Huami Amazfit GTS review - Almost there, but not quite - Android

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Huami Amazfit GTS review - Almost there, but not quite - Android

The Amazfit GTS has a vibrant display and impressive battery life, but inconsistencies are the bane of its existence.

AmazFit GTS front angle 1

Huami has been in the wearables market since 2014. However, it only started gaining traction in 2016 when it was introduced to the world as a Xiaomi subsidiary. But that’s not quite what Huami is. While the company did capitalize on its association with the Chinese smartphone maker, it’s an entity of its own with multiple investors — only one of which is Xiaomi.

Huami’s biggest achievement to date is the viral success of the Mi Band and accompanying Mi Fit app, making the company responsible for taking Xiaomi to the top of the wearable market.

The company also makes products that don’t fall under the Xiaomi and Mi brands. Huami’s Amazfit brand proffers its own line of wearables, one of which is the Amazfit GTS.

When I received the Amazfit GTS for review, I was a little skeptical about using the budget smartwatch. Huami’s non-Xiaomi branded products have been quite unreliable in the past. Could the Amazfit GTS convert me into a believer? Read our full Huami Amazfit GTS review to find out.

About this Huami Amazfit GTS review: I used the Amazfit GTS for a month, running software version 0.08.07. I paired the Amazfit GTS review unit with my Apple iPhone 8 Plus for the duration of this review. Amazfit supplied Android Authority with the review unit.
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What is the Amazfit GTS?

Amazfit GTS underwater

For all intents and purposes, the Amazfit GTS is a smartwatch. It features an AMOLED display, tracks 12 activities, has an optical heart rate sensor, and pairs with its own app.

The smartwatch was announced at IFA back in September, but it’s still not available in the US.

Editor's Pick

When it comes to pricing and features, the Amazfit GTS sits somewhere between the $179 Amazfit GTR and the $79 Amazfit Bip. It offers more tracking options than the Bip and its features are almost identical to those of the GTR. For instance, the Amazfit GTS adds eight more activity tracking modes compared to the Bip, which can only track outdoor running, indoor running, cycling, and walking. Reference the table below to see all 12 activity tracking modes supported by the GTS. The only edge the Amazfit GTR has over the Amazfit GTS is a more striking design and slightly longer battery life. In turn, the GTS bests the GTR with 5ATM water resistance compared to 3ATM on the latter. The rest of the features, such as heart rate monitoring, music playback, notifications, and others, are shared by the GTS and the GTR.

In India, where we reviewed the watch, it costs Rs 9,999 (~$139). This puts the Amazfit GTS in that sweet under $150 (~Rs 10,000) price bracket. As far as smartwatches go, you don’t get a lot of choice in this segment. The smartwatch cannot be compared directly to high-end devices such as the Apple Watch or Samsung’s Galaxy Watches. Unlike premium smartwatches, you cannot download third-party apps onto the Amazfit GTS. It can’t be compared to the likes of the cheap Wear OS-powered TicWatch E2 for the same reason.

If I had to compare the Amazfit GTS to existing fitness wearables, I would probably say it sits in the same segment as devices such as the Fitbit Charge 2. Simple, no frills.

What is the Amazfit GTS design like?

Amazfit GTS Step tracking

As far as design is concerned, the Amazfit GTS will remind you of the Apple Watch. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Huami was not at all subtle in replicating the design of the Apple wearable.

There’s obviously no originality here. From the squarish display to the neon-on-black UI, Huami successfully cloned Apple’s well-designed device. When I was wearing it, a bunch of people mistook the GTS for the Apple Watch on my wrist.

Apple has been known to set hardware design trends, whether it be with smartphones, laptops or smartwatches. It doesn’t look like companies are going to stop aping Apple’s design philosophy any time soon. Is it something Amazfit should be proud of? Certainly not. Is it something that’ll take away from your experience? Well, you can probably fool someone not too familiar with smartwatches into thinking you’re rocking an Apple Watch. Then again, you’ll always know you’re wearing a cheap replica.

There’s even an Apple-esque crown on one side of the Amazfit GTS. Its placement is a tad different than the Apple Watch and it does not rotate. The crown on the GTS can be used to return to the home screen or wake the watch when the display is off.

Amazfit GTS Heart Rate Sensor

The design is what I most liked about the Amazfit GTS. The watch is 9.4mm thick and the 1.65-inch, 442 x 348 AMOLED display sits pretty within the metal chassis. I would have preferred the bottom surface to also have a metal build, but it sadly gets a plastic finish.

You get a 20mm silicone strap with all three color variants of the GTS. The band can get sweaty and uncomfortable after a workout. The good thing is that you can step into the shower with the watch strapped on. It features 5ATM water resistance, so it can be submerged up to 50m underwater. You can even take it for a swim.

The quick release mechanism on the GTS makes it easy to swap the strap. Amazfit does not sell straps separately, though there are a bunch of third-party straps available online.

