a total mess on my side...
Tzar92 said:
Hello,
I can confirm that the GPS for outdoor swimming is a complete mess, however data HR/Strokes/distances, look ok apparently...
Surprisingly, GPS for "Paddles" outdoor activity on a lake worked fine either with GPS map it looks "almost" ok and not getting "crazy" like in swimming activity.
Other classic outdoor activities works fine, walk, run, cycling etc...
I'm using Startos3 with Everest2-4.0.20 custom ROM from Saratoga79 (my saver ) because 4.2.6.0 was a total mess on my side...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.2.6.0. is what I am ussing at the moment.
I think there are a few bugs in this ROM, hope they fix it asap.
With the last 2 swimsessions in 50m pool, Stratos 3 recorded perfect but the sync with Strava there was no distance in the upload, only the time recorded.
Hi, I'm using 4.2.8 and swimming is not accurate... When I swim 1000m the watch counts more than 1300m... Is there any way to make it measure HR? And EPOC? I usually jog and cycle but now I am swimming and my EPOC goes to zero...
Does the 4.2.5 measure the swimming better?
Is there a way to roll back to 4.2.5?
Mondrulho said:
Hi, I'm using 4.2.8 and swimming is not accurate... When I swim 1000m the watch counts more than 1300m... Is there any way to make it measure HR? And EPOC? I usually jog and cycle but now I am swimming and my EPOC goes to zero...
Does the 4.2.5 measure the swimming better?
Is there a way to roll back to 4.2.5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, altough the poolswimming is accurate, it doesn't measure heartrate and doesn't calculate with epoc.
This watch gives it the feel that it wasn't finished when it arrives in the stores.
There is a lot work for the developers of amazfit, to solve al the bugs and shortcomings.
Doens't matter if it has 80 sports if doens't work... when it counts bad the distance, all the values are wrong...
Mine is already on sale... I'm going to buy a Garmin Fenix.
Mondrulho said:
Doens't matter if it has 80 sports if doens't work... when it counts bad the distance, all the values are wrong...
Mine is already on sale... I'm going to buy a Garmin Fenix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand, i mainly use this watch for running and swimming wich it does a accurate job.
EPOC is not a big issue for me altough i like to see that function working fine too.
My next watch wouldn't defenitely be an amazfit again.
SOLD IT. Never wanna see it again. Tired of problems and bugs... Bought a Garmin Fenix 5X Saphire. Until now it is perrrrrfect. When i swim it count the distance just perfect, notification perfect, gps tracking wonderfull. Battery is very good to and the screen is allways on as in the stratus.
And more: i can connect a lot of external sensores like HRM to swim, cadence sensor...
i have difficulty with my swimming data. the stratos 3 capture my swimming stroke and provide chart but when it sync with Zepp apps, no swimming stroke chart. i try to reset my zepp app, login back and sync with stratos 3, still do not have the swimming stroke chart.
i even try reset factory at my stratos 3 and did another swimming session buit still the same. can anyone suggest what to do next. my stratos 3 was in 4.2.8.0 version