Balance 2

Switch from Apple Ultra Watch 2, etc. to Balance 2 XT. With Gadget Bridge and GrapheneOS, I’m very happy.

I switched from AW7 to the balance 2 I miss the extension that the Apple Watch was. Notifications aren’t fun anymore(can’t reply/respond to notifications) Also you know how if your phone is unlocked, the notifications don’t come up on watch and vice versa? With the amazfit, it will ring both phone and watch. Idk if you’d like it, I hated it so I switched off notifications Having said that, the fitness and sleep tracking I find to be much better and more helpful. It’s a great fitness watch. Not as much as a smartwatch that the Apple Watch is.

Got fed up with waking up tired and not knowing why, so I went full psycho and wore/used multiple trackers at once to see which ones actually match up. TL;DR at bottom. **The setup:** \- Oura Ring 4 \- Samsung Galaxy Ring \- Fitbit Charge 6 \- Garmin Venu 3 \- Withings mat under my mattress \- Cheap Amazfit as control **What I found:** Oura was consistently the most accurate for sleep stages. Like, within 5-10 min of when I actually remember falling asleep/waking up. The HRV data correlates scary well with how I actually feel. BUT and this is the kicker—the Fitbit Charge 6 at $179 was maybe 85-90% as accurate as the $399 Oura. For most people that's probably good enough. Samsung Galaxy Ring surprised me. No subscription, solid accuracy, but you NEED a Samsung phone or it's basically useless. The Withings mat was weird. Some nights dead accurate, other nights it logged me as asleep when I was literally reading in bed. Partner movement throws it off. **Biggest surprise:** The cheap Amazfit ($89) wasn't terrible?? Sleep duration was accurate, stages were hit or miss. If you just want basic data it works. **What actually improved my sleep:** Honestly tracking alone did nothing. What helped was: \- Seeing my HRV tank after drinking (even 1-2 beers) \- Realizing my "good" sleep nights correlated with room temp under 68°F \- Noticing deep sleep crashed when I ate late **TL;DR:** \- Got money? Oura Ring 4 \- Budget king? Fitbit Charge 6 \- Hate wearing stuff? Withings mat (if you sleep alone) \- Samsung user? Galaxy Ring is solid \- Broke? Amazfit Balance does the basics Happy to answer questions. Been down this rabbit hole way too deep. wrote up a longer comparison with prices and specs if anyone wants it: [https://sleepupgradehub.com/the-best-sleep-trackers-of-2025-reddit-s-top-picks-373007](https://sleepupgradehub.com/the-best-sleep-trackers-of-2025-reddit-s-top-picks-373007)

The closest I can think is an Amazfit - Garmin does the majority, but doesnt track post HR graph after a workout like Amazfit does. I've tested the Balance 2 and it seems a solid watch, my initial negative findings are; Navigation clunky for runners Sleep sometimes doesnt detect me awake until I stand up and sometimes puts me asleep if I struggle to fall asleep The hear rate zone alerts from training templates are only vibration (unlike the Zepp coach which actually givez you audible warnings - I have a ticket open with support on this one) Biocharge seems quite high if I've not ran that day, e.g. I can have 44 left right now even after 6hrs 50m sleep. Whereas Garmin body battery is at 21 - I don't feel like I have another half day left in me.

Amazfit Balance 2, not overpriced like Garmin, good featureset.