There are many in this period to have "desire for normality". It is therefore no mystery that the desire to do fitness is there and that there are not a few who decide, obviously respecting all the rules of the case, to carry out some healthy sporting activity. Speaking of the latter, it can be useful, just to "find the desire" to get going, to buy a smartwatch, capable of providing the right objectives and keeping track of all the physical activity that takes place.
Among the most active companies in the world of wearables
there is certainly Amazfit, which at the beginning of 2021 made its new
proposals official , including Amazfit GTR 2e. We have had the opportunity to
test the latter over the past few weeks, properly analyzing its features. The
price is interesting: 129.90 euros on Amazon Italy .
Design and ergonomics
The Amazfit GTR 2e sales package, once opened, immediately
shows the device, while on the sides there are compartments for manuals and a
magnetic charging base that ends with a USB cable. After extracting the
smartwatch, the first thing you notice is the weight, of just 32 grams without
the strap, which allows you to wear the device comfortably. The design is very
classic, especially in the Slate Gray color that we got to try. For
completeness of information, the Matcha Green and Obsidian Black colors are
also available on the market. Two physical buttons peek out on the right side:
the first is to return to the Home or access the various menus, while the
second is linked to the start of the sporting activity. The dimensions are 46.5
x 46.5 x 10.8 mm, while the materials are aluminum for the circular case and
silicone for the strap.
Amazfit GTR 2e has a sporty look and therefore winks at that
type of user. On the other hand, the target to which the smartwatch is aimed is
that, so it is normal that it is not the most elegant product on the market.
Speaking of sportsmen, the latter will certainly appreciate the presence of
waterproofing up to 5ATM .
In the world of wearables designed for physical activity,
these elements matter more than the look of the product itself. In any case,
the GTR 2e contextualizes itself well in its environment, so there is not much
to blame Amazift in this respect.
Amazfit GTR 2e software and
user experience
Once the configuration is finished using the Zepp
application , the smartwatch is presented as a complete product. Scrolling from
top to bottom, starting from the main screen, accesses the toolbar. The latter,
in addition to showing the day, time and status, has the flashlight function
(the screen turns white), the settings to adjust the brightness, the "Do
not disturb" mode , the energy saving mode(only records steps and hours of
sleep), screen lock, smartphone search, Theater mode (which lowers the
brightness so as not to bother other people) and the feature to keep the screen
always active. By swiping from the bottom to the top starting from the main
page, you access the notification panel, which are not interactive but can
simply be read.
In any case, at the center of the user experience is the
watch face, ergo the main screen. The latter can be configured with over 50
watch faces, which can be set via the Zepp app. The variety is certainly not
lacking and we go from watch faces complete during the day, residual battery
charge and other statistics to "cleaner" dials and able to make the
time viewing experience closer to that of a common watch. . We have never liked
watch faces that are too "chaotic" and the ability to use dials that
only show time and day is a godsend. Among other things, the background can be
chosen at will and this is definitely an advantage for Amazfit GTR 2e.
Always through the application,. We could not therefore
refrain from showing off the Everyeye logo. For the rest, browsing the
operating system using side swipes, you can access the various tabs available.
By default, we find daily physical activity report, constant heart rate
measurement, multimedia playback player linked to the smartphone (GTR 2e does
not have a speaker), weather information, PAI system (a sort of score based on
the activities of the user) and total report page that also allows you to check
alarms and perform SpO2 measurement. The tabs can usually be scrolled from
bottom to top to get more detailed information.
By pressing the Home button instead, you access a circular
menu that allows you to take a look at everything, from your goal to the PAI
system, through heart rate, training, activity, pressure (stress), SpO2,
weather, music, alarms, events and the temperature of the surfaces with which
the smartwatch comes into contact (do not make the mistake of associating it
with body temperature, since the data could be "high", but this is a
rough indication). There is also a compass, barometric altimeter, stopwatch,
timer and the ability to find your phone.
You can program the training button to perform a certain
activity (for example, detecting your heart rate, but also opening the weather
card). There is also the possibility to reorder the various cards, as well as
to set the detection sensitivity of a certain category of physical activity.
Finally, you can restart, shut down and reset the smartwatch.
In short, Amazfit GTR 2e has a particularly complete operating
system, which guarantees countless possibilities. We remind you that all
statistics can also be reviewed via the Zepp application. The latter, which has
an interface that is not exactly the best in aesthetic terms, also allows you
to set options such as activating the screen by lifting the wrist, the system
language, the weather, sedentary alerts, calls incoming (you have to switch to
the smartphone to respond properly) and the selection of the applications from
which to receive notifications. From the app you can also keep an eye on the
remaining battery charge, as well as manage many other settings.
Too bad, however, for the absence of Amazon Alexa , as well
as offline voice options. Alexa is not likely to arrive on the GTR 2e, as it is
not even present in English. In any case, think that we are still waiting for
support for the Italian language for Alexa on Amazfit Band 5.
In any case, the GTR 2e technically has a microphone and
would therefore be able to receive the commands, but remember that the speaker
is absent. A real shame that Alexa is not expected to arrive for the
smartwatch, as other manufacturers have already managed to introduce support,
even in Italian. Furthermore, the time that the brand is taking to update via
OTA Amazfit Band 5 is not a good business card, since the update was expected
"shortly" for the smartband and four months have already passed
without support having arrived. (so much so that our Amazfit Band 5 review has
not yet come out, as we are waiting for the update).
In short, the software is both the strength and the weakness
of the smartwatch, considering that there are an immeasurable amount of
interesting features, but then the support seems to leave something to be
desired compared to other brands. During our test, we encountered animations
that were not exactly smooth several times while navigating the operating
system. Don't get us wrong: the smartwatch can be used, but there is some lag
here and there, as well as "woody" animations.
Coming to the most important aspect for such a device, there
are more than 90 sport modes . The latter have a certain variety and there is
no shortage of classics such as outdoor running and bodyweight exercises,
without forgetting climbing and spinning. Among the modes highlighted by the manufacturer
are walking, outdoor cycling, treadmill, pool swimming, cross-country swimming,
elliptical, trail running and skiing. The other activities are then selectable
by categories: Running and walking, Cycling, Swimming, Outdoor sports, Indoor
sports, Dance, Combat sports, Ball sports, Water sports, Winter sports, Leisure
sports and more. . In short, the user will certainly find what he needs, given
the wide range of choices.
The smartwatch has an integrated GPS chip (GPS + GLONASS).
During this time we have been able to test the device mainly through running
and walking outdoors and we have not encountered too many problems in this
regard. Accuracy is not perfect, however, as we have noticed some
inconsistencies compared to other smartwatches. Furthermore, in some contexts
the GPS was not flawless, "missing out" on some stretches.
Not bad sleep and heart rate tracking, while SpO2
measurement takes quite a few seconds and isn't exactly accurate.
Nothing to complain about the 1.39-inch AMOLED screen with a
resolution of 454 x 454 pixels . The display can be seen easily even under
sunlight and we have never had any problems during use. No problems even with
the connection via Bluetooth 5.0, which also allows you to move away from the
smartphone a bit.
Finally, the 471 mAh battery allows you to reach
particularly high values. Leaving aside the 24 days estimated by the
manufacturer, which we were unable to achieve by putting stress on the device,
a realistic estimate for the average user is close to 10 days, but we are sure
that someone will also be able to go further. It all obviously depends on the
use. In any case, in general the autonomy of Amazfit GTR 2e is excellent.