Amazfit Helio Strap Pro review: The screenless fitness tracker I actually want to wear

Writing this Amazfit Helio Strap Pro review has forced me to admit something: I don’t actually like wearing a smartwatch. I own one—an expensive one. It has all the top features, but it lives in my nightstand drawer. Why? Its battery barely lasts a workday, and the display gets in the way while I type or sleep.

WHOOP solved this problem some time ago with its screenless fitness tracker. Oura did, too, with its smart ring. But both run on pricy subscription plans, and I try to avoid those. So when Amazfit’s Helio Strap Pro landed in my lap at Gadget Flow with a screenless design and subscription-free use, I was intrigued.

Could it be the wearable for people like me, who never really got into smartwatches? I wanted to find out.

Amazfit Helio Strap Pro: What is it?

The Amazfit Helio Strap Pro comes with a box of components: a wristband, an armband, the Core Motion Waist sensor, and the Core Motion HR sensor. The wristband holds the sensor for daily wear and sleep, while the armband is for exercise (the sensor gets a more accurate reading on the upper arm).

As for the sensors, the Core Motion HR tracks your movements and heart rate throughout the day, during exercise, and while you sleep. It’s the sensor I relied on the most. For its part, the Core Motion Waist sensor is for HYROX training and pairs with the Amazfit Balance 3 or Balance Ultra for official HYROX Race or Simulation modes.

I’m not a HYROXer, so I couldn’t really test that part. But I am serious about working out, and was excited to take the Helio Strap Pro for a spin around my daily life.

The Helio Strap Pro made me forget I had it on

My smartwatch’s biggest flaw is its size. The digital face is bulky and uncomfortable when I type or sleep. I guess I’m a free bird—I don’t like anything weighing me down. And that’s where screenless trackers shine. Essentially, they’re just wearable sensors that track health stats and send data to an app on your phone.

The Amazfit Helio Strap Pro works the same way. As a small sensor on a mesh band, I can wear it all day without wanting to tear it off. It also follows me as I care for my kids—surviving bath time (it’s rated 3 ATM) and the after-dinner dish rinse.

Bedtime (mine, not the kids’) is even better. Let’s backtrack for a minute: I could never wear my smartwatch while sleeping (the display is too huge). So I never got sleep data. The Amazfit Helio Strap Pro’s slim design, however, is comfortable to wear at night; I can totally slide it under my pillow and not notice it. In the morning, I woke up to see my sleep data right on the Zepp app.

At workout time, I switch the sensor from the wristband to the armband, and hardly notice it—though it does get a little sweaty. The idea is that you can work out without gluing your eyes to a tiny digital display.

The lack of a screen is the whole point

I’ve been waxing poetic for a while about the benefits of screenless trackers, and with the Amazfit Helio Strap Pro, I finally got to try one for myself. With no extra screen on my wrist, I can go about my day with nothing extra to check. The fitness band does its job, and I do mine, which—at this point in my life—is all I want from my tech.

I check the Zepp app when I want to—which is usually first thing in the morning and just before bed. And in the evening, it’s nice to see my step count and workout stats as I wind down. By the end of the week, I realized: this is the most low-key wearable I’d ever owned.

The health and fitness data I actually used

Wearables, including the Helio Strap Pro, track a lot of stats. So here I’m only going to talk about the metrics I used regularly.

Sleep and recovery

This is a big one for me. As a mother of two, I still get woken up—bad dreams, thirst, nerves…it all leads to less sleep for me. With the Helio Strap Pro, though, I can see the days when my rest is interrupted and how much sleep I get on those nights.

No surprises here; my sleep is fair, at best. But seeing the evidence right on my phone made it impossible to ignore. I realized I had to make sleep a priority. While I can’t control my family’s night wakings, I can go to sleep earlier and be relaxed when I do.

Workouts and heart rate

These days, my workouts consist of treadmill runs and strength-training routines—which are easy to track on the Amazfit Helio Strap Pro. The connected Zepp app has settings for running, cycling, strength training, cross-training, walking, treadmill, HYROX races, and free training. Just tap the workout you want, and it’ll start tracking.

For a 30-minute weightlifting workout, it monitors my average heart rate, calories, and training load. It also shows me a map of the muscle groups I work and my training effect (a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic). I appreciate the breakdown—I can see exactly which exercises challenge me the most (squats). That data also affect my daily overview and Hybridcharge score, where I can see my recovery needs and readiness.

