Zepp Tennis Sensor REVIEW

Introduction

Zepp tennis sensor is one of the first tennis sensor in the world. It is a small yellow cube which is attached to the end of a tennis racquet handle by a rubber mount or plastic mount. I bought mine in January 2014 and I have been playing with it ever sence. It gives me a great basic overview of my game.

Author Martin Poboril (last update January 2015)

opening the box

Zepp tennis sensor box - review

Zepp tennis box from in front.

Zepp tennis sensor box - review

Zepp tennis box from behind.

Zepp tennis sensor box - review

On the top of every box is a hook.

Zepp tennis sensor box from the side - review

Zepp tennis box from the side.

Zepp tennis sensor box from the side - review

Zepp tennis box from the side.

After opening the box’s door we can see the sensor.

Zepp tennis sensor box - review

Box after we slide out the drawer.

Zepp tennis sensor box - review

Every part of the box.

Zepp tennis sensor - review

The box includes (from left to the right): charger, Zepp tennis sensor, flex mount, and warranty booklet. Also recently available, is a pro mount which should already be included in the box. If you bought the Zepp tennis sensor package and the pro mount was not included you can still buy the pro mount separately.

Zepp tennis sensor flex mount - review

Flex mount

Zepp tennis sensor pro mount - review

Pro mount

Zepp tennis sensor pro mount - review
Zepp tennis sensor pro mount - review

I bought my Pro mount separately and it came in this package. I did not expect two Pro mounts in one package because on the webpage is picture of one pro mount on the handle of the tennis racquet without any description what is in the box.

weight and size

Weight of zepp tennis sensor - review
Weight of flex mount zepp tennis sensor - review

According to my scale the sensor alone weights 8 grams.

The flex mount weights 12.2 grams.

Weight of zepp tennis sensor with the flex mount - review
Size of zepp tennis sensor - review

The sensor and flex mount combined weight 20.4 grams.

The size comparison of the flex mount and Zepp tennis sensor with a pen.

Zepp tennis sensor flex mount - review
Zepp tennis sensor pro mount - review

The sensor exceeds the racquet handle by 2cm/0.79 inches.

The sensor mounted by pro mount exceeds the racquet handle by 1.4cm/0.55 inches.

Zepp tennis racquet weight with flex mount - review

My tennis racquet alone weights 347 grams.

When I added the Zepp tennis sensor to my racquet the weight changed to 367.3 grams.

The Pro mount alone weights 4 grams.

Pro mount and the Zepp tennis sensor weight 11.9 grams.

Zepp pro mount size - review
Zepp weight of pro mount - review

The size comparison of Zepp sensor and the Pro mount with a pen.

My tennis racquet weights 358.2 grams with the Pro mount and the Zepp sensor..

pictures of the flex mount

pictures of the pro mount

technical specifications

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth 2.1
Range 20 – 30 meter

COMPATIBILITY

iOS 7.0+, iPhone 4S+, iPod Touch 6th Generation+, iPad 2nd Generation+
Android OS 4.0+
NOT for Windows phones
NOT for desktop
NOT for Blackberry

SENSOR

Dual accelerometers
3-axis gyroscope

MEMORY

Up to 2,000 swings

BATTERY

Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery
2-3 hours full charge cycle
5-8 hours battery life, depends on usage – online or offline mode

tracking

Zepp tennis sensor works in two modes: Play Tracking Mode and 3D Serve Mode. In Play Tracking Mode we can choos how we want to see our results, either as a number or percentages.

