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Amazfit unveils tougher, more capable version of its rugged T-Rex smartwatch
- Amazfit has unveiled the T-Rex Pro rugged smartwatch.
- The upgrade offers better water resistance, an improved heart rate sensor, blood oxygen monitoring and other upgrades.
- It’s available for $179.99 in the US, and will be available in countries like India and the UK.
We liked the Amazfit T-Rex as a no-frills rugged smartwatch, but it had its limitations — it wasn’t quite as battle-hardened as you’d hope, and its heart rate sensor needed improvements. Thankfully, the Huami brand has made note and is releasing the T-Rex Pro, an upgraded model that addresses numerous earlier gripes. It’s available now in the US for $179.99, comes to the UK on March 31 for £139, and will be available “soon” in India.
The T-Rex Pro is tangibly more rugged than its predecessor, according to Amazfit, with 10ATM water resistance (up from 5ATM) good for depths of up to 100 meters, or 328 feet. As previously rumored, you’ll also get the upgraded BioTracker 2 PPG heart rate sensor from the GTS 2 and GTR 2, complete with blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring for high-altitude hikes.
Other refinements help you track your outdoor workouts. Amazfit’s rugged wristwear now supports four positioning systems (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and BeiDou) versus the two of before. There’s also an altimeter to measure elevation. And where there were 14 sports modes for the original T-Rex, the company now claims to support over 100. The T-Rex Pro only recognizes eight activities automatically, but the variety could still be helpful if your fitness routine extends beyond conventional workouts.
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The formula is otherwise familiar, although that’s not entirely a bad thing. While the T-Rex Pro runs RTOS and thus won’t have an app platform like Wear OS or Tizen, Amazfit claims a healthy 18 days of battery life from the rugged watch in “typical” use despite the 1.3-inch always-on display, and 40 hours with nonstop GPS. It supports both Android and iOS devices.
As with the original T-Rex, the Pro won’t replace a high-end fitness watch or more advanced smartwatches. However, Amazfit’s rugged timepiece may cover the essentials at a modest price. It’s arguably a better value than its non-Pro counterpart, which normally costs $40 less but also sacrifices durability and sensor features.