Garmin’s endurance watches finally have a new rival worth paying attention to

Amazfit has officially unveiled the new Amazfit Cheetah 2 Ultra, a premium, endurance-focused smartwatch designed for trail runners and ultra-distance athletes.

The new wearable sits at the top of Amazfit’s running-watch lineup and introduces a number of hardware upgrades over the original Cheetah series, including a Grade 5 titanium bezel, sapphire glass lens, offline contour maps and expanded onboard storage.

Beyond the aid stations

Amazfit says the watch was designed specifically for mountain runners and endurance athletes who spend long periods training or racing away from urban areas.

Amazfit Cheetah 2 Ultra — Yes, there is a flashlight

The Cheetah 2 Ultra offers full-colour contour maps, turn-by-turn navigation and route import support, with the company also claiming improved map rendering and refresh speeds compared to previous generations.

Battery performance is one of the headline features, with Amazfit quoting up to 30 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, alongside up to 60 hours of GPS usage in accuracy-focused tracking modes.

The smartwatch also includes a range of advanced training and recovery metrics, including HRV tracking, training load analysis, recovery guidance and running dynamics.

Integration with third-party platforms such as Strava, Runna and TrainingPeaks is supported through the Zepp ecosystem.

More than just a bright screen

The launch comes at an interesting time for both companies.

Garmin is plugging gaps at the lower end of its smartwatch portfolio with the new Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170 models to keep brands like Amazfit from gaining too much ground in the affordable wearable market.

Meanwhile, Amazfit is pushing premium materials and continues to broaden its ecosystem to rival higher-end Garmin models such as the Fenix 8 and the Enduro 3.

And while the Cheetah 2 Ultra can't replace either of those Garmin watches yet, it offers a viable alternative for those who aren't locked into the wearable titan's ecosystem (yet).

The Cheetah 2 Ultra is available now through Amazfit UK, Amazfit US and Amazfit EU for £600 / v / €600 (~AU$840).

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Matt Kollat is a journalist and content creator for T3.com and T3 Magazine, where he works as Active Editor. His areas of expertise include wearables, drones, action cameras, fitness equipment, nutrition and outdoor gear. He joined T3 in 2019.

His work has also appeared on TechRadar and Fit&Well, and he has collaborated with creators such as Garage Gym Reviews. Matt has served as a judge for multiple industry awards, including the ESSNAwards. When he isn’t running, cycling or testing new kit, he’s usually roaming the countryside with a camera or experimenting with new audio and video gear.