Huami's Amazfit GTS Review: An Affordable Smartwatch for Apple Watch Fans Amazfit smartwatches are well-known for their fashionable appearance and low prices. Most of Amazfit's smart wearable devices have received significant feature upgrades, allowing them to be referred to as "smartwatches" rather than just smart fitness bands. The Amazfit GTS is a very affordable smartwatch that you may use on a daily basis.
Take a look at our full review of the Amazfit GTS if you're seeking for a smartwatch with enough features at a reasonable price.
The Amazfit GTR, which came before the Amazfit GTS, had a rounded dial design that looked like any other classic wristwatch on the market with an iconic stylish design. The watch dial featured multiple gestures similar to those found on the Samsung Gear Watch S3 and Moto 360 smartwatches.
With the Amazfit GTS, Amazfit appears to have taken a step forward in terms of design. Huami simply made the device with an Apple Watch-inspired design instead of a rounded dial. The Huami Amazfit GTS has a squircle-shaped dial and a watch crown on the right side, as well as 2.5D glass on the top of the display.
This is exactly what Apple accomplishes with the Apple Watch, with the exception that the GTS lacks an extra side button. Unlike Apple Watch, the crown is located in the middle of the side and does not rotate. It can simply be used as a side button to change the watch face, lock, or unlock the wristwatch.
Like most other smartwatches, the watch strap is attached with a quick-release mechanism. As a result, you may easily detach the watch strap and replace it with another one with a single click. There are a lot of third-party straps out there, yet Amazfit doesn't sell any. The complete watch is waterproof, allowing it to be submerged to a depth of up to 5ATM pressure, or 50 metres.
A pair of PPG Bio-Tracking Optical Sensors are located on the back of the watch body and are used to assess heartbeat, blood flow, and blood pressure. Alongside are the magnetic charging points, which make contact with the charger when the Amazfit GTS is plugged in. Despite the fact that the complete smartwatch is housed in a metal chassis with the display and other components, the reverse is finished with a plastic shell.
The Amazfit GTS is clearly a facelift of the previously announced GTR, featuring a slew of new features. Even though the GTR has a unique and appealing design, the Amazfit GTS has a thinner profile and features that are nearly identical.
First and foremost, the design mimics that of an Apple Watch, which causes confusion at first sight. The Amazfit GTS smartwatch, like the predecessor, has a water resistance of up to 5ATM, making it appropriate for swimming for extended periods of time. We wouldn't recommend it for scuba diving, though.
A collection of sensors is well-equipped to track your regular activities. To determine the accuracy, we tried all of the various activity modes. Even if the GPS can accurately monitor your location, the step tracking is unreliable. Heart rate monitoring and other particular activity monitoring are examples of fitness tracking.
The Amazfit GTS smartwatch's PPG monitoring sensors let you to track your heart rate 24 hours a day. This is a significant feature that most fitness band customers seek. It can even notify you if your heart rate exceeds 150 beats per minute.
Although it is not the same as Apple Watch's ECG monitor, which detects changes in heartbeat rhythm. On the Amazfit GTS, like with any other device from the brand, you may switch between 12 sports modes.
Musical control and incident notifications are among the additional capabilities available on the Amazfit GTS. On iPhone 11, the screenshot above shows Spotify playing. The controls are flawless.
We've been struggling with calendar synchronisation and haven't been able to get it to work yet. In comparison to the GTR or BIP models, this is a new feature that we noticed. Similarly, the weather information from the linked phone is picked up (support both Android and iPhone). To receive weather updates on GTS, you must provide Amazfit App location access.
The Chinese manufacturer has done an excellent job with the smartwatch's display location. The 1.65-inch Super Retina Grade AMOLED screen is protected by a 2.5D curved glass, similar to the Apple Watch, and is housed in a stainless steel frame.
Meanwhile, if you prefer smaller dials, the Amazfit GTR with a 1.39-inch circular display is still available. Even in bright sunshine, the vivid, bright AMOLED display makes it easy to operate. There are no unsightly thicker bezels around the screen.
If you're willing to sacrifice battery life, you may turn on the Always-On display with GTS. The GTS Always-On display allows you to choose between digital and traditional watch faces. In comparison to the Amazfit BIP, this is a software feature that was added in recent upgrades for the Amazfit GTR as well.
The watch face on GTS can be customised. You can't modify all watch faces as you can with Apple Watch. The Amazfit GTS comes with two pre-installed watch faces that you may modify using the various variables available.
Except for the main clock, you can modify all display elements here. To use the customisation feature, press and hold on the watch display.
If you wanted a fully functional Android Wear smartwatch, you'd be better off with anything else. This is a half-finished smartwatch that is more of a fitness band than a complete clone of any other "smartwatch." Like other modern fitness trackers like the Mi Band 4, you can track all of your fitness activities, daily routine, sleep, and everything else. You can also receive other "smartwatch functions," such as watch faces, at the same time.
Apart from using it on its own, linking it with your smartphone gives you more options and access to additional functionalities. It can now be used with both Android and iOS devices, making it one of the most popular and affordable smart wearables.
To take advantage of the AMOLED display, the entire User Interface is built on the neon-on-black theme. There are many watch faces that are both modern and vintage in appearance. Using the Huami Android or iOS app, you may download and apply new watch faces to your Amazfit GTS.
Despite the fact that the watch delivers a fluid user experience over the Operating System, it does not allow for considerable customisation in many areas. For example, unlike Apple Watch or other smartwatches on the market, you won't be able to design your own watch face.
The Amazfit GTS smart fitness watch is intended to be the less expensive successor to the GTR smart fitness watch. It does not, however, make you feel that way. At $140, the larger display is a significant boost for a wristwatch, with an Apple Watch-like look. This half-baked wristwatch is a fitness tracker with a larger display and pairing capabilities.
The activity tracking mode selection really aids the user in overcoming their fear of the smartwatch's restricted functions. Unlike any other fitness tracker on the market, the Amazfit GTS has been able to produce near-perfect tracking data and speedier syncing with the associated app. With this one, the GPS Signal Loss issue that plagued the Amafit GTR appears to be resolved, and real-time tracking accuracy has improved.
This time, the smartwatch gets brought down by the step counter. Because the pedometer does not appear to register all walking-related activities, valid data is lost. Through the app, you may enable notification mirroring from your Android smartphone.
However, Bluetooth notification delivery appears to be unstable and inconsistent, which is really aggravating. It's not always possible to activate notification mirroring for third-party apps.
The GTS' battery pack is a clone of the company's other models produced at the same time. The difference between the GTS's 220mAh battery and the GTR's 410mAh battery pack is obvious.
On a fully charged battery, the smartwatch has a battery life of up to 14 days. If you turn off all the other features and use it in simple watch mode, you can stretch it up to 46 days.
Advantages and disadvantages
If you're still undecided about whether or not to use Amazfit GTS on a daily basis, consider the advantages and cons before making a final decision.
Pros:
Cons:
The Amazfit GTS is essentially a younger sibling of the Amazfit GTS, which isn't even a fully functional smartwatch.