one of the best smartwatches, by functions and by battery

The smartwatch market is heating up. Google has finally committed the time and resources Wear OS needed, and the launch of the Pixel Watch could make things difficult for many brands.

[Amazfit GTS 4 Mini, análisis: un reloj inteligente pequeño con mucha batería]

Amazfit, on the other hand, has little to worry about; at least for now. Its smartwatches, based on its own Zepp OS system, are more than an alternative; for many users they are the number one choice and the GTS 4 shows why.

Features Amazfit GTS 4

the same, but square

Frankly speaking, the Amazfit GTS 4 is actually a square Amazfit GTR 4; and if you were already familiar with the brand’s other watch, there really isn’t much to add, which is a compliment. Too often a design change comes with a sacrifice in function or feature, but that’s not the case with the GTS 4.

In all respects, this is a “brother” version and not a “scaled down”, despite the fact that the watch is indeed smaller. It seems that with this generation, Amazfit has hit the nail on the head, smoothing out the rough edges of previous models and establishing itself as an independent option, compatible with Android phones and iPhones.

The particularity of the GTS 4 is obvious: its 1.75 inch square screen. Based on AMOLED technology, it’s easily visible in all types of lighting scenarios, and I had no problem seeing the time or data that mattered to me at all times. The resolution is more than adequate for the size and I had no problem using the touchscreen to navigate the menus using gestures.

small but nice

The direct consequence of the screen change is in the size. The GTS 4 is smaller than the GTR 4, which is very noticeable if you’ve used both. This is where individual tastes come into play, as there are those who prefer a watch that is small and understated, while others prefer these accessories to look and feel. It will also depend a lot on your wrist size and in my case, since I’m tall, the GTR 4 would have been better, but the GTS 4 also looks good.

It also helps a lot that the build quality of the GTS 4 is up to par. The unit that I was able to test is the one that is completely black (“Infinite Black” as the company calls it), but there are also curious combinations in pink, brown and white, the latter with golden details.

In all cases, the chassis is manufactured in the same way, with a one-piece aluminum alloy case It gives a great feeling of quality. Either way, the strap is made of fluoroelastomer (except for the brown model, which is nylon), and it’s one of those that crosses over twice to improve grip and so nothing stays loose. It’s comfortable and although in my case it goes a bit to the limit (I have to use the last holes), it hasn’t happened to me like in other cases, in which I felt the watch falling .

Easy to use: Zepp OS has matured

The final difference between the GTS 4 and the GTR 4 is in the control methods. As well as the aforementioned touchscreen, we have a single central button, which doubles as a control wheel; That’s a big difference compared to the two buttons on the GTR 4, but I don’t think the experience suffers.

If we press the button, the application switcher will open, in the form of a list; we can navigate it using the touch screen or the wheel. The latter really surprised me with the feeling it offers, with small vibrations representing ‘gears’ that don’t really exist. It’s way better than other smartwatch wheels I’ve tried because most don’t even offer that tactile sensation.

All this serves to realize how much Amazfit’s own system, called Zepp OS, has matured and that with this generation it has reached version 2.0. It’s a system that has practically everything we could possibly need, and it achieves it independently; and it is that, even if it is not Wear OS, it is perfectly compatible with our Android mobile and it allows us to receive app notifications, make calls or control our music, for example.

Like many other portable systems, Zepp OS is board-based; if we swipe to the right we will find them, each for a function such as heart rate, sleep score, weather forecast or our calendar. We can customize these cards, which are a faster way to access our favorite applications without having to enter the menu.

Speaking of apps, the variety of those that come pre-installed is great, including the blood oxygen measurement that has been all the rage over the past two years in the apparel industry. We also have a stress measure, a respiratory aid, and even an app to follow the menstrual cycle. Some of the rarer ones, but which I appreciate, are the pomodoro timer or the remote photography function, which turns the watch into a shutter for the mobile camera.

Although it is not a sports watch in terms of design, the GTS 4 also includes all the Amazfit Workout Features, including the selection of 150 different sport modes and automatic exercise detection (for example, if we start running); the built-in GPS with dual-band GPS antenna worked well in my tests and was able to “find” me quickly. Notable detail, training data can be synchronized with the Adidas Running application and with Strava, something rare in the sector.

Although we don’t have access to the Google Assistant, at least the GTS 4 is compatible with Alexa as standard, and allows us to give the same voice commands to control the mobile or our smart home.

The Amazfit app for Android, called Zepp, has also matured. The amount of information it offers is very high, and this is where you really have to look if you want to take advantage of the data obtained by the watch. For example, it is from the app that we can really get a better idea of ​​how we slept, including data such as when we reached deep sleep or even if we suffered from rapid eye movements.

One of the most recommended watches

The Amazfit GTS 4 is one of the most comfortable smartwatches I recommend. In fact, the main reason not to buy this model is that you prefer the rounder, wider style of the GTR 4; this is where tastes come into play, since functionally they are almost identical devices.

For example, I was pleasantly surprised that despite the small size, the battery life was still excellent. Amazfit promises 8 days of use, and I easily exceeded that a few times; it all depends on how you use it of course and if you use it to log your daily exercise you probably won’t get a week but with simple use it’s easy to get a week and half.

The Amazfit GTS 4 is an excellent watch that, for $199.90, is a very tough competitor in the market. It’s not that there’s no competition, but this laptop is up to the task.

• Buy Amazfit GTS 4 on Amazon

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