The Amazfit GTS 2e is a new smartwatch in the GTS lineup from Amazfit. Essentially, it is an Amazfit GTS 2, with minor changes. Most of the features are similar to the GTS 2 but how does it compare with the older sibling? Is it worth spending more for the Amazfit GTS 2? Or is it a viable option to settle with the new GTS 2e? Let’s find out in our Amazfit GTS 2e review.

Design

Like its older sibling, the Amazfit GTS 2e  is very comfortable to wear. It sports a 2.5D curved surface as compared to the 3D curved surface found on the GTS 2. While looking at it, you won’t notice much of a difference between the two. Apart from this, the smart wearable shares a lot of similarities with the Amazfit GTS 2. It measures the same at  42.8 x 35.6 x 9.7mm, and weighs 25 grams without the straps. 

The Amazfit GTS 2e comes in three color options of Obsidian Black (the one featured in this review), Moss Green and Lilac Purple. It features an aluminum alloy body with a plastic matte bottom case, which is different from the plastic high-gloss mirror bottom case found on the GTS 2. That being said, it looks equally classy and elegant, in my opinion. The device is also rated 5ATM (50 meters) for water-resistant abilities. It is the same as the GTS 2. It comes with a silicone strap of 20mm width, which is very comfortable to wear.

When you look at the top, the display on the Amazfit GTS 2eis exactly the same as the GTS 2. It comes equipped with a tempered glass and anti-fingerprint vacuum coating but lacks oDLC coating. The latter is found on the GTS 2. Theoretically, the optical Diamond-like Carbon (oDLC) coating makes the display resistant to scratches, and allows it to be cleaned easily. Despite the lack of the oDLC coating, I didn’t manage to scratch the smartwatch. However, I did manage to get more smudges on it than the GTS 2. 

Display

The Amazfit GTS 2e features a 1.65-inch display that comes with a 348 x 442 pixel resolution and 341 PPI. It is impressive to look at, and I had no problems viewing it under direct sunlight. It is bright, colorful, and it is easily visible both in indoor and outdoor conditions. The ambient light sensor does well to adjust the brightness accordingly.

Coming to the usability, it is simple. You flick the wrist to turn on the display, for 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds and more. It can be adjusted from the Zepp app. If the turn-wrist-to-wake feature is turned off, you can tap on the display or push the top crown to turn on the display.  The Amazfit GTS 2e also comes with AOD (Always-On Display). It is bright, but does affect the battery life significantly. 

Features and the Smarts

The device comes with Amazfit’s self-developed “BioTracker 2” PPG sensor, which is used to measure the heart rate and SpO2. Other sensors onboard include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a 3-axis geomagnetic sensor, and a barometric sensor. Further, there’s a temperature sensor, which isn’t found on the GTS. 

The device comes with Amazfit’s self-developed “BioTracker 2” PPG sensor, which is used to measure the heart rate and SpO2. Other sensors onboard include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a 3-axis geomagnetic sensor, and a barometric sensor. Further, there’s a temperature sensor, which isn’t found on the GTS. 

However, unlike the GTS 2, the Amazfit GTS 2e doesn’t allow you to store music locally.  Moreover, it lacks WLAN 2.4GHz, but connectivity includes Bluetooth 5.0. I had no connectivity issues, and the device was constantly connected to my smartphone. 

You get voice controls, which are easy to set up and enable. These come in handy when you are wearing gloves or cannot use the touchscreen to navigate. In my usage, the device understood the commands only if you are in a quiet environment.

The Amazfit GTS 2e comes with a handful of native apps and you can’t download morem and the notifications aren’t actionable either. It lacks a speaker – which is found on the GTS 2 – so you cannot answer calls on the wearable. However, I wouldn’t count it as a con as I wouldn’t recommend you to pick a call on the GTS 2 since the speaker is tiny. 

That said, the GTS 2e notifies you of the calls, messages, as well as notifications from apps. The individual-app notifications can be enabled from the Zepp app. Each notification is displayed as a card, which is non-actionable but can be expanded. Plus, you cannot clear single notifications but can remove them all at once. 

Amazfit GTS 2e review: Fitness tracking

The Amazfit GTS 2e comes with 90 sports modes out of which smart recognition can recognize six of them, namely, Outdoor Running, Treadmill, Walking, Outdoor Cycling, Pool Swimming, and Elliptical. It also has features like Stress management that detects any unusual cardiac activity without any movement. You get rated between 0 and 100, where 0-39 for relaxed, 40-59 for normal, 60-79 for medium, and 80-100 for high stress. 

When out for a run, the watch face goes dark till you raise your wrist. You can press a button to view your running data: distance, pace, elapsed time, and heart rate as well as the current time and battery life. As for steps count, it doesn’t register fake steps and is a perfectly reliable smart accessory to your smartphone. However, it is not the most accurate out there, but is perfectly good for the price.

You also get Personal Activity Intelligence or PAI, which combines data from all the different sensors and gives you a score based on your daily activity. The score is calculated differently based on the user’s age, resting heart rate, gender, etc. It is personalized for each user.

There is sleep tracking, which is fairly accurate. The device tracks REM sleep alongside the portions of light and deep sleep at night. It can also track your naps. The Zepp app also gives you suggestions to improve your sleep quality. It compares your sleeping and waking times and your light, deep, or REM sleep values with ideal values. By doing this, it gives you a score out of 100, with 100 being the best.

You don’t get some features like tracking for menstrual cycles and guided breathing. Further, the SpO2 tracking feature and thermometer function aren’t the most reliable.

The Zepp app

Setting up your Amazfit GTS 2e is pretty straightforward, and I had no troubles with the process. You need to download the Zepp app (available for Android and iOS) and create an account (if you don’t already have one). 

It asks for basic information like gender, height, weight, and date of birth alongside your target calories and target sleep. It is relatively simple to add a device too. The app asks you to pick the model you want to pair. Then, a QR code pops up on the watch, which you need to scan and press Confirm. 

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The Zepp app shows all the data collected from your device. You can click into each section and see everything in more detail. Plus, you get to download a plethora of watch faces. There are three tabs at the bottom: Homepage, Enjoy, Profile. The app’s Homepage is quite busy. It shows you all your tracked data like the number of steps, calories burnt, hours of sleep taken, heart rate, sleep score, PAI, and more. Under the Enjoy tab, you get utilities like alarm clock, event reminder, find device, target setting, dial setting, etc.

It is a capable app and helps you make sense of the data gathered by your watch

Battery 

The 246mAh battery on the Amazfit GTS 2e is rated to last 14 days under typical usage with  regular fitness tracking and constant connection with the phone. With typical usage, and AOD turned on, it lasted me 10 days. You can extend the battery life if you aren’t connected to the phone, but that defies the purpose of a smartwatch, no? In my opinion, it offers an excellent battery life. It can be charged from zero to full within two hours. 

Amazfit GTS 2e review: Verdict

At $140 or INR 9,999, the Amazfit GTS 2e is a perfectly capable smartwatch at a budget. It is comfortable to wear, classy to look at, offers a wide range of features, and lasts more than a week easily. We have no problems recommending it as a companion to your smartphone. If you are hunting for a smart wearable with a round dial, you can look at the Amazfit GTR 2e. 

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