Numbers

Percentages

Zepp tennis sensor app - review

Play Tracking Mode

FOREHAND

Number of forehands per session
Topspin, flat, slice
Sweet spot
Power

BACKHAND

Number of backhands per session
Topspin, flat, slice
Sweet spot
Power

SERVE

Number of serves per session
Sweet spot
Power

OTHER

Total swings per session
Total time, active time

3D Serve Mode

SERVE

Racquet speed
Potential ball speed
Spin
Backswing time
Impact time
3D analyzer figure

user guide

User guide is available only on the Zepp tennis official website. A user guide is not included in the box with the sensor. The user guide is clear, well organized, and includes helpful images. When we print out the user guide it has a total of 26 pages (user guide from May 19, 2015).

zepp tennis application

Zepp Tennis Application offers us two modes. The first one is “Play Tracking Mode” which records our entire practice or match session. In this mode we can use the sensor in offline or online mode and after our session we can download our data to the application and analyze it. The second one is “3D Serve Mode” which allows us to record and analyze our serve in 3D. It is best to use this mode in online mode for immediate feedback.

Play Tracking Mode

Zepp tennis sensor application - review
Zepp tennis sensor application - review

From left to right:
– Welcome screen.
– Screen after we log in.
– When we click on icon in upper left corner we can see which mode our application is in (the application is currently in tracking mode), history, my account, settings, help, and when our application was last updated with the cloud.

Exploring One of My sessions

Zepp tennis sensor application - review

On the top of the screen we can see that I played this session on S eptember 30 at 11:21am (Zář is short for Září which means August in the Czech language) . The pie in the middle of the screen is showing how many forehands, backhands, and serve s I played at that session. By clicking on the icon at the bottom right we can change the result appearance in the pie, in either percentages or in numbers. On the bottom we can see total swings (510), total time (44:38), and active time (22:27) from the session.

Zepp tennis application - review
Zepp tennis application backhands - review
Zepp tennis application forehands - review
Zepp tennis application serves - review

Clicking on the “Power” button on the bottom of the screen we can see the power of our shots.
From left to right:
– This graph is showing the power from all of our shots together (light blue – forehand, dark blue – backhand, green – serve), and it is also showing the maximum (96) and average (56) power.
– This graph is showing only the power used during backhands (maximum 88, average 58 ).
– This graph is showing only the power used during forehands (maximum 96, average 56 ).
– And the last graph is showing the power used during serves (maximum 81, average 67).
To see all those graphs we simply slide through the pages.

Zepp tennis sensor application - review
Zepp tennis sensor application - review
Zepp tennis application sweet spot - review

When we go back to the basic pie and click for example on “Forehand” we come to the page where we can see the pie with the types of spins (topspin, flat, slice) which we played during forehands. Clicking on bottom left icon we see the tennis racquet graph showing us sweet spot s during forehands. The sweet spot s are divided into four tabs: All, Topspin, Flat, Slice (we are looking at “All” tab) .

3D Serve Mode

Zepp tennis application 3D serve mode - review
Zepp tennis application 3D serve mode - review

To change the mode from “Play Tracking Mode” to “3D Serve Mode” our sensor has to be connected to the application for a successful mode change.

Zepp tennis application serve mode - review
Zepp tennis application serve mode - review

In 3D Serve Mode it is recommended to use our sensor in the online mode so we can see the results after hitting every serve. The application is showing a virtual figure with the path of our swing and the speed of our racquet. Also, we can tell the application from which side we served – Deuce or Advantage side.

Zepp tennis application serve speed - review

By clicking on the graph icon at the bottom of the screen we come to this page where we can see the summary of every single serve. This page is showing: Racquet speed (72 km/h), Potential ball speed ( 101 km/h), Spin (10/10 – 0 means no spin, 10 – means maximum spin), Backswing time (1.33 sec.), and Impact time (0.27 sec.).

Zepp tennis application serve - review
Zepp tennis application serve - review
Zepp tennis application serve - review
Zepp tennis application serve - review

From left to right:
– By clicking on the arrow pointing down at bottom left corner of the screen we get following menu:
Compare – We can compare our serve with the “Pro” serve or we can compare two of our serves together.
Share – We can share our result through e – mail, Facebook , or Twitter.
Screen Lock – This option locks the screen.
Delete – This deletes the serve we are looking at.
– This screen is comparing my serve (the green path) with the “Pro” serve (gray path ). At the top of the screen is the speed of both serves.
– On the next screen two of my serves are compared to each other.
– The last screen shows the numbers of the two serves which are being compared.

