Amazfit GTR Mini assessment: Nice battery life and glorious health monitoring in a small bundle

Lots of the huge smartwatch manufacturers launch one or two watches a 12 months. If an organization brings a couple of gadget to market, it’ll normally be a normal and a professional/extremely mannequin. Health tracker manufacturers are barely completely different, usually offering a number of gadgets to supply a spread of efficiency and {hardware} designs at completely different value factors. Amazfit straddles the road between smartwatch and health tracker, however leans into the latter in relation to its portfolio of wearables, together with one in all its newest, the GTR Mini.

I’ve reviewed a number of smartwatches from Amazfit, all of which are available in a “full-size” footprint and provide glorious battery life, amongst many different options. The GTR Mini is usually a stripped-down model of the Amazfit GTR 4, which had me apprehensive that it might provide a less-than-complete expertise in comparison with its greater siblings. Happily, I used to be improper.

Amazfit GTR Mini is a chrome steel plastic smartwatch that opts for the traditional spherical type to supply a formidable week-long battery life. It does this whereas repeatedly monitoring your coronary heart charge, blood oxygen saturation and preserving you up to date with notifications. I’ve been fairly pleased with the watch, particularly how gentle it’s. I want it provided extra reply choices for messages and that there wasn’t fairly a lot border across the display screen. However for a watch with stable {hardware} and a very good health suite for $120 – it is superb.

About this assessment: This assessment was written after a month of testing a Midnight Black GTR Mini offered by Amazfit. The corporate had no enter into this assessment.

Amazfit GTR Mini: Costs and Availability

• Amazfit GTR Mini was introduced on March 14, 2023 for $120
• It is available in three shade decisions

Amazfit introduced the GTR Mini on March 14, 2023. The watch is obtainable in three colours: Midnight Black, Ocean Blue and Pink Mist. Whereas there are three shade decisions, there’s solely a single 42mm dimension choice. The watch might be bought from Amazon and Amazfit’s web site for $120.

Design and {hardware}: Exceeds expectations

• The watch weighs a modest 36.2g, together with the watchband, whereas packing a 280mAh battery
• It has a shiny display screen however has a big body
• BioTracker 3.0 sensor included to watch numerous well being metrics

I typically hold expectations low in relation to what I might think about a wearable finances. For the Amazfit GTR Mini’s $120 value, I count on a plastic construct with restricted well being monitoring and an LCD panel that does not get almost shiny sufficient to learn outside. That is not what I obtained with the Amazfit GTR Mini. However this could come as a lot of a shock as Amazfit has been making among the finest smartwatches and health trackers for years now.

The GTR Mini has a mixture of premium and reasonably priced options. In any case, this can be a health tracker with smartwatch tendencies. It is wrapped in chrome steel and plastic, each of which work to maintain the watch sturdy and lightweight at simply 36.2g. The 42mm case has a single button on the highest proper of the watch with a 280mAh battery. You will discover no speaker or microphone, so no telephone calls or voice assistants right here. However Amazfit took the extra premium route with the display screen, choosing a 1.28-inch AMOLED panel that is nonetheless seen even outside. One draw back to the show is that it has a reasonably thick bezel that, just like the Google Pixel Watch, is extra seen relying on the watch face you select.

It could be comprehensible to count on the Amazfit GTR Mini to have low-quality {hardware}, given the worth, however that could not be farther from the reality.

Charging the GTR Mini is by way of the proprietary POGO pindock with magnets to assist line it up and hold it in place. It costs from zero to 100 in about two hours, however may give you a full day of use in simply quarter-hour. Though it’s a little annoying to have to make use of a particular charging cable for the watch, we must make do till the business chooses a common charging methodology for wearables. I constantly obtained a full week of use between costs. Nevertheless, relying on utilization and the way usually well being monitoring sensors are triggered, the watch can go so long as 30 days earlier than needing a cost.

To the charging factors on the again of the GTR Mini are the well being sensors. Amazfit has what it calls the BioTracker 3.0 sensor suite that provides 24-hour real-time monitoring of your coronary heart charge, blood oxygen ranges, stress and extra. Amazfit has additionally made main strides with GPS place monitoring. Utilizing 5 completely different satellite tv for pc methods and utilizing a round antenna system, the GTR Mini is ready to acquire its location rapidly and constantly preserve it.

I discovered the Amazfit GTR Mini totally on par in well being monitoring with my Pixel Watch, the Whoop Strap 4.0 I am testing, and the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional. It was fast to get a GPS location earlier than beginning out of doors workouts. Issues like coronary heart charge, SpO2 and sleep monitoring outcomes got here near what I obtained with the opposite wearables I discussed earlier. (Sure, I might put on two gadgets on the identical time to check outcomes.)

