2 minute exam
He has started running and walking, and plans to ski and swim. A
now you want to start mapping your adventures, compiling data and measuring your heart rate, and for high-altitude travel, even your SpO2 (oxygen saturation) levels.
It may have a pretty jaded industrial design, but the Amazfit T-Rex Pro can do it all and more.
It has a hundred sport modesFrom running and walking to snowboarding, climbing, and cross-country skiing, it can automatically detect most of them. It has GPS so it can map your run (although that won't help you navigate). It is also water resistant to 100 meters. Battery life can manage 18 days, that's despite its bright and colorful 13-inch AMOLED display. For the low cost, that's a huge feat, plus
Is it a rugged fitness tracker or a smartwatch? Really, it's both, as well as being able to channel notifications from your smartphone and monitor music via Bluetooth 5.0. You can still change the watch face.
The T-Rex Pro will also give you a finely textured readout of your night's sleep.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter) So,
Why are we not fully convinced of the T-Rex Pro? Created by the Chinese brand Zepp Health, previously Huami, the T-Rex Pro summarizes a myriad of data. Sure, it's free on the Zepp app, but aside from being able to post your latest workout to social media, there's not much you can do with that data. So if you're using smartphone apps like Strava or MyFitnessPal to track your activity and/or diet these days, you'll have to live with 2 silos of data that don't integrate. And that seems to be a stumbling block to asking for auxiliary activity data in the first place.
You're going to be hard pressed to find a better value, rugged sports watch that covers the basics of running, biking, walking, and more.. Despite its many positives, we're not entirely convinced that the T-Rex Pro is splendid enough with its data to be considered the best in its class.
Price and launch date of Amazfit T-Rex Pro
- outside now.
- It costs $179.99 (about €139, AU$249)
The T-Rex Pro was launched in the month of March 2020 for $179.99 (roughly €139, AU$249). In the US it's available direct from Amazfit, while in the UK it's available from Argos or Amazon. colors: meteor black, desert green and steel blue.
Amazfit T-Rex Pro design
- Bulky design
- One-inch three-inch AMOLED screen
- Silicone rubber strap
You get a lot of features for your money with the T-Rex Pro, but a "wow factor" isn't one of them.. The T-Rex Pro looks pretty much exactly like the original Amazfit T-Rex. This new version also has 4 screws on the bezel for a practical, industrial and slightly plastic look.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter)
There are also 4 metal buttons (trend, back, top and also bottom) on the edge of the box that are large enough to easily press on while running or while wearing gloves. Too simple, in truth, making casual pressure inescapable. Watch with a 47.7mm radius and 13.5mm thickness, the T-Rex Pro is a chunky polycarbonate product that has a partly masculine look to it, but its slim 59.4g means it doesn't feel heavy when worn. Zepp claims the T-Rex Pro is impact resistant, can withstand -40°C to 70°C, is salt spray resistant and MIL-STD-810G compliant, though by far its rugged feature The most important thing is that it is waterproof up to 100m.
This is double what the original version was capable of.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter)
The T-Rex Pro is built around a 13-inch AMOLED touchscreen. which has a resolution of 370 x 370 pixels (again, as above). It's easily noticeable in direct sunlight, but only if you set it to its maximum brightness level. Not surprisingly, this affects battery life, which Zepp estimates at 18 days. In practice, its 390mAh battery lasts around a week, which is still impressive. It comes with a 2021mm wide silicone rubber strap that is comfortable and stays put while running. The only other accessory in the box is a dedicated charger that magnetically attaches to the bottom of the box. This is where you'll find the blinking LEDs for Zepp's new for 2 Bio-Tracking PPG XNUMX optical sensor, which measures heart rate and SpOXNUMX (oxygen saturation). Also inside are an accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, geomagnetic sensor, and ambient light sensor.
Long story short, he's a data collection enthusiast.
