Amazfit
Smartwatch maker Amazfit has been busy this year, releasing several new devices — including the Bip S, Bip U and Band 5 — and rebranding its app Zepp, in deference to a wearable-tech firm that Amazfit parent Huami acquired a while back. If you’re keeping score, there’s now Amazfit and Zepp hardware, but only Zepp software.
That unfortunate layer of confusion aside, I continue to dig the Amazfit hardware — and here’s one of the best deals on record. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon has the Amazfit GTS smartwatch for $99.99, which ties the lowest price I’ve seen.
Available in a variety of colors, the GTS looks looks a lot like an Apple Watch. It’s lightweight, though, with an absolutely stunning 1.65-inch AMOLED display. (That’s roughly equivalent to 42mm.)
Like the Apple Watch, the GTS offers heart-rate monitoring, activity tracking and all manner of notifications. It’s water-resistant to 5 ATM, meaning it’s suitable for the shower and pool.
I did some brief testing last year and liked it a lot, particularly the speed and consistency of the raise-to-wake feature and the smooth responsiveness of the onscreen menus. The Amazfit — sorry, Zepp — app lets you choose from a few dozen watch faces (some cool, some classy, some geeky), but you can also load a custom background (like, say, a photo of the family dog).
You may need to do some tinkering to get things like notifications set up to your liking, and I’ll be the first to admit it’s not the most intuitive app I’ve used. (Why is there a tab called “Enjoy”?)
Battery life is about on par with Amazfit’s promise of 14 days, though lots of variables can affect power consumption. But even if it manages only half that, it’s a solid improvement over the Apple Watch and many others.
At this price, the GTS is easy to recommend. Gorgeous screen, great battery life, lots of features.
Your thoughts?
Watch this:
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