Amazfit GTR 4 review: Affordable all-rounder fitness watch
With dual-band GPS, exercise recognition, etc., the Amazfit GTR 4 offers several features that are only found in much more expensive smartwatches. But can the sports watch also convince in practice? NextPit has tested the Amazfit GTR 4 in detail.
Good
- Elegant and practical design
- Very accurate dual-band GPS
- Practical workout recognition
- Decent pulse measurement
- Good price-performance ratio
Bad
- Limited smartwatch functions
- Display not particularly scratch-resistant
Amazfit GTR 4 release date and price
On paper, the Amazfit GTR 4 offers an enormous number of features for a fair price. And the sports smartwatch not only keeps most of its promises in practice, but also outperforms even much more expensive rivals in two disciplines. Sure, the watch also has a few weaknesses, but all in all it delivers a really attractive overall package.
The recommended retail price for the Amazfit GTR 4 is $199.99—you can find the smartwatch at all usual online stores, for example at Amazon.
If you're not into round smartwatches, the Amazfit GTR 4 also has a square variant called GTS 4, which is almost identical in terms of functionality. Only in terms of display and battery do the two smartwatches differ.
Design and operation
Not only the name "GTR 4" is reminiscent of sports cars, Amazfit also gives its sports smartwatch a corresponding design. In addition to many gently curved lines, you will find red details on the rotating crown and the button underneath. The case is available in silver or black. The strap is available in brown (leather) or black (plastic or fabric). We tested the model in the "Superspeed Black" color.
I liked:
- Chic, practical design.
- Standard wristbands in 22-mm format.
I disliked:
- Display and casing not quite scratch-resistant.
The case of the Amazfit GTR 4 looks chic in matte silver, but it is not as scratch-resistant as we would like. A screwdriver already leaves slight marks—so you should rather protect the watch when climbing or gardening, either with gloves or a sweatband.
The same applies to the display glass, which unfortunately already shows a few scratches after six weeks. It is best to buy a suitable screen protector on Amazon & Co.—a blurred view of the excellent 1.43-inch display would be a shame. The AMOLED screen convinces with vivid colors, high-resolution 466 x 466 pixels (326 ppi) and good readability under all conditions.
On the top right of the case, you'll find a rotatable and pressable crown that gives a gentle haptic feedback when turned. You can open and close the app overview by pressing the button, and you can scroll through lists by turning it. Finally, there is another button at the bottom right of the casing that opens the workout menu with a variety of sports modes.
Operating system: Zepp OS 2.0
The Amazfit GTR 4 runs Zepp OS 2.0, which cannot keep up with Wear OS & Co. in terms of flexibility—Alexa support and a handful of apps are already the highest of feelings.
I liked:
- Intuitive operation.
- Alexa voice control.
I disliked:
- No other voice assistants.
- Very few apps.
The operation is quickly understood: In addition to the aforementioned crown and the button, the device can be operated via gestures. A swipe from the top to the bottom brings up the quick settings on the home screen, and a swipe from the bottom to the top shows you the notifications. To the right of the home screen, you will find various other widgets with statistics about your steps, activities, weather forecast, music control, Alexa and more.
Speaking of Alexa: Voice control via the Amazon assistant is pretty much the best of the best when it comes to smart features. In addition to notifications from the smartphone, there's also music playback and camera control on the smartphone, as well as the option to store membership and bonus cards in the watch. However, you will not find an option for mobile payments.
The Zepp OS app store is also rather small. You can currently find just under 30 apps, including a GoPro controller and Home Connect. However, most of the other apps are rather simple applications like calculators, vacation calendars or currency calculators.
Sensors & Fitness
The Amazfit GTR 4 offers a whole range of new sensors. The manufacturer promises that the fourth generation of pulse sensors works more precisely. In addition, the dual-band GPS sensor is supposed to be the first of its kind with a circularly polarized antenna, which is supposed to improve the accuracy significantly, according to the manufacturer. Last but not least, there is automatic exercise detection during fitness workouts.
I liked:
- Very accurate dual-band GPS with circularly polarized antenna.
- Pulse sensor with decent accuracy.
- Practical workout recognition.
- Now also supports chest straps.
I disliked:
- Does not measure running efficiency values.
The Amazfit GTR 4 offers an extremely comprehensive feature set for this price range and catches up with the classic fitness brands with some newly added features.
Outdoor sports & GPS
Outdoor sports enthusiasts can be happy about the new dual-band GPS. For the first time ever in a smartwatch, Amazfit relies on a circularly polarized antenna here, which is supposed to improve the accuracy even more. In the test, we could not determine a big difference compared with an also very accurate Garmin Forerunner 955. However, the accuracy between the GTR 4 and the more wellness-oriented Fitbit devices, for example, is worlds apart.
In our standard test run, the recorded distance from the Amazfit GTR 4 and the Garmin Forerunner 955 is relatively equal at 4.13 versus 4.25 kilometers. This also applies to the altitude difference, which the two watches recorded with 81 meters (Amazfit) and 77 meters (Garmin), respectively.
The GTR 4 shortens corners a bit more than the Garmin watch. However, even subtle nuances like walking around a fallen tree or changing the street side can be recognized in both GPS tracks. That is impressive considering that the Garmin watch costs more than twice as much.
