Overall Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
The Amazfit GTR 2 is a solid improvement over the original. Not only does it boast a better design but also better software and features. We highly recommend the GTR 2 over the original.
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Amazfit GTR vs Amazfit GTR 2
Amazfit has a reputation for offering good quality watches at low prices. Their products provide amazing value and are the perfect gateway to the world of smartwatches. However, their last low-cost premium smartwatch, the Amazfit GTR, did not manage to impress us.
It was a watch that had potential. However, it was apparent that Amazfit was trying to cut costs on this model. And sadly, it could not compete with similar watches in the same price point.
But this time around, Amazfit is looking to try again in the midrange price point with the Amazfit GTR 2. It has all the good features of the original GTR but promises to fix major issues as well as add new features.
In today’s article, we will find out whether or not the Amazfit GTR 2 is a better product than its predecessor. We’ll go over the build quality, features, and software performance of these watches. And by the end of our comparison, we will tell you whether or not the Amazfit GTR 2 is worth considering. Keep on scrolling for our full thoughts.
Amazfit Brand Overview
Amazfit is one of the biggest smartwatch brands in the industry. They are currently the second-largest wearable manufacturer as of 2017. Their massive success not only stamps from their products but also from their partnership with Xiaomi.
This company is an extension of Huami, who was responsible for making the original Xiaomi fitness trackers. They were founded in 2016, mainly as a competitor to similar brands such as Fitbit.
Packaging and Unboxing Experience
Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
The packaging for these two watches is completely different. The original Amazfit GTR came in a flashy box with holographic art on the front. And while it looks very attractive, most users would certainly prefer the cleaner aesthetic of the GTR 2’s box.
Overall, the unboxing experience for both of these watches is pretty straightforward. None of these products feel cheap and Amazfit certainly made us excited to try out the watches. Overall, the GTR 2’s new packaging is better but I would not consider this to be a big factor in comparing these two watches.
Now that we have tackled the unboxing experience, let us now get onto the build quality of the watches.
Design and Build Quality
Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
The original Amazfit GTR was marketed as a premium smartwatch at a budget price point. It was Amazfit’s answer to competing models such as the Huawei Watch GT 2. And while Amazfit had all the right concepts, unfortunately, the final product did not live up to those ideas.
Fortunately, Amazfit took the proper steps to make sure that the Amazfit GTR 2 is a completely better product than its predecessor. The GTR 2 fixes a lot of the design flaws of the original.
You now get a larger screen with smaller bezels, a more premium-feeling build, and higher quality materials. My biggest issue with the GTR 2’s screen was its thick bezels. Amazfit tried to make the bezels work but the engraving and the color simply did not match the rest of the watch.
The GTR 2, on the other hand, looks more consistent. It now looks a lot closer to classic analog watches and has that classy and elegant look that will make you want to wear it.
Additionally, what sells the look of the GTR 2 is its curved display. The curvature is quite subtle and not as pronounced as the GTS 2. However, it certainly adds to the look and feel of the watch.
Another difference between the two models is the variants and the materials used. The original GTR came in a 42mm and 47mm variant. The watch case of both models was made of stainless steel.
This time around, the GTR 2 only comes in a 46 mm variant. However, there is a sports and classic design. The classic design that is featured in this comparison is made of aluminum while the sports variant is made of stainless steel.
Lastly, the straps on these two models are a bit different. While they share the same general design and material, the GTR 2’s leather strap feels more comfortable. The color scheme also matches the rest of the watch better.
Overall, we like the look and feel of the GTR 2 better. We believe that it is more comparable with competing premium watches such as the Huawei Watch GT 2.
Display Quality
Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
Aside from the aesthetics of the front side of the watch, the actual panels used for the AMOLED display of the GTR 2 are a lot better than its predecessor.
The GTR 2’s screen is brighter, more vibrant, and sharper than the original. This makes the GTR 2 a lot better for outdoor use.
Again, the GTR AMOLED screen wasn’t bad. However, the GTR 2 is simply much better in every way.
Additionally, when you factor in the GTR 2’s better watch faces and better software, the overall experience simply cannot be beaten by the original GTR. We will talk more about these later in the comparison.
Aside from the raw image quality of the watches, the experience of using the GTR 2 is also a lot better. The curved display greatly helps with navigation. The edges feel a lot smoother and doing swipes and various actions are more seamless.
Features
Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
The Amazfit GTR’s feature set was fairly basic. It was certainly enough for casual users. However, it did not feel competitive enough with other watches in the same price range.
Fortunately, the GTR 2 is a completely different beast. Not only did it have all the essential watch features such as smart alarms, heart rate scanner, and other health and fitness tracking features. It added several features such as an integrated voice assistant as well as Amazon Alexa.
