Let’s break down the smartwatch segment. There’s the Apple Watch; it’s easily the best smartwatch experience, but it’s only for the iPhone and certainly doesn’t come cheap. Then there’s Fitbit with a range of smartwatches – including the upcoming Versa 2 and a bunch of premium activity trackers. Samsung hasn’t followed the same ‘speed to market’ for its smartwatches unlike flagship smartphones that arrive in India lighting quick. Almost all these devices are all around Rs 20,000 or above. It’s why Huami’s range of Amazfit smartwatches might have hit a sweet spot in the Indian market.
Huami is backed by Xiaomi and it’s kept the smartwatches coming. The Amazfit GTR is easily the most refined Amazfit device we’ve seen debut in India with an elegant brushed metal finish. In a market where smartwatch brands usually take sides – rounds or squares, Amazfit – just like Samsung, has opted for a circular form factor. Huami has launched only the 47.2mm size (there’s also a 42mm variant) for the Indian market at this point. The watch comes in a choice of titanium, stainless steel and aluminium alloy materials and colour options that include Cherry blossom pink and tan (that we checked out). Build quality is terrific and the straps are swappable – you can choose from a wide range of silicon, rubber and leather straps. Smartwatches are as much fashion accessories as they are gadgets.
Our favourite feature of the Amazfit GTR is its vibrant 1.39-inch AMOLED display (454 x 454 pixels) that packs an impressive 326 Pixels per inch (PPI). It offers very good visibility even under harsh sunlight and the protective Gorilla Glass 3 layer is quite reassuring. Huami offers a host of watch faces that play out quite well on this bold display. It’s fewer than the Fitbit watch face collection, but you certainly won’t run out of options.
The big difference between Fitbit and Huami’s wearables is the App ecosystem. While Fitbit is still not a patch on Apple’s Watch OS and its range of watch-friendly Apps, it’s certainly in a better place than it was even a few months ago with Apps like Spotify. Amazfit doesn’t offer any Apps but is more than sorted in the fitness department. There’s a whole bunch of sensors including heart-monitoring and the watch also supports 12 dedicated sports modes that includes outdoor running and swimming. It’s water resistant up to 5ATM, so you’re good to snorkel but not to scuba dive with it. These modes are quite handy to track your performance metrics on the companion App. Setting up the device (we paired it with an iPhone 11 Pro; it also works effortlessly with Android devices) was a breeze.
Huami improves on previous smartwatches like the Verge that we reviewed just a few months ago. The Amazfit GTR is a good looking device with a premium build and ticks quite a few fitness boxes. And then there’s the incredible battery life; Huami claims 24 days with regular activity and over 70 days on watch mode. While we can’t validate the 24-day claim, we think its not an exaggeration based on how the battery (410 mAh) performed in the five days we tested it. It’s one of the many performance attributes that makes the Amazfit GTR a compelling option for first time smartwatch buyers and fitness fanatics alike.
The Amazfit GTR costs Rs 10,999 for the 47.2mm size that’s currently available in India
