INTRODUCTION

   There are two types of wrist watches in the market available currently, mechanical and digital ones which in turn have several different sub-categories. For example, quartz and automatic wrist watches are all mechanical ones whereas digital, smart watches and smart bands all belong in the digital category (worth pointing out is that both categories also feature solar powered models). Personally i don't think that an good digital/smart wrist watch can ever compete with an good quartz/automatic wrist watch in terms of quality and elegance but due to the many technologies packed into smart watches (like heart rate sensors, vivid OLED screens, bluetooth wireless connectivity and GPS systems) they do represent a more all-around (not to mention state of the art) solution. Huami is one of the leading manufacturers of smart watches and bands in the world and today we'll be checking their Amazfit GTR 47mm Stainless Steel model.

   Amazfit is a self-brand of Huami. Huami is a biometric and activity data-driven company with significant expertise in smart wearable technology. Also, Huami is a provider of wearable technology for Xiaomi and exclusive maker of the Mi Band. Since September 2015, Huami has begun to use the brand, Amazfit, to sell smart wearable products that are not designed and manufactured for Xiaomi to address the middle to high-end market. According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, Huami shipped 11.6 million units of smart wearable devices in the first nine months of 2017, more than any other company in the world. 18.1 million units of smart wearable devices were shipped in 2017. As of March 31, 2018, a total of 56.5 million devices were shipped since Huami’s inception in 2013. Mobile Apps of Huami, Mi Fit and Amazfit, work hand in hand with smart wearable devices, which provide users with a comprehensive view and analysis of their biometric and activity data. As of December 31, 2017, mobile Apps of Huami had 56 million registered users. Huami is transforming the way individuals connect with the Internet and with each other through smart wearable technology and data-driven innovations. Its mission is to make the world more connected. On February 8, 2018, Huami was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

   The Amazfit GTR is currently available in two different variants that sport different diameter (47mm/42mm) and thickness (10.75mm/9.2mm) cases, AMOLED screen sizes (1.39"/1.2") and resolutions (454x454p/390x390p - 326PPI for both), lithium-polymer battery capacities (410mAh/195mAh) and material/color combinations (stainless steel, aluminum and titanium material for the 47mm version and starry black, cherry blossom pink, moonlight white, coral red and special glitter edition - made with 60 brilliant sparkle cubic zirconia Austrian crystals - colors/material for the 42mm model). Everything else however pretty much remains identical and so both variants feature heart rate optical sensors, 6-axis acceleration sensors, 3-axis geomagnetic sensors, air-pressure sensors, capacity sensors, ambient light sensors, corning gorilla 3 tempered glass with anti-fingerprint coating over their AMOLED touch screens, water resistance up to 5 ATM (50 meters), bluetooth v5.0 wireless connectivity, support for both GPS and GLONASS satellite navigation systems, 12 different sports modes (outdoor running, treadmill, walking, outdoor cycling, indoor cycling, open water swimming, pool swimming, elliptical trainer, climbing, trail running, skiing and exercise) and app support for both android and iOS based devices (android v5.0 and iOS v10.0 and above).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Amazfit GTR arrived inside a black box that has a product drawing at the front right over its main features.

Contact information for Huami along with several certification logos are all printed at the rear of the box.

Inside the box the Amazfit GTR is held in place via a small piece of cardboard.

Along with the Amazfit GTR and its magnetic USB charger you'll also get a rather thick product manual.

THE AMAZFIT GTR 47MM

Because of the brown leather strap, the stainless steel version (just like the aluminum version) of the Amazfit GTR is ideal for use even with more formal outfits/attires.

The 47mm in diameter case accommodates a 1.39 inch AMOLED screen (454x454p/326PPI) which although not the largest we've seen in a smart watch still it sits well on my arm.

To have a better understanding about the size of the AMOLED screen and the diameter of the case we placed the Amazfit GTR 47mm right next to the new THOR 5 by Zeblaze (1.39" AMOLED screen - review soon), the Alfawise/Kingwear KW88 Pro (1.39" AMOLED screen) and the THOR PRO (1.53" IPS screen) again by Zeblaze.

The case of the stainless steel version features a mirror-like polish so if you don't like that then the dark grey aluminum version could suit you better.

Two buttons are located on the right side of the case, the top one which can be used to turn the screen on/off, return back to the dial and turn the watch on/off and the bottom one which can be used to access the various sports functions/modes.

It's also worth pointing out that the brown leather strap used in the 47mm version is 22mm wide whereas the one used in the 42mm version is 20mm wide.

At the rear of the Amazfit GTR we find the BioTracker PPG biological tracking optical sensor.

