The Amazfit T-Rex 2 has a lot of great things to do — it’s a solid outdoor watch, with dual-band GPS technology, an AMOLED touchscreen, more than 150 sport modes and impressive battery life, all for around $200. Out of the box, it looks like an adventure watch – it’s massive, waterproof and has a number of features designed to get you through all of your adventures in the great outdoors.
But how do you stack up against each other best running hours And the The best fitness trackers In the market, especially watches like Garmin Epix Gen 2and the Garmin Fenix 7Which has similar features but at a much higher price? To find out more, I tested the Amazfit T-Rex 2 on a number of outdoor runs and hikes, as well as indoor and strength sessions. Read my full Amazfit T-Rex 2 review to find out how well it works.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: Price and availability
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 is $229 / £219 full price, but at the time of writing, it’s already down to $179 on select sites. It’s available in four different colors – black, wild green, black, gold and khaki. As you’ll read below, this is an excellent price for a high-spec sports watch, at the time of writing the Garmin Epix Gen 2 is $999, and the lowest-spec Fenix 7 is $899. It’s also comparable to the Garmin Instinct 2, which starts at $349 for the non-solar version.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 is the upgraded version of the original Amazfit T-Rexwhich will likely be on sale to those looking for a cheaper sports watch.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: Design
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 is a chunky outdoor sports watch. It is 47mm wide, and about 14mm deep, with a large 1.39-inch screen. Its sturdy look is complemented by exposed screws on the wide bezel, and four buttons – two on each side, helping you navigate around the watch. The design won’t be for everyone – it’s similar in size and design to the Fenix 7, but unlike the Fenix 7, there are no options to customize the watch to make it slimmer; For example, there are no 42mm or rose gold bezel options.
But fortunately, all that heft doesn’t come with a lot of baggage – the watch weighs 66 grams. For context, the base 47mm Fenix 7 weighs 79 grams. As someone with a very small wrist, while I felt like a watch seem So bulky (this is definitely not a watch I’d wear with a summer dress in the evening), it felt remarkably lightweight. Of course, the look of the watch is purely a personal preference, and some users must have preferred to wear a massive, bulky sports watch – if you’re going to spend your weekends climbing El Capitan, why not let everyone in the office know with your accessories?
Regardless of the size, the one thing that really stands out when it comes to the design of this watch is the bright 1.39-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. It’s really lifelike and crystal clear, and easy to see on the go, even in direct sunlight. As seen with watches like the Fenix 7 and Raid 955The display also has touchscreen capabilities, although, like Garmin, you can still move around the watch via the buttons if your fingers are sweaty or wet.
The watch comes with a silicone strap, which is standard for most sports watches on the market these days. However, it should be noted that the silicone strap appears to be attached to the watch with unusual screws, so if you are someone who prefers to customize your watch, it can be difficult to add a different strap.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: Battery life
when debating Whether you should buy an Amazfit watch or fitness trackerA huge plus with the brand’s range of products is always battery life, and the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is no different. Battery life is impressive – it takes about two hours to go from 0 to a full charge, and in battery saver mode, it can last up to 45 days.
Here is a breakdown of the battery life stats:
| the situation | Battery life |
|---|---|
| typical use | 24 days |
| Battery saver | 45 days |
| heavy use | 10 days |
| GPS position accuracy | up to 26 hours |
| GPS balanced mode | up to 50 hours |
| GPS mode to save power | up to 58 hours |
Once again, the battery life stacks up well when compared to its main competitors. Garmin’s Epix Gen 2 lasts up to 16 days in smartwatch mode and up to 42 hours in GPS only mode. The base Fenix 7 lasts without solar charging capabilities for up to 18 days in smartwatch mode and up to 57 hours in GPS-only mode. The Instinct 2 without solar charging capabilities lasts for 28 days in smartwatch mode, and up to 30 hours in GPS only mode. With solar capabilities, the Instinct 2 has unlimited battery life.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: Sports tracking
Of course, one of the main reasons to buy a sports watch is to track different activities, and the Amazfit T-Rex 2 has plenty of options. There are more than 150 sports modes available on the watch, all of which can be customized to display different data screens during activities. Eight sports, including running, swimming, outdoor cycling and walking, can be automatically tracked on the watch once its ExerSence algorithm is enabled.
