The Amazfit Bip U Pro is another very impressive smartwatch that's surprisingly affordable.

In case you're keeping score, Amazfit introduced about 37 new wearables last year. OK, not quite that many, but a bunch -- and I've had the opportunity to test-drive many of them.

What follows is a very preliminary first take on the Amazfit Bip U Pro, which is a pretty clunky name for a pretty impressive watch. I've been wearing it for only a day or so, but wanted to bring it to your attention in case you're, say, looking for ways to spend an Amazon gift card you got for Christmas.

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The Bip U Pro is, unsurprisingly, an upgraded version of the Bip U, which has been on the market for barely a month. There's zero point in buying the latter when the Pro is just $10 more and adds one crucial feature: built-in GPS. It also adds built-in Alexa, which isn't crucial but can be nice to have.

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Like the majority of Amazfit watches, this one packs in a wealth of features -- some implemented better than others, but overall a very solid roster. It sports a razor-sharp 1.43-inch color screen, heart-rate and blood-oxygen monitors, over 60 sport modes and a battery that's good for up to nine days.

What you don't get here is an always-on option. If that's an important feature, consider the Amazfit Bip S, which is also priced at $70 and has a lower-resolution transflective screen. However, it offers only about 10 sport modes and no Alexa.

None of the Bip models let you reply to or dictate text messages, and they don't automatically detect workouts. The clunky, sometimes confusing companion app -- annoyingly named Zepp -- remains a thorn in the entire Amazfit lineup, but it's far from a deal-breaker.

Indeed, based on what I've seen of the Bip U Pro thus far, it might just be the star of that lineup. The hardware is pretty superb, the fitness features capable, the price borderline unbelievable.

Your thoughts?

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The Amazfit Bip U Pro smartwatch for $70 is pretty amazing - CNET