Amazfit presented its new smartwatch designed for sports and for outdoor adventures: Amazfit T-Rex 2, which we tested in this review. One sportwatch rugged built with military grade materials and advanced sporting features worthy of the best athletes. But that comes at a price that is affordable even for those who simply want a cAccurate training companion, without the need to break new records. A recipe that could prove to be a winner.
Our Amazfit T-Rex 2 review
Sportwatches have their own aesthetic, even before they became truly ‘smart’. The new T-Rex 2 manages to respect these aesthetic standards, without exaggerating: if its environment is mountains, woods and ponds, it will not be out of place even at the restaurant or office.
The case from 47,1x47x1x13x65 millimeters it is taller than most ‘classic’ smartwatches, but is excessively thick. The visible screws around the touchscreen bezels, the four buttons for navigation, the white and red accents on the black body they create a look that has a lot of bite, while not attracting too much attention. The silicone strap has many buttonholes to better adjust the grip on the wrist. The result is a watch with an adventurous and sporty characterbut which is not relegated to sporting activity alone.
The weight from 66.5 grams did not seem excessive to us, indeed it is also convenient for monitoring sleep during the night. Yet Amazfit rated the endurance of this T-Rex 2 with well 15 military tests, and during our review we never feared it would get scratched. We took advantage of the weekend to test it in the mountains and at the lake, despite not being great adventurers. But climbers, trail runners and hikers (as well as corridors and triathletes) will be pleased with the build quality of this smart watch.
In addition to touchscreenon the level of chronic and very responsive (more details in the next paragraph), there are four buttons to use the smartwatch when your fingers are wet or sweaty, or when you wear quanta. They are very responsive and well built. We also appreciate the vibration, firm but not annoying when receiving notifications or during sports activities.
Amazfit ensures that the smartwatch endures from -40 to 70 degrees Celsius. It also resists shocks, ice and rain. It can last up to 96 hours in contact with salt water and up to 240 hours in extreme humidity. Up to 100 meters underwater with pressures at 10 atm. In short: a really resistant product.
A quality screen
Amazfit has equipped its T-Rex 2 with one AMOLED screen and 1.39 inch, which struck us positively during this review. The glass screen seems very durable to us, although we suspect it cannot hold up like a sapphire crystal (unthinkable in this price range). The quality is excellent, especially thanks to the AMOLED technologies which brings out the colors very well.
The resolution from 454×454 (326 PPI) it’s great. The brightness, on the other hand, is only good: in direct sunlight we had to tilt the watch to read the statistics, a limit for a smartwatch designed for adventure. Even if we think it’s worth it given the great autonomy. In general, the screen convinced us.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: health features
Amazfit has shown in recent years that it has a compelling ecosystem for monitoring health with its devices. And T-Rex 2 does not disappoint, quite the opposite. The 24-hour monitoring of heart rate, blood saturation and stress levels they work very well. Should there be excessively out-of-standard values, a notification will alert you of the problems. Even if we remember that smartwatches are not medical aids.
Amazfit includes a effective sleep monitoring, which evaluates a total score for how well you rested but also divides the time into REM sleep, deep and light. It can measure even short rests during the day and evaluate the quality of your breath during sleep.
It also remains the PAI support, the health assessment system based on your activities, both sporting and more mundane (standing for a certain number of hours, taking stairs and walking). The Zepp app explains in detail what it measures and which PAI values are recommended, so you can have an incentive to have a healthier lifestyle.
The reminders when you have been sitting for too long, the breathing exercises to be carried out to relax, the monitoring of period these are all features at your disposal.
Sports and outdoor life: Amazfit T-Rex 2 offers truly comprehensive tools
As for the sport, Amazfit ensures the ability to track well 158 different exercises and movementsincluding the automatic recognition of 15 different types of strength training and 8 cardio activities. We tested the tracking of a workout with the rowing machinea bodyweight training session HIIT alternating with jump rope and one of swimming in the pool (withstands up to 10 atmospheres underwater).
T-Rex 2 ha recorded well land our rowing rowing, showing accurate heart rate readings throughout the workout in the gym. The jump rope count was also pretty accurate, better than we expected. During the new one the touchscreen is disabled, so use the buttons to register the different training sets. You can record the length of the pool to keep track of the mileage. Everything works in a precise and intuitive way.
Designed for the outdoors
But this is a smartwatch devoted to being outdoors, and it shows. During the ride, we relied on the Dual-band GPS that takes advantage of positioning with five satellites. In the short journeys on which we tested it (between five and twelve kilometers) it has proved every time to be very precise in detecting position and course. Also there heart rate reading seems accurate to us. The end-of-training report is extremely comprehensive (complete with cups and congratulations when you beat a personal best).
Useful for all activities the training assistant, which you can find directly by swiping upwards in the interface of the various activities. Before a race you can for example set alerts to mark the kilometer traveled, to warn you if you exceed a certain pace or if you are going too slow, and much more.
Walking in the mountains we also test the accuracy of thebarometric altimeter, which gives accurate feedback. The compass is also an added convenience when moving off-track. Amazfit explained to us that in a future update there will also be extra functions such as the ability to import routes on the watch and the step by step navigation (with direct return) with an OTA update. But we haven’t been able to test them for the moment.
The available functions already seem more than enough to justify the price of the smartwatch. The navigation and automatic recognition of the exercises, which should soon arrive via OTA, would be a very welcome addition that especially the hikers might appreciate it.
Daily use
If sports monitoring functions are the reason why this Amazfit T-Rex 2 excels, there are many extra functions that we appreciated during the review. By connecting the smartwatch with the Zepp app you can receive notifications for all your apps. And we found it convenient to respond with an emoji or one of the ready replies to messages in Telegram and WhatsApp, as well as see the call waiting.
You can even manage the calendar and activate the remote camera with your smartwatch. There are also tons of apps to monitor the lunar cycles, for instance. And then there is the Pomodoro Timer to stay focused, the to-do list and more. From the Zepp store you can install the controller for the GoPro o l‘Home Connect pis manage your smart home from your wrist. And then there are apps to monitor pregnancy, to have a guide on your wrist when brushing your teeth or simply a calculator. It is not an infinite list, but quite comprehensive.
The lack of voice assistants or the ability to dictate a response to notifications could be a limit for someone, especially if used to smartwatches that allow it. But for most users Amazfit T-Rex 2 has everything you need.
Autonomy
Amazfit has equipped the T-Rex 2 with a 500 mAh, which we struggled to download during this review. Typical intended use is up to 24 days, 45 days with active Energy Saving and 10 days for intensive use. While using it a lot for the tests in this review, the battery drops very slowly. Even with many workouts, you should reach 2-3 weeks without recharging. C.he takes place via the included wireless charger and lasts about a couple of hours.
With the mode Accurate GPS for up to 26 hours, which should be enough for even the most extreme sports. The autonomy with the GPS drops to 10 hours (7 days without) at “ultra-low” temperatures, so it should accompany you without problems even skiing, climbing or during winter excursions.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: is it worth it?
Durability, battery and sport-precise features are great reasons to choose this smartwatch, the price is an even greater incentive. Amazfit T-Rex 2 costs indeed 229,90 euroa really great price for the …