It still does not have app installations. However, this is pretty much the closest thing that we will get to a hybrid of a basic smartwatch and a more smartphone-like smartwatch.
Additionally, the Amazfit GTR 2 now has a built-in speaker and microphone for phone calls, local music storage, and alerts. The ability to answer phone calls on a watch is a feature that almost all of Amazfit’s competitors were already implementing. We are glad Amazfit finally decided to implement this feature on their midrange offering.
Also, having a speaker makes features such as finding my watch more useful. The original GTR also had this feature but since it could only vibrate, locating your watch was next to impossible.
Bluetooth audio on the GTR 2 is also a welcome addition. This allows you to directly connect your wireless earbuds or wireless speakers. This can be extremely useful for your workout sessions or for activities where you do not wish to get distracted by your smartwatch.
But the real game-changer here is the addition of a voice assistant. I wouldn’t call the GTR 2’s new software clunky. However, having a voice assistant to help you quickly access widgets and apps makes navigation a lot easier.
And the good things do not end here. Despite not having built-in Wi-Fi, the addition of Alexa allows you to perform tasks similar to Google Assistant. You can ask it questions or even control Alexa-compatible devices directly from your app.
There simply isn’t any competition here. The GTR 2 not only crushes the original GTR but also introduces features that no other watch in this price point has.
Health and Fitness Tracking
Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
Adding new features wasn’t the only focus of the GTR 2. It also fixes a lot of the shortcomings of the original GTR. And one of the biggest shortcomings was the health and fitness tracking features.
The activities and tracking options of the original GTR were very barebones. For health features, it only offered heart rate tracking. It wasn’t very accurate and you had to manually trigger this feature. Step tracking was also fairly inaccurate.
And in terms of fitness activities, there were only twelve activities available. The GTR was easily crushed by competing options such as the Huawei Watch GT 2 and its more affordable sibling, the Huawei Watch GT 2e.
Fortunately, this is no longer the case with the GTR 2. The GTR 2 now offers even more fitness activities.
Aside from the same basic activities, you get a “more” tab which gives you access to more specific and advanced activities. There is plenty of variety here including activities such as combat sports, leisure sports, swimming sports, etc.
In terms of health tracking, the GTR 2 now features more accurate step and heart rate tracking. There is also now an option to enable 24-hour heart rate monitoring.
Additionally, the GTR 2 now has stress and SpO2 tracking. These are available in competing watches and it is very nice to see these features in the GTR 2.
The only issue that was not addressed with the GTR 2 is sleep tracking. There is still no option to see your sleep tracking data on the watch. You will have to use the companion app to see your sleep data.
Watch Software Performance
Overall Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
What made the overall experience of the GTR lackluster was its software experience. Unlike Wear OS watches such as the TicWatch S2 and E2, the GTR wasn’t laggy or littered with bugs. It was the fact that the software was poorly designed and was not intuitive to use.
There were weird choices such as using the upper right button as a lock screen button and not having a dedicated notifications tab. Not only was the GTR’s software different from its competitors but it was also worse.
With how many better options there were, Amazfit could not convince me to use the GTR as my daily driver. Naturally, I wasn’t very excited with the GTR 2 knowing that Amazfit couldn’t pull off a great software experience. However, I was very wrong.
The Amazfit GTR 2 felt amazing to use. The software experience was not only comparable to competing options but there are very smartly implemented features that I have been asking for quite some time. And the biggest feature that was added is the ability to customize which apps appear on your home screen.
You can now add and remove widgets which makes navigation a lot more efficient. Additionally, the quick access tab now features more relevant shortcuts. You can control brightness, access the low power mode, use find my phone, and many more.
Overall, the new software is more intuitive and enjoyable to use. And while it still has its fair share of shortcomings, the software alone can make me instantly recommend the GTR 2.
Watch Faces
Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
The most important aspect of any smartwatch is its watch faces. No matter how advanced a smartwatch is, if its watch face selection does not allow you to express your style, then you will most likely not use the watch.
And unfortunately, this was the case with the original GTR. There were some standout watch faces. However, most of the available watch faces made the watch look cheap. I had to dig in the watch face store to find something that I truly liked.
But the worst thing about the whole experience was changing watch faces. The GTR could only accommodate one extra watch face. So without accessing the app, you can only change between three watch faces.
Additionally, syncing new watch faces took forever. I immediately got tired of the entire process and decided to stick with the default watch faces. This was a clear indication that Amazfit cheaped out on the hardware of the GTR.
Fortunately, these issues no longer exist in the GTR 2. You get a completely different watch face library with better designs, you now have built-in storage that can store lots of watch faces, and downloading and syncing does not take too long.
At the time of writing this article, there are only 85 watch faces available in the store. It is not clear if Amazfit will support this platform for a long time. But right now, I am very happy with the options that you get.
