Amazfit T-Rex Pro smartwatch review: strong

 

“Smart watches with a protected case” is a description that fits 99% of the modern market for these devices. All produced models are protected to one degree or another from a certain amount of moisture and, possibly, dust. “Smart watches with a sealed and shockproof case” – significantly narrows the selection and evokes associations with the class G Shock-shaped models. By the way, we know that there are G Shock models with “smart filling,” but we didn’t have the opportunity to try them out personally.

 

IP certification and some MIL-STD tests will no longer surprise anyone. Even “civilian” models of digital devices have nameplates about them. Resistance to strong impacts forces device bodies to be made noticeably more massive. There are not many smartwatch brands offering an extended range of tests and preparation for high pressures under water – 5 atmospheres or more. Mostly, these are professional and expensive solutions. But Amazfit managed to create a model with good protection, an aggressive design and an affordable price tag.

 

Amazfit T-Rex was introduced a little over two years ago, and their successor, T-Rex Pro, will be released in the spring of 2021. An explosion in the segment of such smart watches may not have happened, but along with the already widespread watches for athletes and professionals from Garmin, Amazfit has successfully occupied its price niche.

 

Design

 

There is no need to meticulously describe the appearance of the Amazfit T-Rex Pro, if we generally describe them as “smart G-shocks”, and provide a few photographs, of course.

 

 

The watch received a round AMOLED display, a metal frame around it, integrated into a plastic case, and a massive silicone strap. What should be noted is that the strap is quite soft and elastic. There is always a fear of tearing it.

 

 

There are four buttons, the captions next to which, in general, comprehensively describe the default purpose. Unless the “Back” button from the main screen opens the watch menu, and “Select” immediately opens the training section. Swiping sideways from the watch face opens notifications (left), toolbar (top), clock menu (right) and indicators menu with achievements (down). Some actions of keys and swipes, as well as the contents of items in different menus and sections, can be changed.

 

The body relief has an optimal number of protruding elements. It does not catch on clothes when walking or waving your hands, as it is moderately smooth. The above-mentioned round frame protects the display from accidental impacts on tables, walls and door frames. It is noted that the watch has passed 15 tests of the MIL-STD-810G program. The predecessor T-Rex had 12 of them. The body can withstand pressures of up to 10 ATM. Even with a discount for skepticism, this is enough to swim with a watch while snorkeling and take your first scuba diving lessons.

 

 

The buttons do not protrude much beyond the body and have a textured coating. Their clicks are soft, almost silent and yet clear. When the watch is not covered with clothing, quickly pressing the desired key is not a problem. But if you “unearth” the watch from under the sleeve, finding the button by touch may be a little more problematic, precisely because of its recess into the case.

 

 

The inside of the watch is also made of plastic, but the texture is different compared to the body. There are two charging contacts and a BioTracker PPG 2 sensor that measures heart rate and blood oxygen saturation levels.

 

The watch comes in several interesting colors, such as Desert Gray and Camo Green, as well as the classic Meteorite Black and the slightly rarer Steel Blue, like ours.

 

 

Equipment

 

Despite the large dimensions of the case, the 1.3-inch diagonal watch display does not seem small. With its 360 x 360 resolution, texts and data look beautiful and neat. With moderate lighting in a room, for example, information is easy to read. This is no longer the case under direct sunlight, even with maximum backlight brightness. But we noticed similar things in more expensive watches. The combination of AMOLED and touch layer, by and large, cannot do otherwise.

 

Touches on the touch layer give instant results. The screen, apparently, has an olephobic coating, but we did not find out how well it is protected from shocks and scratches. Therefore, just in case, we recommend ordering a protective film. However, you should be prepared for the fact that the sensitivity of the sensor may decrease.

 

The watch has a barometer that can measure altitude using geolocation data. The watch usually takes up to five minutes to set its position in an open area. The watch supports several navigation systems, including GPS, BeiDou, Galileo and GLONASS. But you can choose to use only GPS and one of the named systems.

 

The Zepp OS interface runs smoothly without any stuttering or interruptions. Long lists of menu items, message texts, adjustment sliders – everything has smooth animation and intuitive operation. There is always an alternative, select a value or item with a tap or “click” it with physical buttons.

 

 

As for autonomy, the watch was 90% discharged in 10 days. The watch was used three times for training on a bicycle with navigation, worked with an always on dial, at medium brightness, automatically turned on when you raised your hand, measured your pulse every half hour and automatically monitored oxygen, exercise and sleep. So, if you eliminate some of the automatic algorithms, you can achieve a solid two weeks. For a watch with a bright display and such a set of functions, this is an excellent indicator and cannot be compared with a couple of days for the “most popular” smart watches in the world, and many other models.

