A large and colorful screen, a great selection of features for your health and sport. Testing Amazfit GTS 2e for this review we were impressed with the qualities of this smartwatch. Especially because you can put it on your wrist at a really attractive price. If you want a device that looks like an Apple Watch and measures your performance like a Fitbit, you don’t have to spend a fortune to buy it.
Amazfit GTS 2e review, quality and style at a great price
Opening the package of Amazfit GTS 2e, we were surprised: in the box there was a fitness band that looked like an Apple Watch in all respects. Not so much in the form of the screen, as in the “style”. Usually, when another brand builds a product that resembles an Apple device, by switching on the similarities disappear. But Amazfit surprised us again: GTS 2e has a screen which has nothing to envy to that of decidedly more expensive smartwatches.
The preset watch face shows a classic dial, with the hands also for heartbeat and steps taken. We found it very elegant for a digital watch and the other dials retain this impression. The main reason is that 1.65 inch AMOLED screen, with a resolution of 348 x 442 pixel (331ppi), under a curved tempered glass. Really great and the real reason why I prefer this smart watch to so many rivals in this price range. And even if you spend more, you don’t find many better screens.
The choice of the button on the right is less brilliant. That it has the shape of a bezel like that of the Apple Watch but it is only a button. A strange design choice, since you can’t rotate it to scroll between apps or sports metrics. However, it helps to give the GTS 2e a “real watch” look.
The silicone strap is great for sports. But we have not disdained it even in more formal environments: black and simple, it is quite elegant. Very easy to tie, we found it handy even during sports activities.
Tracking of sports and health activities
Amazfit GTS 2e ha 90 different sports modes and lots of health metrics: too many for us to test them all properly in our review. But we did our best to test the most important features. And we must say we are more than satisfied.
We took the watch alongside a Fitbit “rival” (a Charge 4) to gauge accuracy during various activities. During the run, we noticed that the GPS struggled to detect the smallest movements, for example when we followed a path in the middle of the rather winding fields. This led to a slowing down of the pace indicated on the display. But beyond these uncertainties, the results were very close to those of the other smartwatch. The tracking of the kilometers covered, of the speed held and of heartbeats during the effort they are quite accurate: Those who run professionally might want more, but amateurs have enough and more.
More discrepancies in sleep tracking where it recorded fewer minutes of REM sleep than the Fitbit. But nothing that should cause concern.
The tracking of steps, swimming and sports activities (a couple of bodyweight circuits) is also excellent. By balancing all your daily activities, the GTS 2e provides a PAI: Personal Activity Intelligence. It corresponds to the 150 minutes of cardio activity recommended by the WHO per week. In addition, you can also record your blood saturation level.
Amazfit GTS 2e offers a lot of metrics during active, sometimes even “too many”. For example, during the race it would be enough for us to see the pace and the kilometers covered. But it’s a matter of personal preference and you get used to it quickly. The only real flaw we can do is that the side button only acts as a “home” button, referring to the main screen. While instead it would perhaps be more comfortable that during the activity it served to pause and quit the workout. After a run in the rain, we found it difficult to stop tracking using only touch controls.
Amazfit GTS 2e review: battery life
The 246 mAh battery it should nominally last 24 days. But this only using the “clock mode”. If you only use that, it is worth taking a quartz watch and changing the battery once a year. With pretty heavy use to test it during this review, the battery lasts quietly for a week.
It is recharged with the supplied cable, which fastens solidly to the smartwatch. There is no transformer, but any USB-A charger is enough. In two hours, you can go from 0 to 100%.
Notifications and Zepp apps
All the sensors of your Amazfit GTS 2e end up collected in the app Zepp, which is also used in the setup phase of the smartwatch. The screens are well made and colorful (like those of the smartwatch) and very easy to consult. They are divided into three tabs to monitor health and activity. But the GTS 2e screen convinced us so much that we always found ourselves browsing the various activities from there. Navigation on the smartwatch becomes intuitive after five minutes of using it and the data shown is the same.
The possibility of activating notifications both from the main screen and in the section dedicated to the device is very convenient. You can receive alerts for calls, messages, calendar and any other app on your smartphone. But you cannot answer calls or messages. The only control you have on your smartphone is the ability to manage music playback from your wrist and activate the “Find my phone”.
The possibility of making contactless payments is also missing.
Amazfit GTS 2e review: is it worth it?
In this review, we fell so much in love with the Amazfit GTS 2e’s screen and design that we really thought it was a budget Apple Watch. But let’s be clear: it does not have the functions of the Apple device. You cannot answer calls or messages, you cannot make contactless payments.
But if you need a smartwatch-style pedometer, with tons of it great fitness features e truly exceptional screen and battery, GTS 2e is a great choice. Especially because the basic price is only 129,90 euro, which also drop close to 100 euros online. At this price it becomes difficult to find better: highly recommended purchase.