While we are on the subject of comparison: Unfortunately, the Amazfit GTR 4 does not offer a particularly detailed running analysis. At least it records the maximum and average stride frequency and calculates the average stride length in addition to the distance and heart rate. However, the sports watch unfortunately cannot record advanced running efficiency rates like ground contact time or vertical movement.
The heart rate measurement during running was extraordinarily accurate in the test. There was virtually no deviation in a direct comparison with Garmin's HRM-Pro chest strap. The Amazfit GTR 4 achieves an average pulse of 160 and a maximum pulse of 176. The chest strap delivers 164 and 176 beats per minute, respectively.
While most optical heart rate sensors are now relatively accurate for running—and other sports that do not involve the wrists much—the agreement here is really very good. The only noticeable difference is that the Amazfit GTR 4 takes longer to display a rapidly increasing pulse, which is likely responsible for the difference in average pulse. The values displayed via the chest strap and the GTR 4 are identical during constant load.
If the accuracy is not enough for you because your wrists are too tightly gripped in the handlebars while mountain biking, for example, you can now also connect chest straps with the Amazfit GTR 4. If you run regularly, the GTR 4 also calculates your personal VO2Max value, which is your body's maximum oxygen uptake.
Indoor sports & fitness
The Amazfit GTR 4 has received an exciting new feature not only for outdoor athletes, but also for strength athletes. The watch can now recognize during your sets which exercise you are performing and how many repetitions you complete. You can also enter your weight during the workout and thus have a detailed log after the workout.
In practice, this works quite well and on about the same level as the Garmin smartwatches with this feature. The counting of repetitions works best—of course, only for exercises that you perform with both arms. The recognition of the exercises works moderately well. The GTR 4 reliably recognizes the exercises for the usual suspects like curls, bench presses, deadlifts, squats, etc., but it does not yet work for push-ups and pull-ups. However, Amazfit has promised an update for the winter that is supposed to expand the recognition.
After your workout, you get a graphical evaluation of the exercises performed, showing which parts of your body were used to what extent. The evaluation is nice and looks like a 1:1 copy of the Garmin app, by the way.
The heart rate measurement during typical fitness workouts is less accurate than during running, for example. That's in the nature of things, though, because once the wrists are heavily used and the heart rate varies rapidly, optical pulse sensors simply don't work as accurately. For example, during a mixed shoulder workout, I get an average pulse of 127 and a maximum pulse of 163 with the Amazfit GTR 4. With a Garmin chest strap, I measure 129 and 170 beats per minute, respectively, here.
As mentioned before: If you want precise pulse tracking during weight training, HIIT training or yoga, then you need a chest strap.
Sleep, stress and more
Like practically every smartwatch, the Amazfit GTR 4 also supports detailed sleep tracking including sleep-in and wake-up times as well as the three sleep phases light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. In the test, the logged times correspond well with my actual bedtimes as well as my alarm setting.
Unfortunately, I cannot say much about the individual sleep phases due to the lack of a sleep lab. However, it is pleasing that the GTR 4 also logs naps during the day from a length of 20 minutes.
Finally, the GTR 4 also measures your respiratory rate and blood oxygen saturation during sleep and uses this to determine a value for the breathing quality during sleep. Last but not least, the Amazfit GTR 4 also records your stress level. However, this does not happen in the background like in Google's Pixel Watch (review), but you have to explicitly perform a stress test on the smartwatch itself.
Battery for two weeks
The Amazfit GTR 4 offers a fantastic battery life. The manufacturer promises a runtime of two weeks, which we easily achieved in the test. However, that is also understandable in view of the few smart features.
I liked:
- Excellent battery life.
- Quite fast charging.
I disliked:
- No wireless charging.
Sure, the Amazfit GTR 4 is not a full-fledged smartwatch like an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. However, as mentioned before, there are at least a few smart features—and a really excellent battery life. Be prepared to charge the GTR 4 about two to three times a month (!) at most, unless you are doing regular ultramarathons.
Speaking of recharging: This also works reasonably fast. After 10 minutes, the battery is charged to 14%, which will easily get you through the day. After 20 minutes, 29% are already in the storage—enough for a whole weekend. After 30 minutes, 45% is reached in the test, after 40 minutes 60% and after 50 minutes 77%. Finally, after about 1 hour and 25 minutes, 100% is on the clock.
However, I find it a bit of a shame that the Amazfit GTR 4 does not support wireless charging via Qi. Charging only works with the proprietary charging cable, which is magnetically attached to the back of the watch. However, you will hardly get into trouble in view of the great battery runtime. As soon as the first low battery warning appears at 20%, you still have several days to find the cable.
Final verdict
From super-accurate GPS to workout recognition and support for external chest straps: The Amazfit GTR 4 offers an extremely wide range of fitness functions for comparatively little money. Of course, more expensive fitness watches from Garmin & Co. offer even more functions, but these go into extreme detail and are probably not necessary for many amateur athletes.
The Amazfit GTR 4 cannot compete with full-fledged smartwatches in terms of smart features, there is no mobile payment and only a few apps, but it does support Amazon Alexa. On the other hand, the battery life of two weeks is really fantastic.
As can be seen from your trajectory graph, the Garmin watch's trajectory has quite obvious drift at the start and end points, but no obvious drift can be seen in the GTR4's trajectory. In fact, the above drift will certainly affect the distance of the path under test. In addition, I measured the path you tested on the Goggle map, which shows that the length of the test path is about 813 meters. Therefore, the GTR4's trajectory should be more precise or accurate than the Garmin's.