Through its official website, Huami has introduced a new model of the Amazfit GTR 2 and Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatches, which build on the previous series of popular Amazfit GTR and Amazfit GTS.
Also this year, the manufacturers used the end of the summer to present their latest products. An exception is not only the popular brand Amazfit, which has introduced the second generation of the highly successful Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2. It boasts an innovative design, significant narrowing of frames, measurement of blood oxygenation, autonomous music playback and calling via a connected phone. And the price tag also remained attractive.
Amazfit GTS 2: Screen you will love
During the introduction of the Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 in China, many were surprised by the designation of the display with the term retina. It has standardly been used by the American company Apple, which also owns the trademark for it. However, it is probably not registered in China, which allows companies to use the term here. As expected, the term retina did not appear in the description of the global version, which means that even the Chinese society does not intend to break international rules and go into unnecessary litigation.
In any case, we will see a high-end AMOLED type panel, which ensures perfect colours, true black and an undistorted image in almost every viewing angle. Once again, the display has a size of 1.65 inches, a high resolution of 348 × 442 pixels and an excellent fineness of 341 PPI. We don’t have to be shy to use many superlatives here, because the Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 has one of the best displays on the market.
The Amazfit GTS 2 also comes with a large selection of dials of all styles, including exclusive designs that we will not find anywhere else. In some of them, you can also choose the data that you want to display in specific parts, so for example, on the right side, you can replace the pedometer with a heart rate indicator and so on. The Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatch also support Always-On function, which displays the most important information without having to turn the display on.
Amazfit GTS 2: Smaller, more durable and frameless
While the screen remained unchanged, the chassis size has been reduced to a comfortable 42.8 × 35.6 mm, making the ugly frames around the display disappear. With the smaller chassis size, the Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 will fit on multiple wrists, instead of having to wear disproportionately large watches. The smartwatches’ body thickness has increased slightly to 9.3 mm, however, it is still one of the thinnest models, compared, for example, with the 12.35 mm on Fitbit Versa 3.
While some more expensive competition offers a plastic case, the Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 delights with an aluminium alloy made with a brand new carbon coating technology that provides greater resistance to scratches or other wear. Unlike the first generation, which offered six colours, the GTS 2 has to settle for three: Midnight Black, Urban Gray and Desert Gold. We must not forget the twenty-millimetre wide strap made of silicone, the most versatile material combining comfort, durability and ideal properties for sports activities.
Amazfit GTS 2: Sport&Health
The Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatch will monitor your every move to provide an overview of the number of steps, distance travelled, calories burned and timing too long inactivity. In addition, you can choose from 12 sports modes, which show the necessary information both during the training itself and after the training, for the possibility of a comprehensive evaluation. Swimming (no diving, though) is no exception, which is possible thanks to smartwatches’ 5 ATM water resistance.
In sports, you will definitely use a pair of GPS and GLONASS position systems, which will ensure more accurate measurement of the distance covered, determining the pace or marking the route on the map. The second generation of the optical sensor from Huami (part of Xiaomi branding) takes care of the very important heart rate monitoring. The heartbeat is also analyzed 24 hours a day, and you are alerted to unusual values and possible atrial fibrillation.
A completely new feature is the measurement of blood oxygenation (SpO2), which is also one of the main features in the latest Apple Watch 6. SpO2 displays the amount of oxygen in the blood, which is lower in some more serious diseases, but also during the worse course of Covid-19. According to the manufacturer, the data can also be used for marathons, intense activity or long-term mental work, so it is clear that this is an indicator that has a wide range of uses.
The Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatch also monitors sleep. It automatically recognizes it and measures its length and structure, whether it is in a light, deep or REM phase. There is also a unique PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) function in the watch, which calculates a single number from the heart rate, length of activity and other data, revealing whether we have enough exercise to prevent certain diseases. As a result, we do not have to compare different types of outputs, such as the number of steps, the distance travelled by bike and more. PAI will reveal everything to us quickly and clearly.
Amazfit GTS 2: More features at the cost of lower battery life
The Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatch has expanded its arsenal of functions, which now includes the ability to listen to music without having your mobile phone with you at all times. You can now store up to 600 songs in the internal memory and play music anywhere, anytime – for example, when running outdoors with wireless headphones. Among the more common functions, we can at least mention an alarm clock, stopwatch, weather forecast, calendar or notifications for incoming calls, SMS, e-mails and messages from various apps.
A microphone and speaker have also been added, which at least in China allows the use of voice assistant Xiao Ai. Amazfit GTS 2 also supports Amazon’s Alexa in its global version. You can also use the new hardware for calls, which is of course only possible with a connected mobile phone.
The connection with your phone is taken care of by both Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi, which provides immediate access to the Internet, and thus less dependence on a smartphone.
Unlike some competitors, Amazfit does not offer an app store, and the features are therefore limited to those provided by the manufacturer. There is also NFC available in Chinese version for touch-free payment, but the global version usually does not offer this feature, although we will find out later whether the new Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 will be an exception.
Unfortunately, the increase in the number of features has also reflected in shorter battery life. Although the battery capacity has increased to 246 mAh, instead of the original 14 days of normal use (last year’s GTS model), the Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 will stay awake only for 7 days (without GPS being turned on). However, many competitors last only 1 or 2 days, so the weekly run cannot be considered below average, although it may disappoint if you are upgrading from the first generation.
Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 – specifications, availability and price
The Xiaomi Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatch brings a number of useful innovations that will attract both new users and first-generation owners.
Currently, there seems to be a discount on Amazfit’s official website. You can now buy the Amazfit GTS 2 or Amazfit GTR 2 for $159.99 (originally $179.99)
Buy Amazfit GTS 2 on Amazon
Buy Amazift GTR 2 Classic Edition on Amazon
Buy Amazfit GTR 2 Sport Edition on Amazon
How Amazfit GTS2 compares to Amazfit GTS
| Xiaomi Amazfit | GTS | GTS 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 43,25 × 36,25 mm | 42,8 × 35,6 mm |
| Thickness | 9,4 mm | 9,7 mm |
| Screen | 1.6-inch | 1.6-inch |
| Resolution | 348 × 442 px | 348 × 442 px |
| Battery capacity | 220 mAh | 246 mAh |
| Battery life | 14 days | 7 days |
| Measurement of blood oxygenation | ✖ | ✔️ |
| Microphone and speaker for calls | ✖ | ✔️ |
| Saving music to the watch | ✖ | ✔️ |
| WiFi | ✖ | ✔️ |
