Amazfit GTR Mini is priced at ₹10,999 in India.
GTR Mini has got a round dial.
Amazfit has packed the watch with 24x7 heart rate monitoring, SpO2 tracking, and over 120 sports modes.
Amazfit GTR Mini is available in India at ₹10,999 which for most people is “think before you spend” kind of money. So, the watch better come with a solid feature set and experience for the price! Well, here is my account —the results and reactions from wearing it for a week; during workouts, work hours, and weekend outings.
Amazfit GTR Mini design
Amazfit GTR Mini looks like a modest and low-rent version of GTR 4, which it is. It sports a round dial and shiny steel-coloured side frame and crown. We will get to the use of the crown in the following segment. But, the whole design is so classic. Likely struck by its look, many asked which smartwatch it is.
What isn’t classic is the strapping mechanism. Amazfit has imitated the Apple Watch’s buckling style. It works fine as long as you don’t wrap it tightly around your wrist because then it is a tough task to insert the remaining strap through the slit. This was true for not just me but some of my colleagues who tried wearing it.
The silicone band is light and the watch (at 24.6g) is comfy on the wrist for long periods of wearing. That said, let me tell you that I have seen better straps on much lower-priced smartwatches like the recently reviewed NoiseFit Halo. The good thing is that the bundled 20mm strap is easily swappable.
Personally, I would have loved it if Amazfit went with a completely black design sans the lustrous frame.
The base of the watch has sensors and magnetic charging points. Last but not least, the GTR Mini is 5ATM water resistant. Even the touchscreen is 'Waterproof Enhanced', i.e., it accepts input even when there’s water on the screen or if your fingertips are moist.
Amazfit GTR Mini display and UI
The Amazfit GTR Mini has a 1.28-inch AMOLED panel with a 416×416 resolution. It appears to have an edge-to-edge spread. But, only upon closer inspection, do you realize there is a black bezel surrounding the screen. The UI helps with this mirage. More on that soon.
The screen is fairly bright but I feel the font size and design could have been bigger and more legible. You can always change the watch face and there are 80+ options to choose from. Changing the background reveals that thick border.
The margin doesn’t get in the way when interacting with the UI.
Swiping up on the main screen shows the notification tray and swiping down on the homescreen brings the quick settings menu. It consists of a battery-saver mode, flashlight, DND, Bedtime mode, calendar, Theatre Mode, Settings, etc.
Pressing the crown from the homescreen takes you to the app library. Pressing it from any other screen takes you straight back to the homescreen.
Swiping left or right brings up widgets like activity summary, music playback controls, heart rate, sleep, weather, etc. Let’s see how all these features work.
Amazfit GTR Mini performance and power
You get trackers for measuring 24×7 heart rate (BPM), SpO2 count, stress and sleep quality. There is even a one-tap measurement option to get stats of the former three. You also get a PAI score for cardiorespiratory health. The heart rate, SpO2, and step-counting results were comparable to what I got out of an Apple Watch Series 8.
You can track more than 120 activity modes and the ones I used the most were Strength Training, Walking, and Indoor Cycling.
When compared to an Apple Watch Series 8 that was tested alongside, the results showed significant deviation in the distance covered during an outdoor walk. The reason, I believe, is that the Amazfit watch’s GPS locks in a little late and hence, the distance measurement also starts late. However, what’s good is that the watch is consistent in its tracking behaviour. So, you can rely on the log to analyze and compare your performance over a period of time. Also, note that GTR Mini comes with built-in continuous GPS functionality powered by 5 satellite positioning systems and the company’s patented circularly-polarized GPS antenna technology.
During indoor free training, the GTR Mini scored similar results to the Apple Watch in average bpm and calories consumed. But, it wasn't picking up extreme heart rate counts like the Series 8.
When compared to the Apple Watch, the GTR Mini’s sleep records were 15 minutes short. It also shows the sleep stages, sleep score, heart rate during the nightly hours, etc. It claims to keep tabs on the naps too. I don’t indulge in siestas so can’t verify the same.
Finally, as far as battery life is concerned, the Amazfit GTR Mini is rated to run for 14 days on regular use. In my experience of 7 days, the battery fell up to 50%. Now, unless the battery life dips drastically, I should be getting the claimed endurance out of the watch. Now, if you want to increase the runtime, you can activate the battery-saver mode. The claim is that the watch will clock up to 21 days in this mode. Go figure!
Amazfit GTR Mini: What do I think of it?
The Amazfit GTR Mini is both powerful and stylish. The health and fitness features work reliably, for the most part. The main exception being the accuracy of the distance tracking. That and the uninspiring strapping system are the only issues I have with it. They aren't deal breakers by any means. I highlight them only because the asking price isn’t cheap. But, that’s just me. If you feel different or are curious to know about the GTR Mini, check out the watch at Amazfit India’s official e-store.
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G. S. Vasan
Vasan is a word weaver and tech junkie who is currently geeking out as a news writer at Digit. View Full Profile
