Every now and then, a smartwatch makes peoples ’heads turn. The Amazfit T-Rex Pro does that not just because it looks like the Casio G Shock, but also because of its rugged good looks. In actual fact though, it isn’t really a smartwatch: it’s more of a fitness tracker though it does go beyond that

because it can connect with other apps like Google Fit, Strava, and Relive and sync data.

The company claims Amazfit T-Rex Pro has passed 15 regulations of military standard (MIL-STD-810). and that it can “withstand extreme temperature and conditions from 70C heat to -40 cold along with 240 hours of humidity, 96 hours of salt spray”. It also comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The T-Rex has a 1.3-inch AMOLED screen with 360360 pixels. The watch has one of the better screens among fitness trackers and the viewing angles are also quite good. The screen is also clearly visible under sunlight.

The watch has four buttons – two on either side. The buttons on the right are for selection and for going back. The ones on the left are for scrolling up and down. When on the home screen, the left buttons imitate the swipe up/down actions. The buttons are quite big and easy to access and use - even when you are working out. Yes, they also enhance the rugged look.

The T-Rex does not run on Android. There aren’t many apps available except for those built-in. Having said that, you need not bother about hunting for health apps as the T-Rex has a vast array of apps pre-loaded on the watch.

There are a wide range of apps from Heart Rate monitor, workouts, stress monitor, weather, compass, alarms, barometer, events (calendar) and music. The inclusion of SpO2 deserves a special mention especially in these times.

The watch displays calls when they come, but it is not possible to take calls. It is useful to find out who is calling when you are running or riding a bike.

Charging wearables daily can be irritating, but T-Rex has taken care of that. I was able to get over 12 days without charging. With GPS on and regular workouts, it lasted over a week. The watch offers three GPS options – Glonass, BDS, and Galileo

The watch needs the Zepp app for setting up. Once you connect your phone to the Zepp app and fill in the profile details, the watch becomes fully functional. The home page has a neatly designed

screen, with the steps done right on top, followed by the calories burnt, heart rate, stress, and sleep score. The ‘Find Device ’option in the app is useless as the watch only vibrates when you try to find it. If you have misplaced it somewhere, there is no way the Find Device function is going to help you find it.

The app is quite good but takes some time to get around. There are some good functions spread around other parts of the app like settings. The ‘Behaviour Tagging ’in the settings has rather useful functions, but unless you poke around the settings, you are unlikely to discover them.

The watch faces are limited to those available on the Zepp app. Though the number of watch faces is limited (around 30), most of them are well designed. But someone buying this watch as a fitness band is not going to be much worried about watch faces.

The SpO2 and heart rate readings, as well as the steps count, were reasonably accurate and tallied with the pulse oximeter and other step tracking apps.

Price: Rs 12,999

Pros: Great battery life Bright 1.3-inch AMOLED screen with 360 x 360 pixels, Rugged design and light-weight

Cons: Limited watchfaces, Poorly-designed companion app, overpriced for what it offers

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