What you need to know

• Amazfit Verge 2 has eSIM compatibility, allowing it to work without your phone.
• The smartwatch is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 2500 platform.
• A key highlight is real-time screening for atrial fibrillation.
• It has a durable metal chassis, and there's a limited edition Avengers variant.

Huami has been making fitness bands for Xiaomi since the very first Mi Band, and two years ago the manufacturer branched out and started selling wearables under its own Amazfit brand. The Amazfit Verge in particular turned out to be a fantastic fitness-focused smartwatch, and there's now a new one.

The Verge 2 features a set of key upgrades that make it an even better option in the wearable space. The smartwatch now offers eSIM support, allowing it to make and receive calls without being connected to a phone. The Verge 2 is compatible with all major carriers in China, and it'll be interesting to see if Huami retains the feature in the global version of the smartwatch.

Another major addition is real-time ECG, facilitated by Huami's custom Huangshan No. 1 always-on AI chip. The chip has a cardiac biometrics engine that allows for more accurate heart rate monitoring, as well as real-time ECG screening for any abnormalities like heart arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation. The smartwatch will be able to store up to 60 minutes of ECG data locally for seven days.

On the hardware front, the Verge 2 features a 1.39-inch 454 x 454 AMOLED panel with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, IP68 dust and water resistance, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, and built-in GPS/GLONASS as well as NFC. The smartwatch is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 2500 platform, and you get 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. The 420mAh battery is rated for a single day's worth of use on a full charge, and the Verge 2 also has a microphone.

Like its predecessor, the Verge 2 is able to automatically track 10 activities, including running, walking, indoor running, indoor riding, elliptical, mountaineering, skipping, outdoor riding, football, and trail running. The design now sees a microcrystalline zirconium ceramic frame instead of a polycarbonate chassis, and that should make the smartwatch more durable.

As noted by GizmoChina, there's also an Avengers edition of the Verge 2 that comes with a white color option and custom watch faces. Just 5000 units of the Avengers edition will be available, and customers in China will have to shell out 1499 RMB ($215) to get their hands on the smartwatch.

The standard edition, meanwhile, costs just 999 RMB ($145), with the ECG version set to retail for 1299 RMB ($190). The standard version is going on sale from today in China, with the ECG model and Avengers edition set to be available from July. No word as yet on global availability, but Huami will be looking to launch the Verge 2 in the U.S. at some point later this year.