Amazfit T-Rex Pro setup
- Arrives absolutely loaded
- Links to Zepp app easily
- Customizable watch faces and screen savers
Although the T-Rex Pro is supposedly a fitness-oriented watch, it also has certain smartwatch-like quirks.. It's far from "the ultimate personal assistant" as the manufacturer claims, but it can be set to haptically ring on incoming text messages, calls, and reminders. You can also exercise basic control over the music on your phone.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter) Connect it to a smartphone via Bluetooth - a simple task - and you'll also get a weather forecast, sunrise and sunset times, and the current moon phase.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter) The tempered glass touchscreen is responsive enough, making the T-Rex Pro a joy to use while on the go. Small up and down swipes switch between the watch face and the shortcut control panel, where you can do everything from turn on the flashlight (which isn't bright enough for practical use) and activate power-saving modes. power / do not disturb, to choose a screen saver and adjust the screen brightness. It is also possible to configure the screen so that it is always on during the established hours. While Zepp claims the T-Rex Pro has a battery life of up to 18 days, it's become clear that this only applies if you're not really exercising at all.
However, if you exercise for an hour every day and stick with it on purpose, you can expect the T-Rex Pro to work for a week or so.. A little less so if you customize the T-Rex Pro to say, it makes a haptic buzz every time you run a mile, or if you set the display to maximum brightness and "always on."
Amazfit T-Rex Pro Fitness Tracker
- Data is clearly presented
- Accurate heart rate monitoring
- Reliable GPS location tracking
Although this is a more capable version of the original T-Rex that we examined last year, in the same way as its predecessor,
The T-Rex Pro is a high-end, high-performance smartwatch alternative that isn't without its limits.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter)
Arguably, the T-Rex Pro packs more features than it should for its low cost. For everyday use, its GPS and heart-rate monitoring are surely the most essential, and both worked well throughout our fortnight's test. Alerts your heart rate every 10 minutes at rest and continuously throughout activity.
GPS trackingUsing GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou satellite positioning, it performed flawlessly in our tests. So, throughout and after a run, you'll get at-a-glance data on elapsed time, calories burned, your average heart rate, and even finer details like cadence, average stride, speed, gears, altitude and heart rate zones. As soon as you've completed a run, the T-Rex Pro will give you a recommended restore time. It also gives you a VO2 max reading. Hey? This is the maximum amount of oxygen in milliliters that can be used in one minute per kilo of body weight. And then? The same goes for your data on aerobic training effect, anaerobic training effect, and training load, which are also not going to mean anything to most people.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter) We also reckon SpO2 (oxygen saturation) readings are new and not really relevant, unless you're hiking at altitude and wary of altitude sickness. There is too much data here and not enough interpretation and goal setting/virtual training. There are 2 ways to track your activity;
let the T-Rex Pro warn you automatically, or physically press the mode button and scroll down to your planned activitysuch as outdoor running, walking, treadmill, trail running, indoor walking (to name just 5 of the XNUMX activities on the list, though you can add more manually). In our tests, the T-Rex Pro managed to decipher between outdoor running and strolling, but was found to be less efficient with other activities. So it's better to tell him exactly what he's about to do.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter) One frustrating issue we had was how impractical the button layout was for traversing. The "select" button on the right side of the watch is too easy to accidentally press while wearing a sleeve on the T-Rex Pro, interrupting your training. You're not likely to be wearing the T-Rex Pro up your sleeve when you're running, the sport isn't a huge problem every day, but when you're out walking with a jacket it's pretty much an unavoidable.
The result is incomplete data and there is no simple solution.
The T-Rex Pro is also not the perfect bed partner. It has a vibrating alarm clock, but instead of a slight haptic buzz or 2, you get robust streaks that don't release for twenty seconds. Then everyone in your bed will also wake up.
Amazfit T-Rex Pro companion app
- It clearly presents biometric and cartographic data
- Collect data from other Amazfit devices
- Does not integrate with third-party applications
The T-Rex Pro is linked to the brand's free Zepp app, with which he syncs up a little once an activity is finished and brings it closer to his smartphone. It's very simple to see your current heart rate, step count, SpO2 levels and previous training records, presented in a clear and colorful way.
(Image credit: Jamie Carter) However, we'd also be let down by the 'my goals' section of the app, which is simply a daily steps tab, target weight, calorie burn tab, and sleep tab. All this is somewhat basic considering the esotericism of the data that seems obfuscated with compiling.