I Finally Found a Watch to Rival My $1000 Garmin

As a community of golfers, we often misconstrue the word “value” to mean “cheap”. This completely ignores the reality that what’s cheap may not always provide actual value.

So when I say that the Amazfit Balance 2 is the best value golf watch and fitness tracker, I am not saying that the Amazfit Balance 2 is cheap.

What I AM saying is that it achieves a near-perfect balance of price and performance … and even leans more towards performance in that regard.

If you think of it like a balance scale, the performance slightly outweighs the price point. In short, that means you’re getting more bang for your buck. More mustard for your money.

In more pointed words, if you want or need a new golf watch, a fitness tracker, or both … you’ve found it.

A $300 value proposition

I tested the $300 Amazfit Balance 2 in the best way I know how: up against my current favorite golf watch, the absurdly expensive but awesome Garmin Fenix 8, which I’ve already gloated about ad nauseam.

The test is simple: for 70 percent less money, am I sacrificing 70 percent of the functionality and performance?

Let’s dive in.

What I liked

Let’s start with the easy stuff. There’s a lot to like about the Amazfit Balance 2. The software is elite, the battery lasts all day, it’s highly durable and the golf GPS data is accurate enough.

Battery

Amazfit quotes the Balance 2 at 21-day battery life. That’s a week longer than I get out of my Fexnix 8 despite both devices having similary-sized AMOLED screens. The fact that I can almost make it a month without charing the device is absurd.

Keep in mind that the more often you use the GPS for golf functionality, the more quickly the battery will drain. That said, even if you play every day, you’ll get plenty of juice out of this watch.

Software

I’m a software snob. If your device doesn’t have a great UI and UX, I won’t mess with it. Garmin’s software is frustrating at times, and the menu navigation on the Fenix 8 is downright painful. The Amazfit Balance 2, on the other hand, is buttery smooth. Menus are easy to sift through, and fewer physical buttons make the device more user-friendly. It’s nice not to memorize what 4 different buttons do.

Durability

Like my $1000 Garmin, the $300 Amazfit Balance 2 has a sapphire glass screen. What does that mean in English? It’s durable as hell. I’ve already dropped this guy TWICE from over 6-feet onto tile and it ain’t got a dent or scratch on it.

Golf (accuracy)

This is a golf site, after all. The golf GPS functionality is on par with any GPS I’ve tested prior. Always within 2-3 yards of a rangefinder (which, you know, actually locks onto the exact pin location using lasers).

What I didn’t like:

Not all is well in Zion. The Amazfit Balance 2 isn’t perfect. I found the actual software experience of the golf app to be lackluster, and it doesn’t have an integrated flashlight like my big, bad Fenix 8.

The golf software, unlike the actual watch software, was clunky. Despite providing accurate numbers, I found it hard to navigate from hole to hole, and it struggled to track my shots. Like didn’t register a single swing.

And the most used feature on my Fexnix 8 is the on board flashlight. I wish this guy had one, but understandbly that’s not a feature everyonce cares about.

So, where does that leave us?

If you haven’t picked up on it already, the $300 Amazfit Balance 2 is a way better value than the $1000 Fenix 8. And I might go as far as to say that it’s better in a lot of ways (some of which I haven’t really mentioned).

It’s got a built-in AI companion that can summarize notifications and messages to you (out loud), and the onboard microphone for phone calls and texts ain’t bad either.

All in all, you’re getting a whole lot for $300 … and the extra $700 you’d spend on the Fenix 8 isn’t getting you much more than a flashlight and slightly better golf experience.