If you make a living testing wearables, September is one of the busiest months of the year for you. Apple typically launches the latest iteration of its Apple Watches, and we also have IFA, one of the largest tech expos in Europe, taking place in Berlin around the same time. Not to mention, Garmin decided to join the party by launching the world’s first microLED wearable the other day.
Long story short, it’s a busy period, which is why it was ballsy of Amazfit to time the launch of its latest outdoor watch, the T-Rex 3 Pro, when most brands would avoid competing for attention. Nevertheless, here we are, with Amazfit muscling its way into the conversation.
The successor of the T3 Awards-winner Amazfit T-Rex 3, the new watch adds a speaker and microphone, as well as a physical flashlight, to the mix. It's an exciting smartwatch, featuring many advanced capabilities that I would typically expect to see in premium wearables. Does it deliver, though?
Let’s get physical
The T-Rex 3 Pro is available in two sizes, 44 and 48 mm, and features premium materials, including a sapphire glass lens and a titanium alloy bezel. Screen brightness has also been increased to 3,000 nits (from 2,000 nits), making the display easier to see in broad daylight. The 1.32" AMOLED screen has a resolution of 466*466 with a 353 PPI pixel density.
From a physical standpoint, the T-Rex 3 Pro is almost identical to its predecessor. It has that classic rugged outdoor watch feel with chunky buttons, visible screws, a wide strap, and more. It still has that little loop on the right that puzzled me on previous iterations, too. The watch is 10 ATM rated and allows you to dive with it up to 45 metres of depth.
Putting on the strap is fiddly. The pins are buried under rubber, and I had to use a (blunt) knife to pull them away from the edge so I could clip the straps into the case. Of course, you won’t have to do it too often, but I would have appreciated a bit more clearance around the pins for easier application.
Under the hood, it’s very similar to the T-Rex 3. The new watch utilises the same BioTracker 6.0 sensor, which can track heart rate, HRV, sleep, stress, blood oxygen, and more. There is no ECG or any of the more sophisticated health metrics you can find in wearables, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic or the Huawei Watch 5. Not like I would expect to see an antioxidant index-style feature on the T-Rex 3 Pro, anyway.
Mapping and GPS accuracy
What’s more important is that mapping has been improved. Amazfit added enhanced visualisation, more terrain features, improved map contrast, increased road network density, and POI details. You can now also create a round-trip route, re-route without network, navigate turn-by-turn, tap to select a point, plan point-to-point routes, and search nearby POI.
Now, I must admit I haven’t fully tested the mapping functionality, as the software update was sent to my watch as I was writing this review. I’ll test it and update the review once I've thoroughly tested it out. The map looks clearer during workouts with more contrast, and you can also see the street names, which is pretty cool.
Positioning seems on point on the T-Rex 3 Pro. It uses a dual-band chip and has access to six satellite systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, IRNSS (also known as NavIC), and QZSS, which is more than enough in most scenarios. Sure, there is an occasional clipping of the corners on the map, and sometimes it looks like you’re going through buildings, but that doesn’t really change the crucial bits, which are distance, elevation, and so forth.
Whenever it appears that I've clipped through a building in the Zepp app, I find it difficult to determine whether the positioning is incorrect or the overlay is positioned correctly on the map. Anyhow, as well as seeing these anomalies, I could also clearly see when I crossed the road, for example, or when I decided to back-track somewhere. In short, GNSS appears to be accurate enough for a watch.
Health and fitness tracking
Heart rate tracking was a pleasant surprise. Amazfit partnered with HYROX about a year ago, and the brand has clearly been working on making its sensor and algorithm more suitable for tracking high-intensity workouts. I completed four strength workouts with the T-Rex 3 Pro, and the heart rate chart clearly shows the sets and rest periods.
The watch can detect which muscles were used during the session and even performs a movement evaluation based on five criteria: stability, consistency, speed decay, rhythm, and continuity. Exercise recognition is so-so: on a pull day, the T-Rex 3 Pro reported that I completed 254 reps of biceps curls. If only!
Sleep and stress tracking are also commendable. I was pleased with the general wellness tracking capabilities of the watch, including the new Biocharge feature, which was launched a little over a month ago. I appreciate that the three primary metrics in the Zepp app – sleep, exertion and Biocharge – seem to communicate with each other, in the sense that if you’re sleep is compromised, then your Biocharge will be lower, etc.
Battery life and performance
Battery life is excellent, and the T-Rex 3 Pro also charges fast. Using the watch during the night reduces the battery by 2%, and on an average day, it won’t deplete more than 5% (assuming you haven’t used GPS tracking). I charged it once after I got it, and after 10 days of usage (and with five GPS workouts), it was still only down to about 30%.
Of course, Amazfit claims that the larger, 48 mm model can last up to 26 days, but that’s without any GPS work. A dual-band chip will suck the life out of your smartwatch’s battery like a GoPro in 5.3K@60 mode eats memory cards. It’s still impressive that, with occasional GPS tracking, you can get two weeks out of one charge.
The bigger picture
So, is the T-Rex 3 Pro worth the price? In the UK, it sells for £399, which is a steep price increase compared to the T-Rex 3’s £279 asking price. You get more premium materials, a brother display, the built-in flashlight, speaker and microphone. Admittedly, the T-Rex 3 Pro is a better smartwatch than its predecessor.
On the other hand, Amazfit’s business model is to offer a wide range of features typically found in expensive Garmin devices for a significantly lower price. It’s true that the T-Rex 3 Pro is considerably cheaper than the Garmin Fenix 8, but it’s a big expense for someone who would consider an Amazfit watch.
It’s also true that if you like the look of the Fenix 8 but can’t quite stretch your budget that much, the T-Rex 3 Pro will provide an excellent substitute. It’s most of the features, including the physical flashlight, of the spendy rival, which I’m sure will make it appealing in many people’s eyes.
Speaking of the flashlight, I think it’s time for Amazfit to start carving its own path. One of the reasons athletes flock to Garmin is that it stays at the forefront of innovation. Many features we see in competitor watches stem from Garmin, and people appreciate this by purchasing Garmin watches.
Amazfit has carved out a place in the performance smartwatch market, but to grow further, it needs to channel more effort into innovation and be perceived as more than just the affordable option. The T-Rex 3 Pro isn’t the watch that marks the beginning of this era; however, if price is your primary concern and you want a reliable outdoor watch, it's worth considering.
The T-Rex 3 Pro is available to buy now directly from Amazfit UK and Amazfit US for the recommended price of £399 – AU price and availability TBC.
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