Amazfit GTS 4 Mini Review: Budget Brilliance

Value When Reviewed

$99.99

Greatest Costs Immediately: Amazfit GTS 4 Mini

Amazfit has up to date its slimline smartwatch providing with the GTS 4 Mini. It sits a bit of decrease down the value ladder from the bigger Amazfit GTS 4 and GTR 4, however comes with lots of the identical options.

So, does measurement matter? Right here’s the Tech Advisor evaluation of the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini. 

Design and construct

• Mild, compact chassis
• Comfy to put on
• 5 ATM water resistance

Martyn Casserly

Amazfit has caught fairly near the design ethic it used with the earlier iteration of the Mini, which was confusingly referred to as the GTS 2 Mini. It has a stunning slim steel casing that accommodates the 1.65-inch show. On the wrist there’s a satisfyingly low 9.1mm profile, simply permitting the watch to slide below shirt cuffs, and the 19g weight implies that you overlook you’re carrying it half the time. 

One small criticism is the crown button on the fitting flank. Sure, it’s in line with a traditional watch design, and a sure one from Apple, however whereas the crown does flip it serves no goal. The display screen doesn’t scroll up or down and there’s no choice to allocate a perform to the motion. As a substitute it’s principally a button, so why not simply make it a button slightly than a crown?

Martyn Casserly

The silicon strap has a easy clasp design the place you clip it in then thread the remainder of the strap beneath. It’s a 20mm width, so fairly commonplace, however even with my slim wrists I solely had three holes left on the strap. With this in thoughts, you may wish to keep away from this explicit mannequin you probably have loads of girth in your wrists, or purchase an extended strap. 

Turning the GTS 4 Mini over reveals the round plate that’s residence to the sensors in addition to the contact factors for the included proprietary charger. As is widespread lately, the lead on the charging cable is sort of quick, so that you’ll must have a plug level close by if you refuel the 270mAh battery. 

Martyn Casserly

My evaluation pattern was the Mint Blue variant, however Amazfit additionally presents the GTS 4 Mini in Midnight Black, Flamingo Pink and Moonlight White. I feel that is the nicest livery although because it appears to be like clear and fashionable whereas avoiding any falls into garishness. 

It’s a pleasant bundle that appears tasteful and good, very similar to I believed with the earlier model. The one massive benefit the newer mannequin has in its locker is a 5 ATM water resistance ranking, that means you possibly can take it swimming and it’ll monitor your actions or survive doing the washing up. 

Show

• 1.65-inch AMOLED show
• 336×384 decision
• At all times-on show

The 1.65-inch AMOLED show is brilliant, clear and straightforward to learn due to a 336×384 decision, which equates to 309ppi. The dimensions has elevated barely from the 1.55-inch panel on the GTS 2 Mini, and with a 70.2% screen-to-body ratio you get to make use of an honest proportion of the show. 

Martyn Casserly

The varied watch faces out there make it straightforward to select how busy you need the knowledge on the display screen to be, and there’s an always-on choice you possibly can allow so the time or different info with out having to lift your wrist. 

One factor I seen although was that the touchscreen itself may very well be a bit of choosy about when it responded to a faucet. It was often okay when sat at a desk, however on a variety of events it proved extra resistant after I was strolling. This may very well be one thing to do with small contact targets and my inaccurate fingers, but it surely was disappointing. 

Software program and options 

• Zepp OS
• Alexa inbuilt
• Restricted third-party app help
• No NFC

Whereas the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini could appear to be an Apple Watch different, it’s actually extra of a health band with ambitions. It does have some helpful built-in options, however lots of the widespread third-party apps you see on different smartwatches aren’t out there.

Nearly all of issues are managed by way of the Zepp app, which lets you obtain numerous watch faces (some you’ll must pay for), alter settings for monitoring and issues like that, plus rearrange the apps that seem on the watch, in addition to their order. One helpful choice is to resolve what occurs if you long-press the crown button, however as I mentioned earlier than you possibly can’t assign any options for rotating it. Missed alternative there. 

