Amazfit GTR 3 Pro review: Budget smartwatch that punches above its weight

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro review TL;DR: a low-cost smartwatch that looks and feels more expensive than it is, as long as you don't look at it from a distance.

Much like Huawei wearables, I started to warm to Amazfit products in recent years. I wasn't particularly blown away by the Zepp E – mainly since it was marketed as a premium watch, yet it wasn't – but I really enjoyed using the Amazfit GTS 2e, which is the predecessor of the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro (sort of).

These smartwatches are all similar in the sense that they offer a whole lot of functionality for an affordable price. Similarly, their build quality is somewhat questionable: Amazfit design feels less premium than watches and fitness trackers from other brands that occupy the same space, like the aforementioned Huawei.

Should you buy one? Let's find out together!

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro review: Price and availability

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro is available to buy now at Amazfit UK and Amazfit US for a recommended retail price of £179.99/$229.99.

AUS price and availability TBC.

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro review: Build quality

I talked about the build quality of the Amazfit GTR 9 Pro already and how not impressive it is, but it's certainly not the worst.

The 1.45-inch HD AMOLED display is not an eyesore with its 331 PPI resolution: it's large, bright and has enough contrast to be readable in broad daylight. The colours pop, and the animations are smooth, too.

The rest of the watch is what I have issues with, especially the strap. It looks fine in the images, but it is by no means a premium leather strap. It reminded me of the Zepp E, and not necessarily in a good way. It's a shame as I feel decent silicone or fabric straps was not that expensive to manufacture in 2021.

The watch case itself is not anything to rave about either. As I mentioned in my Huawei Watch GT 3 review, non-functioning watch crowns are my pet peeves, and the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro has one of these.

The watch can be operated entirely only using touch gestures, though, so you can ignore the buttons.

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro review: Battery life

Now that we got the bad stuff out of the way, let's spend the rest of the review listing all the reasons you should buy the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro!

First stop, battery life. I'm always surprised when watches with a large AMOLED screen can function for more than a day or so on one charge. The Garmin Venu 2 has up to 11 days of battery life; the Huawei Watch GT 3 can last for two weeks.

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro sits between the two with its 12-day battery life, which is admirable, especially considering the price. There is no GPS to drain the battery, but if you're planning to abuse the Bluetooth connection by constantly connecting the watch to your phone, expect more moderate battery life.

My only grief is the charger: I prefer the "wireless" Huawei Watch GT 3 charger to the two-pronged magnetic charger included with the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro. It feels less secure, although if you leave the watch alone while it charges, it should be just fine.

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro review: Features and accuracy

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro has many features you would expect from a modern smartwatch, including an optical heart rate sensor, blood oxygen monitoring, many different sports modes, a smart assistant, etc.

One thing that differentiates the GTR 3 Pro from the rest of the crowd is the BioTracker PPG 3.0 Biometric Sensor and the 1-tap Health Metric feature. These measure four health metrics in under 45 seconds, including heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, stress level and breathing rate.

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the operating system. The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro uses the custom Zepp OS which is not the most well-polished operating system on the market, but I still prefer it over Wear OS. It does the things it's supposed to do just fine, which is fine by me.

Amazfit products do sleep tracking right, and this is the case here too. The GTR 3 Pro does a good job monitoring sleep, and the breakdown of different sleep metrics is displayed clearly in the Zepp app. It's nice to see we can still access advanced metrics in some fitness apps.

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro gives you a PAI Score, essentially the Active Zone Minutes feature found in Fitbit wearables. The watch measures heart rate 24/7, logs when it's elevated and counts that towards your weekly goal of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, as recommended by the WHO.

As for heart rate accuracy during activities, the GTR 3 Pro performed fine. It's not the most accurate fitness wearable, and I wouldn't choose it over a Garmin Forerunner 245 for running training (this might not be a fair comparison, though). For everyday fitness tracking, it's okay, generally speaking.

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro review: Verdict

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro came out in a period when many other wearables were released at the same time, and I can't help but feel if I didn't have to test it along with the Huawei Watch GT 3, I might have been more impressed with it. 

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro is not a terrible smartwatch: it has loads of health features, a big screen, and decent battery life, all for a low price. Quite frankly, the GTR 3 Pro is one of the best value-for-money smartwatches. 

Amazfit needs to improve the build quality of its watches if it wants people to start taking them seriously. It works for Huawei; why shouldn't it work for Amazfit? 

If you're after a cheap smartwatch with plenty of health and smart functionality, you should consider the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro. 

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro review: Also consider

Needs something more premium? The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS feels premium without the premium price tag and is an excellent alternative to pricier adventure smartwatches such as the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro or the Suunto 9 Baro Titanium.

Or, if you prefer a smartwatch from a more established brand, you can give the Fitbit Versa 3 a try. It is far from being perfect but all things considered, it's the best Fitbit for people who aren't willing to pay the premium for the Sense's ECG and stress measurement features.