Amazfit T-Rex Pro review: big, bold, and rugged

Amazfit has been able to make a name for itself in India’s wearables space in a very short period of time, thanks to its feature-rich, good-looking, and well-priced offerings. Slotting in on the premium side of the brand’s portfolio, the T-Rex Pro is an interesting new addition and comes as an update to the T-Rex launched last year. Let me take you through its workings to give you an idea of how well it fares.

First, a quick look at the specs and features.

• 1.3-inch, 360 x 360, AMOLED display
• MIL-STD-810G certified for ruggedness
• 10 ATM water resistant
• Weighs 59g with strap
• SpO2, heart rate, sleep tracking
• GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
• 390mAh battery
• Sensors: PPG bio-tracking, acceleration, gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Ambient light, Barometric
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Supports 100+ sports modes
• Works with Android and iOS

What’s good

• If you’ve seen the non-Pro model of the T-Rex that was launched earlier, the T-Rex Pro might not appear to be very different in terms of design. If you haven’t though, let me tell you that the T-Rex Pro looks every bit the rugged, outdoorsy smartwatch that its military-grade certification would indicate. Crudely put, it resembles Casio’s G-Shock lineup of watches in terms of design, and that does have its share of fans across the globe. It’s big and chunky, so if you’re looking for a more elegant or subtle look that would possibly go with your work attire, this isn’t it. That said, I love it!
  
  
• Despite its chunky design though, it’s very comfortable to wear over long periods, and weighs a mere 59g.
• Its military-grade certification means it can withstand extreme temperatures, humidity, salt spray, ice, and freezing rain, and shock. Even the water distance rating has been bumped up to 10 ATM as compared to 5 ATM on its non-pro sibling.
  
  
• The AMOLED screen is a beaut. Not only is it bright and vivid, it has an always-on mode too. Moreover, it comes with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 and an anti-fingerprint coating. The screen isn’t overly glossy and has a matte finish on it. I also love the fact that the screen is recessed within the outer rim of the casing, which means there are fewer chances of the display getting scratched… I keep bumping my hand on door edges and furniture while walking around, and this helps immensely.
  
  
• The swipe-driven interface is easy to use, but if you choose, you can use the buttons on the side to navigate through the menus instead. The large buttons can be operated with gloves on too. The two on the left allow you to move up or down through the menus, while the ones on the right let you select or go back.
• Apart from the much-in-demand SpO2 feature, you get the usual functions like tracking steps, workouts, sleep, heart rate, etc. Built-in GPS means you don’t need to carry your phone with you if you want to track the route for your walks or runs. The device also features a compass, altimeter, and barometer for atmospheric pressure.
  
  
• The T-Rex Pro pairs with an Android phone or iPhone via the Zepp app, which syncs all your physical activity data faithfully and provides detailed metrics. The app allows you to change device settings and also lets you download more watch faces.

• Speaking of, there are a plethora of options when it comes to watch faces, and I found it to be a treasure trove given how I love trying out different ones. From analogue to digital, information-rich to plain, and subtle ones to in-your-face – there’s choice aplenty.
  
  
• The health and fitness-related features are quite extensive. Of special note is the BioTracker 2 PPG optical sensor that promises to deliver accurate readings for metrics like heart rate and SpO2. There’s also something called PAI (short for Personal Activity Intelligence), that provides an overall score based on different metrics, your goals and activities.
  
  
• As far as battery life is concerned, I got about 5-6 days off a single charge with my usage. Do note that this could vary drastically depending upon the settings you choose (especially options like the always-on display, the frequency of heart rate monitoring, etc), and how often you use the workout functions and GPS. Thankfully, the watch does juice up pretty quickly though. The magnetic charger with its pogo pins is quick simple to use too, and doesn’t require too much fiddling.

What’s not so good

• One of the first things I noticed after I got over the T-Rex Pro’s overwhelming design (and I mean that in a good way) was that the straps don’t look user-replaceable. However, the straps are an integral part of the watch’s looks and design, so you’d probably not want to change them anyway.
• For some reason, the auto workout detection seemed a bit iffy for me.
  
  
• While the watch displays notifications from a paired phone faithfully, there’s no way to interact with them. Now this is something I’ve come to expect from most smartwatches in this price range, but in the case of the T-Rex Pro, some of the watch notifications displayed generic icons, which means it could be difficult to ascertain where that specific notification came from.
• Once you start a workout, there’s no way to use any other apps or functions without ending said workout.
  
  
• More importantly, the SpO2 readings were way off for me. For one, the device’s SpO2 feature seems a bit finicky, and needs you to stay absolutely still while the measurement is going on. Even if you move a whisker, it stops the measurement process and comes back to the SpO2 screen. Next, even when the measurement is complete, the readings seemed off for me, and often displayed numbers in the 80s. If that were accurate, I’d probably need to rush to the hospital. Thankfully though, a quick check using a pulse oximeter helped clarify things.

Verdict

With its sticker price of Rs 12,999, the Amazfit T-Rex Pro goes up against the likes of the OnePlus Watch (review), the OPPO Watch (review), Realme Watch S Pro, Mi Watch Revolve (review), and quite a few others. Each of these has its own pros and cons, so you’d need to decide on the basis of what you like in terms of design and capabilities, Barring the iffy SpO2 (which might or might not be a deal-breaker for you), the T-Rex Pro is certainly an option worth considering if you have 13k to spend on a fitness watch. This is important since many of the same functions can be found in cheaper devices, including some from Amazfit itself. One thing is clear though – you’d either buy the Amazfit T-Rex Pro for its looks, or for its ruggedness if you’re a serious adventure buff.

Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5

Pros

• Standout looks & rugged design
• Lightweight & comfortable
• Stunning display
• Feature-rich

Cons

• Iffy SpO2
• Iffy automatic workout detection
• Could be too big for some users

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