Zepp tennis application 3D Serve Mode - review
Zepp tennis application 3D Serve Mode - review
Zepp tennis application 3D Serve Mode - review
Zepp tennis application 3D Serve Mode - review
Zepp tennis application 3D Serve Mode - review
Zepp tennis application 3D Serve Mode - review
Zepp tennis application 3D Serve Mode - review

There are eight different angles from which we can analyze our serve.

history of zepp tennis application

Version 1.0 (13.11.2013)
– First version of the application
Version 1.0.1 (20.11.2013)
– Bug fixes
Version 1.0.2 (22.11.2013)
– Bug fixes
Version 1.0.3 (5.12.2013)
– Bug fixes
Version 1.1 (30.12.2013)
– New sensor firmware update to improve accuracy.
– New languages: German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean.
– Bug fixes and user interface bug fixes
Version 1.1.1 (1.1.2014)
– Bug fixes
– New sensor firmware update to improve accuracy.
Version 1.1.2 (29.1.2014)
– New firmware update for performance improvements in swing tracking.
Version 1.1.3 (6.2.2014)
– Fixed a bug that caused swing tracking issues between accounts.
Version 1.1.4 (7.3.2014)
– New sensor firmware for improved swing tracking accuracy and swing recognition.
Version 1.1.5 (1.4.2015)
– Bug fixes
Version 1.2 (20.5.2014)
– 3D serve analysis
– New serve metrics – racquet speed, potential ball speed, spin, and timing.
– Sweet spot
Version 1.2.1 (17.6.2014)
– Added languages
– Firmware update to improve 3D swing capture.
Version 1.2.2 (14.7.2014)
– Improved serve and ball spin tracking.
Version 1.2.3 (13.8.2014)
– Update play tracking mode to improve the accuracy of shot classification.
– Stabilization and bug fixes.
Version 2.0.0 (18.5.2015)
– Match and practice analysis
– Instant analysis of your intensity, consistency, and power.
– Personalized session reports + tips and drills to improve your game.
– Benchmark your practices and matches, set goals and track your improvements over time in both singles and doubles.
– Video training center – Milos Raonic and top coach share video tips, drills, and match strategy.
– Step – by – step tutorials

updating the firmware of the sensor (version 1.2.3)

Zepp tennis application updating firmware - review

If newer firmware is available for the sensor, a yellow “UPDATE” sign will show up next to the “Settings”. To update the firmware, follow the steps on the screen. To update mine it took less than a minute.

PROS and cons

PROS

CONS

Sensor is water resistant
Sensor is well built
Sensor can be used for multiple sports (tennis, golf, baseball, and softball)
Sensor’s warranty is one year
Battery life (more than 5 hours)
Free application
Sign in on multiple devices at once
Approved by ITF

Sensor is not easy to turn on/off
The size and the weight of the sensor
The LED channel is hard to see outside (especially during sunny days)
The sensor sometimes flies off the flex and pro mount
The flex mount exceeds the handle too much
Sensor requires calibration before every session
Syncing with the cloud takes a long time
Synchronization between devices does not work well
“3D Serve Mode” does not divide serve in one day into a separate session.

tips

Tip 1

Zepp fixing flex mount - review

I like to put the flex mount under the over grip for a better feeling.

Tip 2

I was playing with my Pro mount for about three hours and all of a sudden the Pro mount with the sensor flew off my racquet.

Zepp fixing pro mount - review
Zepp fixing pro mount - review

Most of the tennis racquets have sticker with its brand on the top of the cap , in my case Tecnifibre. I put the Pro mount on the top of this sticker and the s ticker flew off with the Pro mount and the Zepp tennis sensor after about three hours of playing. This sticker is well glued to the top of the cap , but it is not glued well enough to put something on top of it. In the left picture we can see the cap without the sticker and i n the right picture we can see the sticker alone.

