The Amazfit T - Rex 3 smartwatch promises to give you the rough - and - tumble expressive style of theApple Watch Ultra 2orSamsung Galaxy Watch Ultrawithout the high price . It ’s chunky and tough , but does it have the software package and ability to help pull ahead you over ? Or is there a reason it ’s a lot gimcrack than its well - known competitors ?
I expend some clip wearing the T - Rex 3 to discover out . Here ’s what you need to know .
The Amazfit T-Rex 3: design
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a hardcore , pumped - up version of theApple Watch Series 9 , while Samsung chosea more controversial(but , in my opinion , successful ) design for the Galaxy Watch Ultra . For the T - Rex 3 . Amazfit calculate toward the daddy of tough watches , the Casio G - Shock , forfurther inspirationon its third - genesis of bad smartwatch .
The T - Rex 3 combines its circular sieve with an octagonal unsullied steel bezel , immediately recall the vastly popularG - Shock GA-2100 serial publication . Like many other G - Shock watch , the T - Rex 3 also has a solidification of four buttons with a grippy texture on the polymer case at the 10 , 2 , 4 , and 8 o’clock positions . One thing that sets it apart is the strange “ bridge ” at 3 o’clock . It ’s made of metal and has the Amazfit name stamped on it . I ’ve no idea what purpose ( if any ) it ’s think to serve , but it ’s a fun design wind , although it can dig into your hand when your articulatio radiocarpea is flexed .
The smartwatch is seize to your wrist with a floppy and flexible silicone shoulder strap , secured with a charge plate buckle , and hold in place by two keepers . On the bottom are a pair of edge guards to keep the body centrally placed on your wrist , another design view take from many G - Shock vigil . It ’s comfortable to fall apart and count only 68 grams , but it can get a bit sweaty under the silicone strap . The bounteous 48 millimeter casing is wide and quite heavyset at nearly 14 mm .
Is the watch tough enough?
How about the ruggedness and outdoor credentials ? The case is made from polymer plastic , while the bezel , release , and nosepiece are made from 316L stainless steel . It ’s Gorilla Glass over the screen and the smartwatch has 10ATM water resistance , plus it has been certified for free diving to a depth of 45 meters . It ’s made to withstand temperature from -22 degrees Fahrenheit to 158 degree Fahrenheit , which is credibly more than your own body would .
It has a unassailable survival of the fittest of sensors inside , including a barometer , a geomagnetic sensing element , a gyro , an accelerometer , and a temperature sensing element . The 1.5 - column inch AMOLED screen has a 2000 - nit peak brightness and a particular glove style , so it still know input even when you ’re wearing 2 mm thick glove . Finally , it has three-fold - isthmus GPS for strong truth without the need to apply your phone .
The push button are loose to site and press , and the role is clearly mark on the bezel . However , I find the button layout a little awkward , as I ’d prefer the Back clit to be where the Down button is placed , as it ’s more comfy for me as I wear my watch on my odd wrist joint . It ’ll be suitable for anyone who wear the lookout on their right wrist joint . The Amazfit T - Rex 3 ’s polymer case does n’t have the same cachet as titanium , but it ’s very light , and the rest of the design and textile used mean it should be durable enough for most outdoor activities .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Software and battery life
The Amazfit T - Rex 3 uses Amazfit ’s own software system rather than Google ’s Wear osmium and tie in with the Zepp app , which is useable for Android and iOS . I ’ve tested the watch with Zepp installed on theGoogle Pixel 9 professional . Despite being a beta app , it has proven authentic , and once I ’d give the app security permissions , it received notifications reliably , too . You interact with the menu system on the sentinel using the buttons or the touchscreen , and it ’s fitly immobile and antiphonal .
The app and watch are load down with health and fitness feature . There ’s heart charge per unit and blood atomic number 8 monitoring ; sleep tracking with heart rate variability ( HRV ) ; 170 workout modes , data point such as V02 Max , training load , and recovery time ; plus a Readiness score when you wear your watch to get across rest . There ’s even some AI , with the Zepp Flow feature integrating ChatGPT-4o for voice control .
Amazfit expects the battery to last 13 days with “ grievous ” use , which we take to let in the always - on screen and all health - tracking features enable . Turn these lineament off , and the shelling may extend out to 27 days before it needs recharge . Use GPS unceasingly at its most exact setting , and the battery will refund 42 hours of use or up to 180 time of day in its prolonged GPS mode .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I ’ve been wear thin the T - Rex 3 for three days with the ambient screen and wellness tracking on , and although I have n’t tracked rest with it , I have recorded a couple of workouts and the barrage is at 88 % , suggesting it ’ll meet Amazfit ’s approximate usage time . The workouts tracked return figures I expect and are in dividing line with what I have watch from other wearables . The data point is present in a clean and legitimate way in the app .
Is this a real Ultra watch alternative?
The Amazfit T - Rex 3 really looks the part . Just like a G - shock absorber , it has a true presence on your radiocarpal joint , and while I like the flavor of upmarket materials on my wrist , the lightweight body is still attract , just in a dissimilar style . The screen is easily seeable in sun , the software is n’t complicated to instruct , and the physical button intend you do n’t get tied down to only using the touchscreen or a rotating crown . While it has somewhat shamelessly borrowed from a G - Shock , at least it has borrowed the good region .
There are masses of sporting ability and feature , too , and it does n’t get carried forth with add up purportedly “ extremist ” features that only very few will ever use just to grab some light merchandising . Active citizenry who enjoy a range of a function of sports will find its wide-ranging modes helpful , and the Zepp app is resonant of Samsung Health in its layout and figure . If you ’ve question the need for an emergency enchantress , LTE connectivity , and a $ 600 - plus cost ticket , the Amazfit T - Rex 3 should appeal .
It ’s price at $ 280 , less than half the toll of its Ultra rival , and in line with what you ’d yield for theSamsung Galaxy Watch 7and the Apple Watch Series 9 . While Amazfit wants it to be a genuine radical smartwatch alternative , I think it fits somewhere in between the received and Ultra models , and it ’s a very good place to be . If the Ultra watches are too expensive and broadly too focused for you , but you still want more than a normal smartwatch , the Amazfit T - Rex 3 bet to be a very sound middle earth .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
