How good is Amazfit GTR? It's perfect for its money, especially when it comes to sports tracking functions. Read more in our detailed review.
Amazfit GTR is one of the best budget smartwatches with great activity tracking and an accurate GPS. That is the smartwatch from the brand Huami, a company backed by Xiaomi, which has great looks, a bright display, and long battery life.
For the small price of $140 - $170, you can get a battery that lasts up to two weeks, a GPS, wide tracking choice, sleep monitoring, step counting, and an AMOLED display with the resolution density of an iPhone 11.
This watch is great for exercise tracking and can do lots, especially when it comes to sports features. Read on for a detailed review of Amazfit GTR functionality.
Our Verdict
This smartwatch looks amazing for its money. It has all the necessary sports functionality like tracking of heart rate, sleep, steps. Also, it has GPS and is water-resistant. Besides great looks, it has a long battery life and a colorful display that is clear in the sun.
However, it is a budget smartphone, so certain functions aren't perfect, for example, tracking sometimes lags. Also, there aren't many smartwatch functions. You cannot respond to notifications, and the device doesn't integrate with many apps.
Device Overview
There are two models, 42mm and 47mm. Although this is the same model, there is a difference in design. The 42 mm has a silicone strap, and most of the models are a single color.
At the same time, the 47mm version looks like a classical watch because of its leather strap and a titanium or aluminum alloy body. There is a practical silicone strap under the leather layer, so you can wear it for any physical activity without worrying about the look of the leather.
The clock face of 47 mm is bigger, but it does not look too large on the thin wrists. Overall, it looks more smart and sleek. Still, both models have thick bodies. They are around 1cm deep, but they do not look too chunky and aren't heavy.
Both watch models do not look cheap. The black bezel around the watch face makes them look rather expensive. There are two sturdy buttons on the right side that are small enough not to distract from the display. At the same time, they are big enough to safeguard you from accidental pressing.
The manufacturer promises up to 12 days of battery life in the normal mode. That implies all-time heart rate detection, three half-an-hour GPS training, and sleep monitoring. Still, users note that the battery lives only seven days. Still, a week on one charge is good, especially for a budget smartwatch.
The screen is 390 x 390, AMOLED 1.2" for the 42mm version, and a 454 x 454, 1.39" AMOLED for the 47mm version. Both of them are at 326 pixels per inch, which ensures a clear, detailed, crisp picture. There are sharp and visible words and numbers, even when they are small.
There are bright, vibrant colors and plenty of watches faces that you can change in the Amazfit app. The screen is visible in the daylight, and the sun glare is never a problem.
First of all, there aren't many app integrations. Still, there are music controls if you are playing music on your phone. Also, there are heart rate tracking, weather, and "find my phone" functions, which you can navigate from your wrist. For the rest of the notifications, you can only browse but not reply.
Also, notifications aren't centered and have a strange font that doesn't look good. There are also no emoji from the apps, so it feels and looks very basic. You can use the device to keep track of your phone notifications, but this is it.
On the positive side, the notifications are off by default. You need to enable apps one by one, but that helps to avoid distractions.
Luckily, Amazfit GTR offers broad and accurate sports tracking functions. They include heart rate, GPS, step tracking, and more.
This feature shows a lot of detail about your quantity of steps. It is accurate and displays the correct heart rate compared to manual tests. The app shows the distance traveled, calories burnt, activity history, and estimation of activity, for example, slower or faster walk.
The watch is measuring your heart rate at all times while retaining battery life. It shows the data in real-time, so when you exercise, you may notice the app showing a higher pulse.
If you don't need to track the heart rate all the time, you can ask the device to detect it only when you start the activity. However, mind that this feature is not perfect, and it can detect activity late sometimes.
The Amazfit GTR can tell your Personal Activity Intelligence score automatically. It is calculated weekly based on your heart rate. This is good because if you get a score of over 100, you will decrease the probability of health issues.
This function is also imperfect. It counts runs that increase the rate by 30, but it doesn't track walking this way. Also, weight training causes no response in the device. So, at times, you will have to count manually.
This device doesn't offer much sleep tracking. It cannot tell advanced sleep data like some others, but it can track the time when you fall asleep and the time you wake up, as well as the deep sleep.
It is impossible to say if deep sleep detection was correct, but sleep and wake times were accurate. The device doesn't track if you wake up in the middle of the night, but it is great for detecting the overall number of hours slept, which is also useful for health tracking.
The GPS function of this smartwatch is elaborate. It might take a while to make an initial GPS setup, but since that time, it's accurate. Paired with the Amazfit smartphone app, it can show your route while walking and running.
The Amazfit phone app isn't very intuitive and obvious. The app needs some time to get used to, but it tracks everything perfectly. It also shows a large quantity of data, such as average and max heart rate during exercise, pauses in the activity, altitude changes, and time splits by kilometer.
The phone also has 12 exercise tracking modes, which is good. Still, its swimming tracking is far from perfect because it does not show stats such as reps or more complex motions like weight training. If you use the device at the gym, it won't recognize types of activities and repetitions, instead of saying that you are "exercising." You can still manually tag each activity afterward.
Competition
The device's main competitor is Mobvoi TicWatch Pro. The gadgets look and feel similar and have basic functionality with minor differences. Let's look at both devices.
Overall, both phones have a smart look, which is best for its price. There are plenty of useful functions in both, and they have the essential basics. Still, TicWatch Pro supports NFC payment and has Wear OS by Google, has Google assistant, and supports many apps and watch faces.
Amazfit GTR doesn't have so much smartphone functionality besides app notifications. However, its advantage is much longer battery life and better screen resolution, more tracking options, and better waterproof resistance.
Conclusion
Amazfit GTR is a great budget smartwatch that has a bright, colorful screen, long battery life, and a smart design. The tracking activity is very accurate, especially when you are using it for outdoor sports that demand GPS. However, the phone notifications aren't convenient, and you cannot respond to them using your smartwatch.
The design is best for the price because, in most cases, smartwatches of this segment do not look smart. Also, the watch doesn't look bulky on the hand and is fine for a small wrist. Overall, it is a more sports-oriented smartwatch that does not provide much of the "smart" options. Still, if fitness tracking is more important for you, this watch will be a perfect fit.