 

Про измерения

 

 

PPG BioTracker 2 is the previous version of the sensor that was used in GTS 3. It is used for a wide variety of measurements, involving the use of several hardware modules and software algorithms.

 

RealBeats 2 is a heart rate monitoring data management module that can monitor atrial fibrillation 1.87 times longer than the previous generation of similar modules during the night, and 6.64 times longer during the day.

 

OxygenBeats is an algorithm for calculating oxygen with a success rate of 100%. It is stated that for most analogues this figure does not reach 90%.

 

SomnusCare is an algorithm for calculating sleep quality with data identification accuracy of more than 80%. The system can detect three stages with 100% accuracy: light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep.

 

ExerSense is a motion recognition module that identifies workouts using a gyroscope and heart rate monitor.

 

 

The company uses data from all these systems to calculate PAI, the user’s physical activity index. PAI technology allows the creation of personalized health assessment systems. The PAI calculation is based on the results of the HUNT fitness study. It was carried out by a group of specialists led by prof. Faculty of Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology by Ulrik Wisloff for 35 years with the participation of over 230,000 volunteers.

 

 

As for the accuracy of measuring the same steps, we had the opportunity to take a couple of tourist marches around the city, and then compare the data obtained with different wearable devices. Amazfit T-Rex Pro counted a fairly accurate number of steps with the expected adjustment for different heights of users.

 

Configuration and synchronization

 

The watch is connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth 5.0 LE and uses the Zepp application, familiar to us from tests of the Amazfit GTS watch, for setup and synchronization. You can use T-Rex Pro with smartphones running Android 5.0 or iOS 10.0 and later.

 

There are not too many differences in content and list of functions. The main visual aspect was, naturally, the content of the store’s dials. The company offered almost a hundred options, among which digital and digital-analog ones dominate in terms of the number of presented ones. Enthusiasts have also learned to create their own interface options and download them to the watch, but this is done, traditionally, at your own peril and risk.

 

Overall, the app doesn’t feel overloaded. After devoting a day or two to the initial settings, you can later turn to it solely to view the detailed results of your training. And if you set up synchronization with Strava, all the data will be there right away.

 

In total, the application has three main sections – the home page with a summary of all measured data, “health”, where sports-related data about training and goals is displayed, and “profile”, where in addition to its settings items, a list of devices is also displayed.

 

The settings page for the watch itself has everything to do with the display, activity and performance measurement, data output, and working in conjunction with a smartphone.

 

Impressions

 

We liked the Amazfit T-Rex Pro. Moreover, having studied their characteristics and made a preliminary impression from the first reviews, the expectations corresponded to the experience of use. They have excellent build quality, a classic design for sports watches, interesting accents and features. The only nuance can be the strap, which seems to us too soft, although very pleasant to the touch. Its durability can only be judged over time.

 

In terms of functionality, this is another combine that can do everything. It is unlikely that there are users who will try out the watch in at least a third of the supported types of training, but all the interests of the potential audience are taken into account.

 

For everyday use, the T-Rex Pro is comfortable. The selected dial interface plays an important role in this. As soon as the selected data set on it is sufficient and conveniently visualized, the watch will only delight you. Good autonomy will also not depress you with the need to often look for charging.

 

Now in Ukraine you can buy both models of Amazfit protected watches of the T-Rex series. The main advantages of the Pro version are the presence of a SpO2 sensor, the function of automatically detecting the start of a workout and assessing stress. We added support for two geo-positioning systems – BeiDou and Galileo. In terms of protection, the newer model is rated at 10 ATM instead of 5 ATM and has passed three more MIL-STD tests. Here we need to look at the needs of the user, but it seems to us that an additional payment of about $30 will more than compensate for even the minimum necessary – a sensor for measuring oxygen in the blood and increased resistance to diving.

CharacteristicsAmazfit T–Rex< /strong> Pro (A2013)
Display:	1.3” AMOLED, 360 x 360
Navigation:	Bluetooth 5.0 LE, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
Autonomy:	Up to 18 days of normal use; Up to 40 hours with GPS
Sensors:	BioTracker PPG 2 heart rate sensor; Geomagnetic sensor; 3-axis accelerometer; Gyroscope; Ambient light sensor; Barometric altimeter
Shock protection:	MIL-STD-810G, 10ATM
Battery:	390 mAh
Dimensions:	47.7 x 47.7 x 13.5 mm
Weight:	59 g
Supplier:	Amazfit representative office in Ukraine
Price:	$150

Rating:

+ build quality

+ versatile protection

+ set of sensors

+ price

– “delicate” strap

-not a wide variety of dials