Software program: Simple to make use of for glorious information show

• Amazfit makes use of the inner Zepp OS 2.0
• GTR Mini can monitor over 120 completely different exercises and workouts
• Zepp’s companion app is filled with options and works effectively
• There are only a few apps obtainable for the watch

Proper out of the gate, you need to know that Amazfit smartwatches do not have an enormous choice of third-party apps. So you do not get WhatsApp, Google Maps, Strava or many others. You get largely primary choices like water consumption, a calculator, bike monitoring, a calorie tracker, and extra. All these apps are managed contained in the Zepp companion app in your telephone. The dearth of third-party app assist is a bummer, however I hardly ever discovered myself lacking the apps I usually set up on my different smartwatches.

Zepp is the identify of each the working system and the well being platform that powers the GTR Mini. Zepp OS 2.0 is what brings collectively all of the brains and information on the watch. Navigating across the numerous screens and data within the working system is fast and straightforward to grasp. Whereas the working system might not provide many favourite apps, it gives a quick expertise with the battery life that Put on OS and Watch OS gadgets simply do not have.

The dearth of third-party app assist is a bummer, however I hardly ever discovered myself lacking the apps I usually set up on my different smartwatches.

With regards to health monitoring, other than the each day monitoring of your well being metrics, the Amazfit GTR Mini packs over 120 completely different exercises and workouts. That is all constructed proper into the working system and offers customers customary choices like strolling, operating and biking, for issues like energy coaching, e-sports, dancing, board video games and extra. Plus, because of the 5 ATM water resistance as much as 50 meters, you should utilize it for water-based coaching.

The show of data on the GTR Mini’s AMOLED display screen was clear and with loads of information. Though it could really feel a bit cramped, Zepp OS lays it out fairly effectively. Like many different wearables, Amazfit does not provide you with all the small print in regards to the watch itself. As a substitute, it affords a snapshot of that information after which gives a button to view it in your telephone within the Zepp app. From there you get a lot of perception.

The Zepp app is a powerhouse that additionally permits you to management nearly each aspect of the GTR Mini. From the app’s dwelling display screen, you get related information as you see on the watch itself, however tapping the sleep map gives additional evaluation of your sleep. You possibly can see common and most coronary heart charge and blood oxygen saturation, together with minute-by-minute monitoring of the metrics. It should additionally present a abstract of how lengthy you have been in every sleep zone – awake, gentle, deep, REM. The identical extensible information methodology is used for coaching and different tracked information similar to step.

After I talked about that the Zepp app gives management for nearly each aspect of the Amazfit GTR Mini, I meant it. You possibly can set up apps, change watch faces, regulate notification controls and extra. It is not that completely different from different smartwatches, however the Zepp app additionally permits you to change a ton of well being monitoring choices, extra capabilities on the watch, discover your watch, shortcuts and extra.

Maybe my favourite a part of utilizing an Amazfit watch is the superb backups for connecting to new gadgets or doing manufacturing unit resets. Whereas this may not be one thing the typical person wants fairly often, it is a lifesaver for somebody testing a number of telephones and watches. Having the ability to log into the Zepp app after which have it connect with the wearable with out having to reinstall apps and configure all of the settings is nothing in need of magical.

Must you purchase it?

You should purchase this if:

• You desire a gentle and classically styled smartwatch
• You might be on a finances
• You desire a watch that gives well-rounded well being and health monitoring
• You need lengthy battery life

You shouldn’t purchase this if:

• You want third-party app assist
• You wish to deal with telephone calls in your watch

Amazfit GTR Mini is a good smartwatch full of a variety of helpful options for not a lot cash. The truth that you get high-quality supplies in a slim bundle that provides a wealth of well being and health monitoring choices is actually spectacular. It falls into an analogous entice as many health trackers do with the shortage of third-party app assist, but it surely’s additionally finest for a lot of of them. Coming in at a a lot lower cost level than the Garmins and Polars of the wearable world whereas nonetheless providing extra train monitoring choices, higher location companies and battery life makes the GTR Mini a superb choice.

There will likely be extra specialised gadgets that can beat the Amazfit GTR Mini, however you’ll spend much more cash on them. For somebody who desires a handsome and reasonably priced wearable that does not sacrifice options like nice battery life, a terrific set of well being and health monitoring choices, and magnificence, the Amazfit GTR Mini is a tool value a glance.