AMAZFIT ANDROID / IOS APP

The Amazfit app is not only compatible with smart watches but also smart bands and even smart shoes.

Once you choose the smart watch model (providing of course that bluetooth connectivity on your phone is on) an pairing request will be send to it.

In our case a firmware update was also available so it was the next to happen after the pairing request.

The Amazfit app is very easy to use and as you can see half of the main watch screen is taken by the battery percentage left on the wrist watch.

You can choose to upload any of the 85 available faces onto the wrist watch.

Unfortunately, you can only use one at a time (most smart watches can be filled with faces) and on top of that the syncing/upload procedure takes quite a bit of time.

As expected, you can have all your calls displayed onto the Amazfit GTR.

There are more settings available in the app however including for the heart rate sensor, available wrist watch tabs and vibration alarms.

Even though I’ve tested the walking and running modes of the Amazfit GTR (unfortunately i forgot to take a screenshot of the area map where the app records your route) it has several extra modes all of which have their very own settings.

USING THE AMAZFIT GTR 47MM

At any given time, the Amazfit GTR can only store 3 different faces two of which can be seen above and can't be changed.

Only the third is the one you can choose from within the app and this is one of the limitations we hope Huami addresses with their next firmware update.

Swapping your finger from left to right takes you to the heart rate and steps counter screens.

You can quickly access the flashlight feature, screen brightness (auto or manual), DND (do not disturb mode), battery saver mode (only records steps and sleep time) and screen lock mode by swapping your finger from the top of the screen.

By default (you can change this from within the smartphone app) the Amazfit GTR smart watch has the following available tabs, status (steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned), heart rate monitor, workout (you can access all 12 modes from there), activities (records all your activities like walking or running), weather (forecast display), music (via your smartphone), notifications, alarms and event reminder.

There are also two extra tabs available, the more tab (includes the compass, timer, count down and find mobile functions) and the settings tab (from here you can change the watch face from the 3 available ones, set the screen on duration, setup what function you'd like the quick start-up button to be used for, enable/disable always-on display and check the current firmware version.

Also, whenever you start one of the available sports modes, you’ll get a very easy to read status screen.

CONCLUSION

   After spending just over one week with it I can just say that the Amazfit GTR 47mm model is without doubt one of the best smart watches I’ve ever used and/or tested not only thanks to its very good build quality and elegant looks (which make it easier for me to wear it when going out at night) but also thanks to its responsive AMOLED screen, vivid colors, very accurate and fast GPS (according to what I’ve read online it did have some issues with earlier firmware versions which seem to have been ironed out by Huami), battery life (almost two days with the GPS, bluetooth and heart-rate monitor turned on) and easy to use (not to mention lag less) layout/GUI. The Amazfit app is quite better, stable and easier to use than most of the apps I’ve used to date with other smart watch models so there’s also that. However even though Huami could had made the Amazfit GTR one of the best smart watches in the market currently the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity (direct access to online features like weather forecast and watch face download instead via your smartphone) along with the limited amount of available faces at any given time (3 with 2 of them fixed - hopefully Huami can address this with future firmware updates) and inability to add extra android apps may disappoint some consumers (even though not being able to add apps was not high on my list since the Amazfit GTR is mostly a sports smart watch and not a multimedia one).

   Thanks to a current coupon by Geekbuying you can grab the Amazfit GTR 47mm Stainless Steel version for just USD139.99/125.6Euros (Geekbuying.com - coupon code: 3X5OXOZY), a price tag which is actually less than what I was expecting. Overall the Amazfit GTR has but two main drawbacks, the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity and the number of faces it can have stored at any given time. Accessing the Amazfit app and downloading a different watch face is not hard but it’s far from convenient especially since syncing takes quite a bit of time (the app probably syncs everything with the watch at that moment, not just the face). With that out of the way however the Amazfit GTR has most of the things needed to become a best-seller and for that it certainly deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- High Build Quality (Stainless Steel / Aluminum / Titanium / Corning Gorilla 3 Tempered Glass)
- Elegant Design (Brown Leather Strap)
- 1.39 Inch AMOLED Screen (454x454p/326PPI)
- Battery Life (Up To 74 Days)
- Waterproof (Up To 5 AMT / 50 Meters)
- GPS & GLONASS Satellite Support
- Bluetooth v5.0
- 12 Different Sports Modes
- Built In Sensors (heart rate optical sensor / 6-axis acceleration sensor / 3-axis geomagnetic sensor / air-pressure sensor / capacity sensor / ambient light sensor)

CONS

- Features Lacked (WiFi / Camera / NFC)
- Can Only Store Up To 3 Faces (2 Fixed)
- Can’t Add Apps