The Amazfit T-Rex 2 is a rugged outdoor watch with dual-band GPS, an AMOLED touchscreen, 150+ sports modes, and impressive battery life, all for around $200. It looks and feels like an adventure watch right out of the box. It’s big, it’s waterproof, and it has a lot of features that are meant to help you on all your adventures in the great outdoors.
But how does it compare to some of the best-running watches and fitness trackers on the market, like the Garmin Epix Gen 2 and the Garmin Fenix 7, which have similar features but cost much more? I used the Amazfit T-Rex 2 on a number of runs, hikes, indoor cycles, and strength training sessions to find out more. Read my full review of the Amazfit T-Rex 2 to find out how it did.
Amazfit T-Rex 2: Price And Where to Buy
The full price for the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is $229/£219, but at the time of this writing, some sites already had it for $179. It comes in black, wild green, black and gold, and khaki, among other colors. As you’ll see in the next section, this is a great price for a high-end sports watch.
At the time this article was written, the Garmin Epix Gen 2 costs $999, and the Fenix 7 with the least features costs $899. It’s also like the Garmin Instinct 2, which starts at $349 for a version that doesn’t have solar power.
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 is an updated version of the original Amazfit T-Rex, which is likely to be sold to people who want a cheaper sports watch.
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Design of Amazfit T-Rex 2
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 is a chunky sport watch made for the outdoors. It’s about 47mm wide and 14mm deep, and it has a big 1.39-inch screen. It has exposed screws on the wide bezel and four buttons, two on each side, that help you move around the watch and add to its rugged look.
The size and design are similar to the Fenix 7, but unlike the Fenix 7, you can’t customize the watch to make it less bulky. For example, you can’t choose a 42mm size or a rose-gold bezel.
The watch only weighs 66g, so all that weight doesn’t come with too much extra weight. For reference, the basic Fenix 7 is 47mm and weighs 79g. As someone with pretty small wrists, I thought the watch looked pretty big, and I wouldn’t wear it in the evening with a summer dress.
However, it felt surprisingly light. Of course, the way the watch looks is up to the user, and some people will probably want to wear a big, bulky sports watch. After all, if you’re going to spend your weekends climbing El Capitan, why not let everyone at work know?
The bright 1.39-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels is what really stands out about the design of this watch, despite its small size. It really is bright and clear, and it’s easy to see while moving, even in bright sunlight.
As we’ve seen with watches like the Fenix 7 and the Forerunner 955, the screen can also be used as a touchscreen. However, like Garmin watches, you can still use the buttons to move around the watch if your fingers are wet or sweaty.
Battery Life of Amazfit T-Rex 2
When deciding whether or not to buy an Amazfit watch or fitness tracker, the battery life is always a big plus, and the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is no exception. It takes about two hours to go from empty to fully charged, and in “battery saver” mode, it can last up to 45 days.
Again, if you compare this battery life to that of its main competitors, it does well. Garmin’s Epix Gen 2 can be used as a smartwatch for up to 16 days and as a GPS-only device for up to 42 hours. In smartwatch mode, the basic Fenix 7 model that can’t be charged by the sun can last up to 18 days, and in GPS-only mode, it can last up to 57 hours.
In smartwatch mode, the Instinct 2 can last up to 28 days, and in GPS-only mode, it can last up to 30 hours. Instinct 2, on the other hand, has an unlimited battery life because it can be charged by the sun.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 As a Smartwatch
From a smartwatch point of view, the watch lets you see your smartphone notifications, but you can’t respond to them yet. When enabled, you can swipe left from the home screen to see your notifications at a glance. There’s a weather widget that lets you see the day’s forecast at a glance, and you can add widgets like your calendar, menstrual tracking, and breathing to the watch.
When paired with your phone, the watch lets you play, pause, and skip music on your phone, so you don’t have to dig around in your pocket or pack while you’re hiking. You cannot, however, put music on the watch.
During testing, I also liked the camera remote app. When connected to an iPhone or Android device in camera mode, it lets you use the watch as a remote for taking selfies in the middle of a hike.
I also thought it was cool that you can download a GoPro app to the watch and use it to start and stop videos on your GoPro when it’s connected. This watch is definitely made for people who like to go on adventures on the weekends.
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Amazfit T-Rex 2 As a Sports Trackor
One of the main reasons to buy a sports watch is to track different activities, and the Amazfit T-Rex 2 has a lot of ways to do that. The watch has more than 150 sports modes, and each one can be changed to show different data screens during different activities. Once you turn on the watch’s ExerSence algorithm, it can automatically track eight sports, like running, swimming, cycling outside, and walking.
When it comes to tracking different workouts, the watch has all the metrics you’d expect, from the simple time, distance, calories burned, and heart rate to the more technical training load, anaerobic capacity, and VO2 max. The watch also has “training templates,” which are basically workout plans that you can use on your wrist.
There is sleep tracking, a built-in barometer and compass, and a multiband GPS, which is really impressive for a watch at this price point. During testing, I found that the GPS was just as accurate as my Garmin Fenix 7, which was just a little bit clearer but still very impressive.
If you buy this watch for a multi-day trail running trip or a long hike, you should know that some of the mapping features listed on the website are not yet available on the watch. At the time of writing, you can’t upload GPX maps to the watch. You can only use the breadcrumb feature to get back to the start of your run or trail. This should, however, change soon.
The watch is also impressive for its price because it has modes for triathlon and multisport. I tried for weeks to connect a third-party sensor, like my Bluetooth heart rate strap, to the watch, but I couldn’t figure out how.
After a lot of searching, I called Amazfit and they told me this wasn’t possible. Like most watches, the heart rate isn’t nearly as accurate as it is on my chest strap. If you can’t connect the two, I’d say this is a big problem for anyone who is seriously training for a race.
Conclusion
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 is a rugged outdoor watch with dual-band GPS. It has an AMOLED touchscreen, 150+ sports modes, and impressive battery life. But how does it compare to the Garmin Epix Gen 2 and the Fenix 7? The Amazfit T-Rex 2 has a 1.39-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. It takes about two hours to go from empty to fully charged, and in “battery saver” mode, it can last up to 45 days.
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 sports watch has more than 150 different sports modes. When paired with your phone, the watch lets you play, pause, and skip music on your phone. The watch can also be used as a remote for taking selfies while hiking.
The Polar watch has a built-in barometer and multiband GPS, which is really impressive for a watch at this price point. The watch also has modes for triathlon and multisport. Some of the mapping features listed on the website are not yet available on the watch.
