The Amazfit T-Rex Pro is the most rugged option offered by the popular smartwatch maker, even if it falls short of the best in tech.
Amazfit has undergone many changes in recent years, in its quest to establish itself as one of the main references in the sector without depending on the big ones. With launches like the recent one, it is achieving it, by offering a lot of technology at a low price; We also highlight the Zepp range, which aims more at luxury and ‘premium’.
But those are not the watches that you would take on an adventure, especially if it is going to be ‘movidita’. For those cases, we have the T-Rex Pro, a 169.90 euro smartwatch that prioritizes other aspects such as resistance and outdoor possibilities.
big and robust
That this is not a conventional watch is self-evident. There are few models that are as thick and have a design as menacing as this one; Just by looking at it you know that it will be able to withstand whatever you throw at it.
In fact, it’s probably the biggest smartwatch I’ve ever tested, at least in terms of thickness, at no less than 13.5mm; but it’s not that the manufacturer couldn’t make it smaller, it’s that all that space is meant to protect the internal components, with a polycarbonate casing that has been certified to the military standard MIL-STD.
That not only means that it is capable of withstanding shocks, but also the most extreme situations, such as temperatures as low as -40 degrees and 70 degrees, and humidity of 240 hours. Of course, we can also put it in the water, and we can even swim at great depths, up to 100 meters, with the watch on.
But these data have not surprised me as much as the sensations it has given me. Despite its size, it is a light watch, weighing just 59.4 grams, and much more comfortable than I expected; It seems unbelievable, but it hasn’t bothered me in my day to day life, nor sleeping, and I think the key is in the silicone rubber strap and the design of the lower part of the watch, which make it feel like I’m it was squeezing, or as if it were an additional weight on the wrist.
A detail that I did not like very much, but that I have come to appreciate over the days, is the presence of no less than four buttons. Normally, we have only two, or even just one scroll crown, but in this case they are physical buttons. And it makes sense, if you stop to think about it; they are less likely to break, they have a rough feel (to find them without having to look), and they allow you to control all aspects of the watch without using the touch screen. If we are diving, for example, we will not be able to use the touch screen, so some additional buttons that allow us to go through the menus will be of great help.
the fair technology
The interface of the Amazfit T-Rex Pro is also easy to use. The upper right button allows us to open the list of exercises, with more than 100 sports modes included, and is used to select options; the lower right button opens the list of apps and functions, as well as being used to exit menus. The left buttons allow us to go up and down through the menus.
All this does not mean that the touch screen is not usable. With a size of 1.3 inches, it allows us to easily see the information, which we can access at all times by sliding from below. Unlike other watches, here we do not have information cards to go through, but all the data is accumulated in that lower menu; It is better if we want to quickly see our status, but we may need a greater extension in the available data.
In that case, we have no choice but to use the mobile app; the good news is that it is as complete as ever. The app (called Zepp) is available for both iOS and Android, and therefore, this is one of the few options that works perfectly no matter what type of mobile you have; that is one of the great advantages of buying an Amazfit, and in my case, I have been able to use it with an iPhone and with Apple Health without any problem.
From the official app is where you can get more information about the sensors integrated in the Amazfit T-Rex Pro. The blood oxygen meter (SpO2) stands out, like the one that more expensive models have, but I was a little disappointed that it is not capable of automatic measurements, something that would have been very useful for recording sleep and thus knowing if we are running out of air while we sleep. At least the watch is able to detect height, and notify us if we have reached a point high enough to have breathing problems, encouraging us to perform a blood oxygen test.
What is recorded continuously is the heart rate, and that includes instant alerts when the watch detects that it is too high, something that can save us during our exercises. It can also monitor our stress, recording heart rate variability, in real time.
This is not the most complete smartwatch in terms of technology that I have tried, but at least the most basic functions are present. Also, let’s remember that the priority has been to offer a useful watch in our adventures, and in that sense we have to say that the integrated GPS is very good and not only allows us to record our cycling or athletics sessions with precision, but it will prevent we get lost
In that sense, I want to highlight the battery, which is capable of lasting no less than 18 days; In my tests, it has lasted me a week and a half with continuous use, and controlling the use of applications I see the promoted duration more than feasible, since I have verified that the watch hardly consumes anything when we are not using it actively. A day can go by and the battery meter will barely change.
for the adventure
All this should make it clear to us that the watch is very focused on a specific type of use: adventure. If we like to escape to nature, we follow extreme sports, or we just like to exercise, this is one of the most complete alternatives in this price range.
And it is that, for 169 euros, it is really difficult to ask for more. It is true that the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro costs just 30 euros more and is much more advanced, but it is also aimed at a completely different audience and they are not comparable.
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