I’ve often heard good things about Amazfit but never got a chance to use its smartwatches, be it the budget or the premium range. So, when the company decided to share the GTR 4 smartwatch, I was eager to see if this wearable has the brains and the beauty to become a reliable choice for buyers, that too in the mid-Rs 14,000 segment, which is considered premium in the smartwatch universe.
At least on paper, the Amazfit GTR 4 sounds like a promising gadget that can be your daily watch and still bring a lot of smartness to the table. But does it deliver when you wrap it around your wrist and put it through the rigours of daily life? We give you the answer in this review.
Amazfit GTR 4 Review: What’s Cool?
The moment you take the GTR 4 out of the box, you notice the stylish design which has the right aesthetics which will suit most people. The aluminium alloy and the mix of plastic built at the back give it the right balance.
The watch weighs just 34 grams, allowing you to wear it while sleeping (for the tracker to do its work) and during our time we never faced any discomfort while wearing it during the day or while sleeping.
Unlike other watches, the GTR 4 goes for the classic round display which gets an AMOLED panel in this case and turns into a wholesome package thanks to the Always-On-Display feature.
The display is bright, the colours are sharp and you can easily read through the content at first glance. The silicone strap is comfortable and the 22mm case will fit most users.
Amazfit has redone its software ecosystem with the Zepp OS 2.0, and the Zepp app tries its best to match the capabilities and versatilities of the GTR 4 to good effect.
The app is easy to use, you can quickly move across the device settings, or get the fitness readings with a quick swipe to the right. Once paired, you can download new watch faces to keep things visually refreshed on the wrist. It works on both Android and iPhones without any limitations.
The sensor tracking is pretty good, especially with the sleep monitor which also gives you sleep breathing quality in beta. The SpO2 tracker also matches the readings of the oximeter that we used to compare blood oxygen levels. And having GPS on board is a definite bonus for those who like to hit the trail quite often.
Amazfit claims 14 days of battery life with the 475mAh battery unit under the hood. And during our time we are able to make the GTR 4 last for around 10 days on heavy usage with the Always-On-Display feature and 24×7 heart rate monitoring enabled. The proprietary magnetic charger goes behind the watch and takes 1.5 hours to fuel up the juice on the watch.
Amazfit GTR 4 Review: What’s Not So Cool?
Amazfit has a competent pairing app but other than that the third-party app ecosystem is severely lacking. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 gets Play Store support for apps and automatically becomes a better choice in its range.
One of the bigger issues with the fitness tracking on the GTR 4 is the stand-up alert. I noticed that the watch was always late to know that I have already stood up and even walked for a few meters in the house.
Once I finished my walk or movement and decided to sit down, the watch told me to stand up and walk, which got annoying sometimes. It seems this feature takes some time to register your movement, but we would prefer if Amazfit improves on this with an update.
Amazfit GTR 4 Review: Verdict
Amazfit GTR 4 might sound expensive but when you browse through its feature set and use the watch for a week or so, you start to realise that it shows its worth. The AMOLED display is one of the best we have seen on a watch in this range, and it is bright enough to work outdoors.
The build quality and design are understated yet appealing at the same time, without compromising on comfort. The battery life of around 10 days is more than what most smartwatches offer, and the Zepp OS 2.0 has some nifty features that come in handy.
However, the app support is limited, and the body sensor tends to pick up the wrong movements. Even then, the Amazfit GTR 4 smartwatch comes as the ideal mix of style and substance that everyone will find worthy of their time.
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