When it comes to tracking different workouts, the watch has all the metrics you’d expect – from simple time, distance, calories burned and heart rate, to the most technical, like training load, anaerobic capacity, and VO2 max. The watch also has “training templates,” which are pretty much your watch’s training plans.
There’s sleep tracking, a built-in barometer and compass, and multi-band GPS, which is pretty impressive for a watch at this price point. During testing, I found the GPS to be as accurate as my Garmin Fenix 7, which has always been crispier, but still impressive.
If you are buying this watch for a multi-day running adventure, or even a long walk, it is worth noting that some of the mapping features mentioned on the website are not yet available on the watch. At the time of writing, you can’t load GPX maps onto the watch – you can only use the navigation path function to go back to the start of your run or track. This should change soon.
The watch has triathlon and multisport modes, which is also impressive for a watch at this price point. However, after weeks of testing and searching through Google, I couldn’t figure out how to connect a third-party sensor, like a Bluetooth heart rate strap, to the watch. After a lot of searching, I contacted Amazfit, who confirmed that this is not an option. Like most watches, my heart rate isn’t nearly as accurate as my chest strap, and if you can’t connect the two, I’d argue that’s a serious flaw for anyone who puts any serious training into a race.
During testing, I mostly used the watch to track marathon workouts, horseback riding, and strength training sessions. On a couple of occasions, the watch seemed to malfunction when sporting mode loaded. Again, this isn’t a complete deal breaker – it didn’t happen much, but it Will be Be a deal breaker if this happens at the race start line.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: smartwatch features
From a smartwatch perspective, the watch allows you to see your smartphone’s notifications, although you can’t respond to them yet — when enabled, you can see your notifications at a glance by swiping left from the home screen. There’s a weather widget, which allows you to see today’s forecast at a glance, and you can add widgets like your calendar, period tracker, and breathing to the clock.
When paired with your smartphone, you can use the watch to play and pause music and skip playing music on your phone, meaning you don’t have to dig around in your pocket or backpack while hiking. However, you cannot upload music to the watch.
Other great apps I appreciated during testing were the Camera Remote app, which, when connected to an iPhone or Android device in camera mode, allows you to use the watch as a remote to take selfies in the middle of a walk. I also thought it would be great if you could download the GoPro app to the watch, and use it to start and stop videos on the GoPro when connected. This is definitely a watch designed for weekend adventurers.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: Amazfit app
For me, the Amazfit’s biggest drawback is the Zepp app, where you can view all your workouts and sleep data. Compared to the likes of Garmin Connect and Fitbit Premium, it’s just plain heavy and not intuitive. The metrics are split between the home page and the health tab, and while there are plenty of them, there’s no actionable advice on what to do with all the information.
The application can connect to the running application Stravaso you can sync your metrics to keep up with activity challenges among your friends.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 review: Verdict
All in all, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is a suitable watch for those who are looking for a bunch of features and want to spend around $200. You can easily use this for most of your activities, and it can track almost every sport under the sun. However, the massive design won’t be for everyone, and neither will the Zepp app, especially if you’ve used the likes of Garmin Connect before.
If you’re looking for Garmin around this price point, the 55 This is the brand’s entry-level running watch that will easily get you around most races. Spend a little more, and you can get the latest 255It is a very cool watch that comes in a smaller package, and it also has multisport modes.
The bright screen and excellent battery life make the Amazfit T-Rex 2 a decent choice for weekend adventurers on a budget – just be prepared for the inevitable dinosaur gags.
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