The Amazfit smartwatch avalanche continues: two new fitness smartwatches with some of the best battery life we’ve ever seen.
What you need to know
- The Amazfit GTR 2e and GTS 2e go on sale in North America on January 12 for $139.99 apiece.
- Both watches feature high-pixel AMOLED displays, heartrate and SpO2 sensors, voice controls, 5 ATM water resistance and between 14 and 24 days of typical battery life.
- They are remarkably similar to the GTR 2 and GTS 2 in features and specs.
At CES 2021, Huami continued its quest to release as many fitness smartwatches as possible. After the Amazfit GTS 2 and GTR 2 launched in October 2020, Huami followed up with two sub-$100 fitness smartwatches, the Amazfit GTS 2 Mini and Bip U Pro, in December 2020.
Now, just a couple of weeks later, the company unveiled its new mid-range smartwatches, called the GTS 2e and GTR 2e, which will launch on January 12 in North America. The GTS 2e will also be available in the UK starting January 12, while the GTR 2e’s UK launch date hasn’t been announced yet.
Like the Amazfit GTR 2, the new Amazfit GTR 2e sports a 1.39-inch circular AMOLED screen with two buttons on the right side and 326 pixels per inch (ppi). The Amazfit GTS 2e (also highly similar to the AmazfitGTS 2) has a rectangular 1.65-inch, 341 ppi AMOLED screen with just a single button on the right. All four smartwatches come with about 90 workout modes, heart-rate and blood oxygen (SpO2) tracking, 5 ATM water resistance, sleep and stress monitoring, and built-in voice controls you can access by twisting your wrist.
With so many similarities, you may be wondering what’s different! For starters, both watches will save you some money: the GTR 2e costs $139.99, and the GTS 2e will also set you back $139.99.
Both watches actually have the same size of battery as their predecessors; both the GTS 2 and GTS 2e have 246mAh cells, while the GTR 2 and GTR 2e have 471mAh cells. But the “e” models are estimated to last longer. The GTS 2e will last 7 days with per-minute health monitoring and always-on display, 14 days with average usage, or up to 24 days with “basic” usage. With the GTS 2, you’ll only hit 3.5, 7 and 20 days, respectively. As for the GTR 2e, you’ll reach up to 45 days with basic use, 24 days with typical use and 12 days with heavy use; with the GTR 2, you’ll only see 38, 14 and 6.5 days by comparison.
In exchange for longer battery life, you’ll lose a couple of features. All of these watches have microphones for smart assistant support, but the “e” models lack speakers or built-in music storage. You can’t listen to your personal playlists or answer phone calls on your watch, as you can with the GTR 2 and GTS 2.
If you can do without those features, the GTS 2e and GTR 2e could be among the best Amazfit smartwatches you can find in 2021. We’re also intrigued by Huami’s strategy of releasing so many different smartwatch variants within such a short time frame, so you can find one at whatever price point you’re comfortable with.
Amazfit GTR 2e
$140 at Amazon
Huami’s Amazfit GTR 2e is a stylish and affordable smartwatch that offers a wide range of health tracking features and comes with a sharp AMOLED display. It also boasts long-lasting battery life and an offline voice assistant.