Another significant change is that you now have better AOD watch faces. On the GTR 2, you only get an analog and a digital watch face. But with the GTR 2, you can now choose to base your AOD watch face on your current watch face.
Battery Life
Winner: Amazfit GTR
The best thing about the GTR 2 is that it manages to retain its 2-week battery life. Of course, utilizing features such as AOD will reduce the battery life. However, even with most settings turned on, you are still getting at least 1 week of battery life.
Given how many great features you have, it is very impressive that you still get a long-lasting battery. The only downside with the GTR 2 is that its charger is still proprietary and features a non-removable cable. This isn’t a big deal since you will barely use the charger.
However, for long-term use. I wish that Amazfit would finally transition to a USB Type-C connection. With this setup, you would only need to bring the magnetic charger with you since you can simply reuse the Type-C cable of your smartwatch.
But overall, I am very happy with how much juice you are getting out of the Amazfit GTR 2.
Comparison Winner: Amazfit GTR 2
There is simply no competition here. The Amazfit GTR 2 is a better product than its predecessor. You get better aesthetics, better build quality, better features, and better software. And overall, I would say that the GTR 2 is potentially one of the best smartwatches in this price range.
We highly do not suggest purchasing the older model to save a few bucks. The original GTR’s competitors easily outclassed it. So if the GTR 2 is out of your price range, we highly suggest checking out other budget options such as the new Amazfit GTS 2.
And if you are still rocking the original Amazfit GTR, we highly suggest upgrading to the new model. You get all the features that you already like and you get tons of features that make your life easier. If you would like to learn more, make sure to check out our full review of the Amazfit GTR.
Specifications
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| Brand | Amazfit | Amazfit |
| Model | GTR(47mm) | GTR2 |
| Screen Size | 1.39” Touch AMOLED | 1.39” Touch AMOLED |
| Screen Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3- Anti Coating Compression |
Diamond Carbon Surface- 9H Scratch Resistance |
| Screen Resolution | 454 x 454 pixel | 454 x 454 pixel |
| Pixel Density | 326 PPI | 326 PPI |
| Input Type | Physical Button/Touch Screen | Physical Button/Touch Screen |
| Watch Dimensions | 46.9 x 52.2 x 12.9 mm | 46.4×46.4×10.7mm |
| Weight | Aluminum-36g Titanium-40 g Stainless steel-48 g |
Sport model-31.5g (without strap), Classic model-39g (without strap) |
| Watch Case Material | Stainless steel, Aluminum, Titanium | Polyamide & glass fiber |
| Bezel Material | Microcrystalline Zirconium Ceramic | Bezel-less |
| Watch Design | Circular | Circular, Curved |
| Strap Size | 22 mm | 22 mm |
| Watch Colors | Brown, Titanium | Obsidian Black |
| Water Resistance | Waterproof (5ATM) | Waterproof (5ATM) |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | GPS+GLONASS | GPS + GLONASS |
| CONNECTIVITY Wi-fi |
No | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| SENSORS Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | Yes | Yes |
| SPO2 | No | Yes |
| Elevation | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient Light | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes |
| FITNESS TRACKING Sleep tracking |
Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors Climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Heart Rate Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | No | Yes |
| Blood Oxygen | No | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | No | No |
| Menstrual cycle tracking | No | No |
| Swim tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking |
No | No |
| On-screen workout modes | – | – |
| Triathlon mode | No | No |
| ECG tracking | No | No |
| Preloaded sport modes | Yes | Yes |
| Safety tracking | No | No |
| Battery Life | 24 days typical use;40 hours GPS continuous use;74 days basic watch mode/12 days typical use;22 hours GPS continuous use;34 days Basic watch mode | Typical Usage-14 days; basic usage-38 days; heavy usage- 6.5 days |
| Battery Technology | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Charging Time | Approximately 2 hours | Approximately 2 hours |
| Charging Type | USB based charging dock | USB based charging dock |
| Compatible OS | Android iOS |
Android iOS |
| NOTIFICATIONS Email Alert |
Yes | Yes |
| SMS Alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls Alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event Reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Weather | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party Apps | Yes | Yes |
| MEDIA Audio |
mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Music Streaming | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Music | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| Loud Speaker | No | Yes |
| Microphone | No | Yes |
| CLOCK FEATURES Time/Date |
Yes | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes | Yes |
| OTHER FUNCTIONS Control camera | No | No |
| Music Control | Yes | Yes |
| Find Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Text Response | No | No |
| Answer Call | No | Yes |
| MISC Payment System |
NFC(Alipay) | NFC(Alipay) |
| Companion App | Zepp App | Zepp App |
| Customizable watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Interchangeable band | Yes | Yes |
| Voice command | No | Yes |
| Internal Storage | – | 4 GB |
| Operating system | Amazfit OS | Amazfit OS |
