Xiaomi-backed Amazfit Verge fitness tracker is now available in the US - The Verge

The Amazfit Verge fitness tracker, which was released in China this past September, is now available in the US. This is a good time for us to say that this watch isn’t affiliated with Amazon nor The Verge, as far as we know. Instead, the watch is made by Huami, a Xiaomi-backed Chinese wearables company that’s previously released its Amazfit Bip watch in the US.

For $159, the Amazfit Verge has a slew of useful features, like the ability to make phone calls through the watch (via Bluetooth connection on Android), NFC payments, and an Alexa integration that’s coming at the end of this year. The watch has a 1.3-inch AMOLED display, five days of battery life, smartphone app notifications, and onboard music playback. However, it runs on Huami’s proprietary software, meaning it doesn’t run Google’s Wear OS.

According to Fast Company, the watch interface was made in partnership with visual effects company Territory Studio, which has worked on creating all manner of futuristic smartphone displays seen in sci-fi movies and Marvel blockbusters. The studio worked with Huami on creating a visual interface that could portray tracked data, like heartbeat RPM, steps, and calories.

Amazfit Verge is available to purchase now on Amazfit.com for $159.99.