Amazfit GTR 3 - Aggressive in price and super functional
The wearable world is increasingly within the reach of the user, boasting low-cost devices that offer functions that are often typical of professional devices. Amazfit from the beginning has shown us that it is not always necessary to faint in the purchase to obtain excellent quality levels both in the construction and in the monitoring of health and sports data and recently launched a trio of smart watches on the market, or the GTS 3, the GTR 3 PRO and the GTR 3, the latter subject of today's review.
As usual, we start from the contents of the package which is rather essential and specifically consists of:
- Amazfit GTR3;
- Multilingual instruction manual (Italian language present);
- Magnetic charging base with USB connection (compatible with all Amazfit 3 series smartwatches).
Amazfit GTR 3 does not differ much from last year's model, at least from the point of view of construction and aesthetics in general, proposing itself with a body made of aeronautical-type aluminum alloy, as regards the side frame, while on the rear, the material used is polycarbonate, which houses the magnetic pins for charging and the new Bio Tracker 3 sensor, which basically consists of 6 photodiodes and 2 LEDs.
Circular dial that is inspired by classic watches, but offering a modernity thanks to the use of a 1,39 inch AMOLED Ultra HD touch display, 454 x 454 pixels and 326 PPI, capable of reproducing animations at 60 fps. Considering the technology used, the colors are decidedly bright and the blacks absolute, but above all the peak brightness is able to reach up to 1000 nits, thus offering readability of the information on the display, excellent even under direct sunlight. Moreover, there is an automatic brightness sensor, which works perfectly, adapting quickly to changes in ambient lighting.
We do not have a physical dial, but the hour marks are present, which create immersion with the display, which occupies a 66% screen-to-body-ratio. The touch has always been fluid and never jerky, but if we have wet or simply dirty hands, we can navigate the menus through the two physical buttons located on the right side of the watch. The top button, however, is a real navigation crown complete with haptic feedback.
By holding down the top button, we can access some quick functions that can be selected from the settings, but the basic associated function is the call of the Alexa assistant. Instead, by pressing the upper button quickly, we enter the menu of the Amafit GTR 3 while by pressing the lower button, we enter the section of the monitorable sports, a function that can also be changed directly from the watch settings.
With dimensions of 45.8 x 45.8 x 10.8 mm and a weight of 32 grams, the Amazfit GTR 3 is comfortable to wear and not at all annoying even in the most reckless conditions, thanks to the excellent work that the company has done in the realization of the strap in fluoroelastomer, with quick release and 22 mm pitch, thus allowing a quick and easy replacement with the many models available on the net, obtaining your own outfit to combine with the over 100 Watchfaces available for free on the Zepp store, some of which can be configured in the info from view, or with your own photo.
I forgot to tell you that the display also boasts the Always On Display function, which can also follow the background of the watchface reproduced, but above all compared to the past generation, visibility is good even in direct light as well as remaining active in the sports monitoring phase.
To renew and improve, on Amazfit GTR 3, are above all the sensors and algorithms used, such as the aforementioned Bio Tracker 3, which delightfully amazed me for the accuracy and reliability of the data collected in the field of health and sport. We can even track multiple parameters at the same time with a simple touch, obtaining results on heart rate with precious alerts on low / high or zone frequency to optimize workouts, but also SpO2, Stress and Breathing, values that can be monitored H24.
There is certainly no lack of sleep monitor, also improved and able to return traces on breathing, heart rate and sleep phases, such as light, deep, REM, daily naps and of course recognize if you got up at night but also identify any breathing difficulties. In addition, the heart rate can also be monitored while swimming, considering a resistance certification up to 5 ATM.
Amazfit GTR 3, moreover, is able to automatically recognize different sports and to complete the excellent sports experience, we think about the 5 different GPS navigation systems with signal fixes in record time and the barometric altimeter sensor for altitude and air pressure, while the TrainingSense algorithm takes care of processing the data in a professional way, offering a true sporting picture of the monitored activity.
The sports that Amazfit GTR 3 can monitor are about 150, offering for the most part complete data that also consists of values such as VO2MAX, recovery and load time and training effect. However, it should be specified that many of the 150 sports do not use dedicated metrics, but allow us to carefully differentiate the activity we have carried out, being able to monitor eSports, board games, parkour but also the guda of the car. especially keeping stress levels under control.
In any case, the accuracy and reliability of the monitored data is a constant in all sports which then contribute to feed the PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) value with which we can keep our weekly training levels under control, giving us real and proper votes at the end of the week.
Unfortunately, the NFC sensor is missing, which would have made a big difference compared to the competitors in the sector, but on the GTR 3 there is also a speaker, so you will not be able to make or receive calls nor manage the music from the watch but only that coming from the smartphone. On the other hand, there is the microphone that will allow us to call up the Alexa voice assistant, after connecting with the smartphone via the integrated Bluetooth 5.1, which in all honesty proved useful in some situations but above all I appreciated that it is already natively supported in Italian.
Amazfit GTR 3 also offers 2.3 GB of internal memory that will serve to host further applications downloadable from the Zepp store, although at the moment there are few present, but some interesting ones such as the calculation of the BMI value or the one relating to the test for color blind people, but also the remind of drinking water etc ..
I specify that although the data collected by the Amazfit GTR 3 are quite accurate, if you want to combine a chest strap, you must abandon the idea since the watch does not offer the ANT + protocol, but if you are a "maid" know that the smartwatch of the brand also allows you to keep the menstrual cycle under control.
The battery of the Amazfit GTR 3 is a 450 mAh unit, which according to the manufacturer is able to guarantee up to 21 days of use, but the reality is that if you do not mind "expenses", taking advantage of all that the device has to offer, you will arrive at 3/4 days scarce but with the right settings you can easily get to 7/10 days of use without too many compromises.
What was talked about so many before the official launch of the new Amazfit smartwatch series was the new ZeppOS operating system, which slims down the weight of the software but is enriched with functions, such as the possibility of installing additional apps. Being still the first version, even the apps on the store are currently few but we are confident in an expansion over the coming months.
In any case, ZeppOS behaved in an optimal way, with fluidity of the system and absence of uncertainties in the realization of the tasks. Unfortunately the brand has invested poco in the notifications theme, which on Amazfit GTR 3 can be received by all the apps on the smartphone, but which we can only read and therefore not respond, however, without full compatibility with emojis, but only with some. However, the fact that these are always synchronized is good, so reading them from the watch or smartphone, they disappear from one or the other device.
The rest of the functions offered by the Amafit GTR 3 consists of the ability to view the weather, manage alarms directly from the clock, calendar, sunrise and sunset values, compass, respiratory relaxation, stopwatch and timer, find phone function, universal clock , to-do list, tomato timer and smartphone camera control.
Finally, there are the Do Not Disturb modes also of the smart type, theater mode and flashlight while from the settings we can customize the whole user experience with our GTR 3.
PROJECTED IMPACT
In short, GTR 3 is a complete and functional smartwatch, improved compared to the past by entering the range, the most sought after, of cheap devices with premium functions. Its cost is € 149,90, balanced and right for those who do not need the functions of telephone call and music management from the clock, present instead on GTR 3 PRO. Device that could also improve over time, as Amazfit is a brand that constantly releases updates and so if you are about to take the step of abandoning the wearable for a few euros and wearing a more professional (but not too much) smartwatch / sportwatch on your wrist, Amazfit GTR 3 is undoubtedly one of the best choices you could make.