Here’s a lowdown of all the specs and features of the Amazfit GTS:

 Huami Amazfit GTS
Display1.65-inch AMOLED
348 x 442 resolution
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Sensors6-axis acceleration sensor
PPG optical heart rate sensor
GPS + GLONASS dual positioning
3-axis geomagnetic sensor
Air pressure sensor
Ambient light sensor
Battery220mAh battery
Estimated 14-day battery life
ConnectivityBluetooth 5.0 BLE
Tracking and other featuresOutdoor running
Treadmill
Walking
Cycling
Elliptical trainer
Swimming
Mountaineering
Trail running
Skiing
Music control
Message and call notifications
5ATM water resistance
Charging methodMagnetic
2-pins POGO pin
Supported devicesAndroid 5.0+ or iOS 10.0+
ColorsObsidian Black, Rose Gold, Lava Gray

What I like about the Amazfit GTS

The most attractive quality of the Amazfit GTS is its lightweight design and gorgeous display. There’s an option to activate the always-on display or keep it switched off. However, it automatically shuts off if you turn on any of the 12 activity modes.

The display looks good

With auto-brightness turned on, the brightness of the display is more than adequate for viewing under direct sunlight. In fact, if set on full brightness, it can be quite overpowering in low-light conditions. I recommend you keep the auto-brightness option turned on to get more out of the battery. I used it at the medium brightness setting without significant battery loss.

Further, colors render well on the display. The white text and neon icons stand out against the black background, though viewing angles aren’t something to write home about. While the screen is completely legible if you look at it straight on, the glass reflects a lot when viewed from the side making it harder to see.

There are a bunch of watch faces you can download through the accompanying app. This is great for customization so you don’t get bored looking at your watch.

Amazfit GTS Watchfaces displayed on App

Easy to use

The software on the watch is barebones, but its UI is simple and easy to get around. Amazfit does not have a name for the platform and, as I said before, it does not support third-party apps.

Navigating the watch is as easy as swiping right or left on the screen to quickly access the step counter and heart rate sensor. A swipe up opens the menu, where you can access workout modes, daily status, activity data, notifications, alarms, timers, compass, music, and general settings. Pressing the crown once gets you back to the home screen and long-pressing it helps end workouts.

Handy features

Amazfit GTS heart rate monitoring on app

A tiny but useful feature is the Find Phone tool on the watch. Pressing it makes your phone beep out loud, and as someone who always forgets where I left my phone, this is a handy option.

Some people may appreciate the GTS’ 24-hour heart rate monitoring. Turning it on shows you your maximum, minimum, and average heart rates, which can help detect abnormalities. The watch will alert you if your heart rate crosses 150bpm. During workouts like intensive yoga, my heart rate reached a maximum of 146bpm.

For measuring heart rate accuracy, I pitted the Amazfit GTS against the Mi Band 4 and got the exact same results for both resting and active heart rate. We’ve tested the Mi Band 4 before and were pretty satisfied with its ability to give a good idea of a user’s heart rate.

GPS tracking is accurate

Amazfit GTS GPS and Clinbing Stats

I used the Amazfit GTS for freestyle workouts, walking, running, and climbing. The watch has built-in GPS to plot data for activities that involve outdoor movement. The data can be seen in the form of a map on the Amazfit app with a comprehensive analysis of speed, distance, calories burned, and more. The GPS data was accurate, and even mapped a pretty steep decent inside a hillside resort where I stayed for a few days while evaluating the watch. Note that GPS only works when you start an activity that needs it. It takes about two to three minutes to lock on, so you might lose a portion of your workout on the map.

This is all run-of-the-mill stuff and I had no complaints.

Enough juice for the basics

I really appreciated the GTS’ battery life. Even with auto brightness turned off, and continuous heart rate monitoring and notifications turned on, the 220mAh battery easily lasted me the promised 14 days. Note that I worked out three days a week in this time period, so the activity tracking was used thrice a week for one hour long freestyle workout sessions. The GPS on the watch only turns on when you start an activity like walking or running. I must have used GPS-related activity modes three or four times a week for a maximum of 30 minutes. The always-on display was turned off during this two-week period and I had set the watch on auto-brightness.

If you use the watch for bare essentials, it could last even longer. For example, after 16 days during which I did not record any workouts, but had bluetooth pairing, step tracking, and notifications turned on, the watch still had 54% battery capacity left.

Keeping the always-on display (AOD) active eats up battery life quicker for sure. Although I did not turn on the AOD for more than two days at a stretch, I noticed a significant dip in battery life. The GTS went from 100% battery life to 75% on the the first day. By the end of the second day with AOD turned on, the battery on the watch was down to 40%. This makes me believe that with AOD enabled, the GTS cannot last for more than three full days.

What I don’t like about the Amazfit GTS

Amazfit GTS Weather Music Notifications

Doesn’t put its best foot forward

Despite its strengths, the Amazfit GTS would be much easier to recommend had it not gotten the step tracking wrong.

Step tracking, possibly the most crucial and used function in an inexpensive fitness watch, is more than a tad off on the GTS. I once woke up at 6AM with 50 steps registered on my watch. On another instance, I woke up to 30

27/11/2019 01:30 AM