Zepp tennis sensor pro mount - review
Zepp tennis sensor pro mount - review

Here we can see the Pro mount with the brand sticker. The Pro mount holds really well on the racquet so if you have the brand sticker on the butt cap of your tennis racquet I would remove it and stick the Pro mount on the butt cap without the brand sticker.

Zepp weight of the brand sticker - review

By doing that you will save one gram of weight and also the sensor will not stick out of your racquet as much .

sensor from inside

playing with the sensor

Before every session I calibrated the sensor as instructed. I played ten shots every session.

Play Tracking Mode

Zepp tennis sensor forehand flat - review
Zepp tennis sensor forehand flat - review

10 Forehands Flat:
– The application recorded 10 forehands flat.

Zepp tennis sensor forehand topspin - review
Zepp tennis sensor forehand topspin - review

10 Forehands Topspin:
– The application recorded 8 forehands topspin and 2 forehands flat.

Zepp tennis sensor forehand slice - review

10 Forehands Slice:
– The application recorded 9 forehands slice and 1 serve.

Zepp tennis sensor backhand flat - review
Zepp tennis sensor backhand flat - review

10 Backhands Flat:
– The application recorded 10 backhands topspin.

Zepp tennis sensor backhand topspin - review
Zepp tennis sensor backhand topspin - review

10 Backhands Topspin:
– The application recorded 6 backhands topspin, 1 backhand slice, and 3 forehands.

Zepp tennis sensor backhand slice - review
Zepp tennis sensor backhand slice - review

10 Backhands Slice:
– The application recorded 10 backhands slice.

Zepp tennis sensor serve - review

10 Serves:
– The application recorded 10 serves.

3D Serve Mode

3 Flat Serves

Zepp tennis sensor 3D serve mode - review
Zepp tennis sensor 3D serve mode - review
Zepp tennis sensor 3D serve mode - review

3 Slice Serves

Zepp tennis sensor 3D serve mode - review
Zepp tennis sensor 3D serve mode - review
Zepp tennis sensor 3D serve mode - review

video of the accuracy

In the video I am showing only three shots for backhands, forehands, and smashes, and two shots of serves of every session to keep the video short.

Accuracy of the zepp sensor from the practice

I was recording myself on video camera during part of my practices while I was playing with the Zepp sensor. After the practice I took the data from the sensor and the recorded data from the video and I compared them. The sensor records volleys as normal shots so I always add them together.

Session 1 (April 22, 2015)

Application version 1.2.3, mounted by flex mount

Type of Shot

Data Recorded

Zepp Recorded

Difference in %

Total Difference in %

Forehands

229

234

1.08%

Backhands

134 + 1 = 135

129

2.27%

Serve

0

0

Total

364

363

0.14%

1.16%

Forehand Volley

0

0

Backhand Volley

1

0

Smash

0

Notes:
This session was recorded in offline mode.
Length of the session: 21m 58sec.

Zepp tennis sensor accuracy - review
Zepp tennis sensor accuracy - review
Zepp tennis sensor accuracy - review

weird

– In the application there is a tab for smashes BUT in user guide it says that the sensor only tracks forehands, backhands, and serves (all of smashes are counted as serves).
– Sometimes one session gets divided into more sessions.
– During my session, when I did not play even one serve the sensor still counted some of my shots as a serve. The only part that is clickable on this graph is the pie. So when we have a couple of shots in one section, like in this case one serve, it is almost impossible to click on it. It took me many tries to click on the green part.

price

USA Market = $149.99
Europe Market = 149.95 Euros

my thoughts on zepp tennis sensor

In my opinion it is a great tool for amateurs who want to have fun and see something more from their game. Zepp tennis sensor and everything around it is well designed (application, webpage). In my opinion the sensor alone is too big and too heavy for a tennis racquet. Mounting the sensor to the racquet with the flex mount needs some practice and the flex mount is very uncomfortable on the racquet. Overall it is not bad product for players who want to see basic information from their game.