Of smartwatch e device wereable the market is full of them and it becomes increasingly difficult to choose the one that best suits our needs. “Receives notifications but how long does the battery last? Does it fit my smartphone? It has too few functions… it has far too many functions! ”. Believe us, we’ve been through it too. With the awareness that the perfect smartwatch varies according to the personal needs of each of us, today we want to tell you about a device that could make many of you happy (spoilers!). We are talking about the new Amazfit GTR 4Amazfit’s new sports smartwatch presented at IFA 2022 in Berlin and this is his review.
Our review of the Amazfit GTR 4
The new Amazfit GTR 4 smartwatch is characterized by a circular polarization GPS system, leader in the sector, which allows high precision outdoor positioning. It is a smartwatch designed primarily for sports activities with over 150 types of pre-set exercises. But one of its strengths is its great versatility and ability to adapt to various needs thanks to highly respectable functions and technologies.
Design
The fourth generation of the Amazfit GTR series respects it style and design of the previous models bringing back that attention to the quality and to resistance of materials. The central bezel mounts an anti-reflective glass bezel with a 1.43 “HD AMOLED display (466 x 466 resolution). A central metal frame and a classic and elegant crown decorate the rest of the central body in an interesting mix of black and metal gray (the colors available are: Superspeed Black, Vintage Brown Leather and Racetrack Gray).
On the right side of the bezel there is a embossed button and a crown as in the most classic watches which allows you to move easily between the various menus without necessarily using the touchscreen. The function of pressing the buttons (also the rotating crown can be pressed) can be set by the user ensuring two quick actions according to need. The same design and coloring is recalled by the strap made of fluoroelastomer (a synthetic technopolymer) that does not make the wrist sweat and does not heat up.
Inside the package, in addition to the Amazfit GTR 4, we also find an instruction booklet and the USB smartwatch charger.
Technology
The Amazfit GTR 4 contains the latest technology in sports smartwatches and all the experience accumulated by Zepp in recent years. This generation of Amazfit in fact mounts a new one BioTracker 4.0 PPG biometric sensor with improved 2LED technology. This results in a greater collection of data and information e 33% more effective than the previous generation thanks to an ultra-thin glass base of just 0.4 mm. The BioTracker will allow a precise and constant monitoring of data such as heart rate (not blood pressure), blood oxygen saturation and stress levels. During exercise, the smartwatch will also be able to detect your breathing rate.
Noteworthy is the aforementioned dual band GPS antenna with circular polarization, similar to that used in aviation or automotive. It allows you to take advantage of a truly sensational map positioning with a 99% accuracy. From running in the city to trekking in the countryside, the positioning will not be affected by environmental interference. In addition, data from running and cycling training sessions can be synchronized with other applications such as Strava e Adidas Running.
The smartwatch also mounts a mini-speaker on the left side to be able to listen to music during training (also via bluetooth) or to receive audio notifications on sports data of that moment, such as heart rate, hydration reminders, goals achieved and so on. Last but not least, the smartwatch supports Amazon Alexa voice assistant.
To support this we have a 475 mAh battery particularly performing, but we will talk about this later.
Our test of the Amazfit GTR 4
We tested the Amazfit GTR 4 for two weeks during which we (almost) never took it off the wrist.
Let’s start immediately by saying that the Smartwatch has a relatively large size and weight. We are talking about 46 x 46 x 10.6mm for 34g. Despite our propensity to wear wearable devices on the wrist, the weight is felt especially in the first few days. This is a small price to pay in favor of a really high quality large display. The AMOLED screen is large, bright and you don’t have to make any effort to be able to see at a glance, all the information we need. Through the Zepp app, we are able to choose further 200 types of dials (watch-faces), among the most minimalist, more detailed, static, moving, free or paid ones.
Whatever your choice will be, know that the display’s touchscreen will always respond perfectly for choosing various settings, workouts, and so on. A fluidity that, honestly, we never expected from a smartwatch. Among the controls, we particularly appreciated the rotation crown on the external side which in addition to offer great feel with a lot of vibration, it allowed us to move easily between the various options and menus without necessarily filling the screen with fingerprints (we hate fingerprints on the display …).
The Zepp application is a fundamental prerogative to get the most out of your Smartwatch. Through the application and after connecting the smartwatch to your smartphone via Bluetooth, you will be able to manage any element and setting of the device, choose the watch face, have access to the apps you can download but above all, you will have a complete view of the exercises and cardiac measurement data, blood oxygenation, and so on.
Control of sports activity …
Training data
Training data
PAI score
As anticipated (and as per the name), the Amazfit GTR 4 is mainly designed for sportsmen. In fact, the smartwatch offers over 150 types of exercises to be able to analyze the trend and performance. Among the most classic, such as running, cycling and yoga, to the more niche ones such as Parkour, Curling or archery. Not finding the workout or sport you intend to do is virtually impossible.
Each exercise delivers specific information and data. In the case of a walk, our preferred exercise, the application provides an exceptional and detailed amount of information. Workout time, average speed, average heart rate, calories burned, speed, altitude, step rate and even stride. Added to these are data concerning the overall performance of our performances, such as the PAIand’indicator of personal physiological activity based on accumulated data. At the beginning of your experience you will obviously have a PAI equal to 0 and the goal, calculated on the basis of algorithms, is to keep it at least above 100 points. (If we did it, you can too!)
The presence, much appreciated, of informative balloons and descriptions that clearly explain many of the data we are observing should be noted.
… and sleep
Sleep data
Writing about exercise has already tired us and luckily theAmazfit GTR 4 also allows you to monitor our sleep. In fact, it will be enough to keep the watch worn during the night to have, the next day, a clear view of the phases that have characterized our sleep, the waking phases, the REM phase but also the heart rate trend during the night. We will be able to improve the effectiveness of our sleep over time, for example by learning to go to bed and always wake up at the same time or to ensure a certain amount of sleep every night.
Also in this case the results and data offered are many and all very interesting and will represent a real challenge for ourselves to get the most out of our sleep, a phase of the day that is far too underestimated.
Praise, praise, praise for autonomy
We feel obliged to reserve a paragraph for the autonomy of the smartwatch. In two weeks of constant use, day and night, theAmazfit GTR 4 has kept a charge for 12 days, which left us more than satisfied. It goes without saying that autonomy varies depending on use, if you intend to keep the display always-on (not our case) or if you prefer an animated digital dial, which further uses the battery.
Obviously there is no lack of energy saving mode, which limits some background features such as constant heart rate measurement which can further increase battery life, according to Amazfit, up to 24 days. Added to this is also the self-explanatory “Clock” mode, for a battery life that can reach up to 50 days.
The battery charges from 0 to 100 in approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes with the charger included in the package.
And the defects?
At this point of the review it would seem that this Amazfit GTR 4 is the perfect smartwatch but of course, this is not the case. The defects are not lacking and vary according to our preferences and needs. As anticipated, the smartwatch is quite large compared to some models on the market (46 x 46 x 10.6 mm for 34 g.). If you have a smaller pulse than us or …