Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Review. A Full Featured Smartwatch

Ticks all the right boxes but falls short of being a true premium smartwatch. Amazfit GTR 3 PRO Review

Amazfit has launched a PRO verison along with the normal GTR 3 this year. We managed to get our hands on it and here is the review of Amazfit GTR 3 PRO.

Introduction

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro is a new premium smartwatch that sits above the refreshed GTR 3. The watch comes in 2 versions this year. Designed with a classic look, there is a brown leather strap version (which we have) and a black fluoroelastomer version which is just a fancy way of saying silicone strap in our opinion.

Compared to the GTR 2, last year’s top-end offering, the GTR 3 Pro is packing an upgraded display, a button that doubles as a crown for navigation, as well as new sensors that promise better accuracy and the ability to track heart rate while swimming.

With a higher price tag, the watch is going against premium alternatives like the Apple Watch SE, Fitbit Versa 3, Galaxy Watch 4, and even older options like the Oppo Watch, which remains an affordable option in markets like India.

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Review | Design |

The GTR 3 Pro looks very similiar to the classic design of the GTR 2. However, the front is the main difference point which is now even bigger at 1.45 inches over the 1.39 inches of last year’s model.

The body of the watch itself is made out of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy. At 32g (wihtout the strap) you barely feel it on your hand. The design is quite understated, so you can easily transform it with one of the 150+ watch faces.

Besides different looks, these have different functions too, but we’ll get to that.

The bezels were slimmed down, so it’s not a large watch, though there are no size options so Amazfit aimed for an average size.

The digital crown on the side of the watch is new. The first pusher can be rotated to easily scroll through UI elements like the app drawer and even through long lists within specific apps like browsing your workout history.

I found the rotating pusher to be a convenient addition and quickly became accustomed to using it. The physical action doesn’t quite scream premium, and the lack of any resistance in the crown adds to the cheap feeling.

Elsewhere, the bottom of the watch is made out of plastic. Set against the lighter aluminum finish, this plastic back can be seen when looking at the watch from the side. I observed that it was prone to catching scuffs and sweat marks after a workout session.

Amazfit would have done well to construct the entire shell out of aluminum for a premium watch option.

We certainly wouldn’t recommend swimming with the leather strap or even sweating a lot and neither does Amazfit itself. It’s not the best quality leather we’ve seen, though it’s soft and comfortable to wear.

And as we mentioned already, it’s easy enough to replace with any other standard strap.

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Review | Fitness Features |

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro introduces an upgraded BioTracker 3 sensor for improved heart rate tracking and blood oxygen measurements. A significant step forward is the ability to track heart rate levels while swimming. The company also claims better accuracy and faster GPS locks, something we found somewhat lacking on the GTR 2.

Step tracking and activity monitoring

Step tracking on the GTR 3 Pro is on par with other fitness watches in that it is reasonably accurate. I don’t find it to be a particularly accurate metric for managing fitness levels, but more of a daily goal to ensure you get up and get moving.

Compared to my Fitbit Ionic, the step count here was generous by a few hundred steps.The included PAI fitness tracking metric is a convenient way to gauge weekly fitness efforts.

Instead, the included Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) feature is a more helpful way to gauge fitness levels. The metric uses a weekly rolling score out of one hundred based on elevated heart activity levels. It’s an interesting way to gamify fitness and requires you have to push yourself harder.

On days that I got a run or home workout in, my PAI score went up by 15 points. Moreover, PAI isn’t just a flat activity-based score and gets progressively harder to gain based on your heart rate levels. As you get fitter, you’ll have to push yourself harder to get those points.

While I prefer to stick to standard measurements like pace and timing myself while running, PAI works well and could be a helpful addition for people who want a little extra motivation.

The watch supports around 150 workout modes, including hiking, yoga, and a rather curious e-sports mode that keeps a tab on your heart rate and stress levels. It’s a cute addition, even if it is unlikely to make a dent in your daily activity score.

I did, however, appreciate the virtual pacer function that Amazfit has cribbed from Garmin watches. The feature lets you set a pace for a virtual runner that you can race against.

Unlike some competitors that let you race against your previously recorded runs, the pacing here only works against a preset pace. Still, it’s a convenient add-on to help you get faster and hit your goals.

Heart Rate Sensor

Amazfit is touting significantly improved accuracy with the heart rate sensor on the GTR 3 Pro. While I don’t have a chest-mounted heart rate strap with which to compare the readings, the GTR 3 Pro compared well against my Fitbit Ionic — for the most part.

The problem here is consistency. I observed a few dips in heart rate data in areas where I’d expect it to climb. For example, while running up a steep incline, the watch registered a slight drop in heart rate levels which did not correspond to my out-of-shape self huffing and puffing up the hill.

All this to say, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro is still a decidedly consumer-oriented device, and accuracy should be taken as a ballpark estimate. Serious athletes should look into higher-end options which can be paired with a much more accurate chest strap, a feature that is not supported by the GTR 3 Pro due to its lack of ANT+ sensors.

SpO2 tracking

Blood oxygen tracking has become a standard feature in fitness watches over the last year. While wrist-based measurements aren’t quite as accurate as dedicated pulse oximeters, I’ve previously found the feature handy for spot measurements.

The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro’s blood oxygen saturation measurements are generous next to a dedicated pulse oximeter.