My only hang-up with the workout tracking is that it’s not automatic. The device knows when I’m sleeping and tracks my steps and calories, but I still have to tell it when I’m exercising. That’s easy to forget, and a couple of times I missed capturing workout data.

Readiness / Recovery

This is my favorite bit. After getting my sleep routine in order and working out a few times a week, I was genuinely excited to see my overview scores in the Zepp app every morning. Sometimes my health scores didn’t move as far in the positive direction as I hoped. That motivated me, though, to work on building real habits.

Interestingly, the Overview and Hybridcharge score changes throughout the day. Workouts, HRV, sleep duration, what I’ve eaten, etc., affect them.

After about a week of consistent wear, the app’s insights became quite useful. I got more suggestions on improving my health and saw how my workouts affected my current energy levels. Honestly, for a screenless wearable with no subscription, I was impressed by the level of detail.

The Zepp app is where the Helio Strap Pro gets interesting

I mentioned the Zepp app above, but it deserves its own section because the wearable itself is intentionally simple. The Zepp app is where all the health data goes and is interpreted.

The interface is easy to use and navigate, with sections for Overview, Hybridcharge, Sleep, and Exertion at the top, and sections for Workouts, Badges, Aura (paid features), and Device at the bottom.

I can tap or swipe to access any of the top categories. Each section offers detailed insights. For example, the sleep section shows the previous night’s sleep duration, wakings, and time in REM and deep sleep. It then tells me if those times are normal.

The Aura subscription plan offers even more insights, like sleep health assessment and relaxation content. Those features enhance the Helio Strap Pro further, but I’m happy with the standard data. There are no AI coaching features, but the HYROX training looks quite intense. I don’t train that way, so unfortunately I can’t test that feature.

Battery life is one of my favorite things

The sensor on my Amazfit Helio Strap Pro lasts for about 11 days before needing a charge. That’s really excellent for a wearable. And compared to my expensive smartwatch, well, there is no comparison; the Helio Strap Pro is much more efficient. When it’s finally low on battery, it even sends my phone a reminder.

Yes, health trackers without a screen can go for longer—because the screen has been relegated to your smartphone. And you’re probably charging that every day.  

What I didn’t love about the Helio Strap Pro

The Helio Strap Pro isn’t perfect. The biggest limitation for me is that it doesn’t detect workouts automatically, so I sometimes don’t collect workout data. The lack of a screen also means I need to open my phone to see the data, which can be a drawback. Yes, I got distracted by email notifications when I just wanted to check Zepp—but I guess that’s a phone problem, not an Amazfit one.

And, although Amazfit recommends wearing the armband for exercise, I rarely switched. Mostly because, as a mom, I’m lucky if I can change my clothes before a workout. Switching straps pushes the limit. So, for convenience’s sake, I’d like a sensor that tracks at the wrist as well as at the arm.

Amazfit Helio Strap Pro vs WHOOP and Garmin

The Amazfit Helio Strap Pro is something between a traditional fitness tracker and a more specialized recovery wearable like WHOOP. Like WHOOP, it gives you detailed health and recovery data. But you don’t need a membership to get really excellent insights.

It’s also simpler than a Garmin smartwatch. You won’t get GPS, maps, notifications, or workout stats on your wrist. But if you already carry your phone and want something that monitors you in the background, that’s an advantage.

Amazfit Helio Strap Pro review: My verdict

After wearing the Amazfit Helio Strap Pro for a week, I’m sold. This band is comfortable, unobtrusive, and lasts over a week on a single charge. It gave me more health and fitness information than I expected, and I didn’t pay for a subscription or buy one of the brand’s watches.

Priced at $199.99, it’s a great value, especially compared to wearables like WHOOP and Oura. WHOOP costs the same for its standard plan, but you’ll pay it every year. Oura Ring 5 is priced at $399, and the (required) membership is $69.99 per year. So the Helio Strap Pro is actually really affordable.

Would you get more out of it if you used it as a HYROX tracker? Definitely. Is it only for HYROX athletes? Nope. I was extremely happy with the product, even if my beast-mode days are behind me.

Most importantly, I actually want to wear the Amazfit Helio Strap Pro. I like the sporty style, and the petite size means it can keep up with me while I work, care for my kids, and sleep. It actually blends into my routine.

For me, that’s exactly what a screenless fitness tracker should do—adapt to daily life while supporting healthier habits.