I found Amazfit’s measurements to be a bit generous compared to a dedicated oximeter. While my blood oxygen saturation levels average at about 96% when measured with a pulse oximeter, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro usually hovered at 98%.

The watch presents the automatic measurements with a graph that can be split by days, weeks, months, or even years but doesn’t offer much information about what it means for the end-user.

Blood oxygen measurements while sleeping can indicate sleep apnea. Once activated, periodic blood oxygen measurements are captured while sleeping that can be easily reviewed the next day when you wake up.

I would’ve liked to see this metric show directly on the watch when it detects you waking up. It’s also worth noting that Amazfit lacks FDA/CE clearance, so I’d steer clear of using the oxygen saturation monitoring as medical advice.

GPS

In our review of the Amazfit GTR 2, we observed that GPS performance was lackluster, with the watch losing accuracy under challenging conditions like tall buildings and densely forested areas. Amazfit claims that the GTR 3 Pro is 20% faster and 40% more accurate thanks to its support for Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS satellite constellations in addition to GPS and GLONASS.

Sleep Monitoring

The GTR 3 Pro captures all the sleep monitoring metrics you’d expect, though not all of these can be viewed on the watch itself. Pop open the Zepp app, and you’ll find details about sleep stages like light, deep, and REM sleep. The sleep tracking integrates with the watch’s sleep breathing functionality to try and detect sleep apnea.

Unlike the GTR 2, where my colleague Jimmy experienced perfect sleep breathing scores, the watch reported mild cases of discomfort on a couple of occasions. So, I suppose it works though I have no way to gauge accuracy. What kind of action I should take also remains a question for another day.

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Review | Features |

To put it plainly, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro isn’t really a smartwatch. The pre-loaded applets for fitness tracking, alarms, calendars, and basics like the compass are all you get. The watch is running Amazfit’s new Zepp OS. Built on top of FreeRTOS, the operating system is touted to be less resource-intensive and more battery efficient, even if the changes aren’t entirely visible at first glance.

Amazfit is also talking about opening up the developer ecosystem with Zepp OS and supporting internet-connected third-party applets. However, these aren’t available at launch, and we’ll just have to wait and see if the ecosystem flourishes or flounders.

Battery

Amazfit claims two weeks of battery life from the 450mAh cell on the GTR 3 Pro, and I’m inclined to believe the watch will hit the mark. I haven’t had the watch for two weeks just yet, but with the always-on display switched on, a couple of workouts, and all the health-tracking settings activated, I’m on track to achieve a week of use from the GTR 3 Pro.

This is half of what Amazfit claims, but the company’s estimates are with the always-on display turned off — a feature that consumes an astonishing amount of battery life.

Charging is done using a standard magnetic charger with pogo pins. It takes about two and a half hours to go from zero to one hundred.

Other Features

• Zepp app: The Zepp app has a pretty enough homepage to identify key metrics, but the feature overload isn’t laid out particularly neatly. Missing translations aside, statistics can often be hidden away in places you wouldn’t expect or might require multiple taps to open up. Don’t get me wrong; it is clear that Amazfit is making optimal use of those sensors by capturing a significant amount of data down to cadence, altitude fluctuation, slope gradients, and oxygen uptake. However, for the average user, all of that data is lost if not presented in a form that is easy to understand.
• Export options: For all the data captured by the GTR 3 Pro, there’s no easy way to get that data out of the Amazfit ecosystem. Sure, the watch integrates with Strava and Google Fit, but those services don’t display nearly close to the metrics accessible here. I’d love to see an option that goes beyond the basic GPX file and lets me grab a full CSV of my workout data.
• Female health tracking: Like the GTR 2, the GTR 3 Pro supports basic female health tracking. You can enter relevant details, including the last day of your cycle and the number of days. Based on this data, the watch will try to predict the specifics of your cycle, including your fertile window, as well as when to expect your next period.
• One-tap measuring: A new one-tap measuring mode can capture vital metrics like heart rate, blood pressure, stress levels, and breathing rate in one go. The feature is essentially a one-step shortcut for all the other tests done by the watch and takes about 45-seconds to capture all the metrics. While the watch itself doesn’t maintain a log of the data, it will update all the metrics back in the app for later reference.
• Stress monitoring: The watch can capture stress levels by measuring variations in your heart rate. I’m a bit skeptical of this feature since it never really inched beyond “relaxed” despite having a somewhat stressful week. There’s no real way to view barebones heart rate variability data either, though I suppose you could always dive into the heart rate section to do a spot check on heart rate measurements over the course of the day. Regardless, I wouldn’t put too much weight behind Amazfit’s stress measurements.

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro specs

Value

With a more premium price tag, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro is veering into premium fitness tracker territory, and there’s ample competition there. Priced at $230 in the US with a more widespread release to follow shortly, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro needs to match effective fitness tracking with premium looks and a robust app.

The Fitbit Versa 3 ($230) is one such option that combines quality fitness tracking with a week-long battery and robust ecosystem integration. The Garmin Venu Sq ($200) is another alternative that combines Garmin’s excellent fitness tracking capabilities with basic smartwatch functionality.

For a more full-featured smartwatch, you could consider the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 ($249) that combines Wear OS 3 with all the fitness tracking capabilities you could want. It’s even got a nifty dial that makes navigating the interface supremely enjoyable.

Verdict-Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Review