Martyn Casserly

The watch itself runs on the Zepp OS, which is sort of responsive and dependable, plus it comes with some helpful options to make up for the dearth of app help. Alexa is built-in, so you possibly can add issues to your Amazon account or ask questions as you’d with any Alexa enabled product. You too can use it to rapidly set timers and reminders, which is one thing I discovered myself doing often because it was so helpful. 

There’s additionally a music app, climate, to-do checklist, stopwatch, torch, alarms, and a Pomodoro timer. All fairly commonplace stuff.

You possibly can’t retailer information on the system itself, so no offline listening to music except you have got your cellphone. There’s additionally no NFC capabilities, which suggests you possibly can’t use the GTS 4 Mini for contactless funds. This makes it much less of a standalone system than a few of its rivals, however it might be actually spectacular to have superior options like these at this value level.  

Third-party apps aren’t out there to obtain, apart from some random ones on the Zepp retailer, none of that are the mainstream ones you need. WhatsApp messages do seem as notifications, as will Fb in case you hyperlink your account, however you received’t discover an precise app. The identical is true for the likes of Spotify, Audible and comparable companies, though you should utilize the generic Music app to regulate fundamental playback options and quantity to any hooked up Bluetooth headphones due to the Bluetooth 5.2 connection.

Martyn Casserly

One slight draw back is that there aren’t any preset solutions you should utilize to answer to messages, so the GTS 4 Mini is just for studying them. If this may very well be modified so {that a} fast choice for ‘Okay’, ‘Sure’ or ‘No’ or perhaps a customized message was out there it might be an actual profit. If this can be a sticking level for you, then the Amazfit GTS 4 runs an up to date Zepp OS2 and consists of the flexibility to answer to messages, so that could be the watch you want. 

Well being and health monitoring

• 120+ sports activities monitoring modes
• GPS
• Tough guides slightly than tremendous correct

As acknowledged earlier, the GTS 4 Mini is at coronary heart a health tracker slightly than a fully-fledged smartwatch. That’s no unhealthy factor in any respect, and with Amazfit giving it over 120 totally different monitoring modes, you must be capable to discover your exercise of alternative.  

The obvious one is step monitoring and the GTS 4 Mini does an honest job of monitoring my steps all through the day. You may get detailed stories on lengthy treks, reminiscent of your cadence and stride, plus how exhausting your coronary heart was working. All of those can rely in direction of your private exercise intelligence (PAI) rating, which provides you factors for exercises and acts equally to Apple’s three rings on the Apple Watch. 

Auto-tracking is just out there for strolling, indoor strolling, out of doors operating, treadmill, out of doors biking, elliptical or rowing, so in case you’re swimming, lifting, doing a yoga session or one of many different myriad of actions out there you then’ll want to recollect to start out the exercise monitoring manually. 

Martyn Casserly

Amazfit consists of varied evaluation options that present how your exercise could have affected your physique, reminiscent of coronary heart fee zones, cardio and anaerobic monitoring that seems within the PeakBeat algorithm. There’s additionally blood oxygen ranges, stress and sleep monitoring that saves loads of details about your well being within the Zepp app so you possibly can search for patterns and areas of enchancment. 

By the totally different actions I attempted whereas carrying the watch, I feel it’s protected to say that the measurements recorded are extra akin to a tough information than super-accurate. When you’re coaching for one thing like a marathon and want particular targets to be tracked, then you may want the Apple Watch SE or a Coros Apex 2 watch as a substitute, however for most individuals that wish to get energetic and never lay our a fortune to observe their exertions, I’d say the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini is definitely ok. 

There are some good additions too, such because the digital pacer that can problem you to run at sure speeds throughout a session. You possibly can hyperlink your Adidas Operating, Relive or Strava accounts to the watch as nicely, plus there built-in GPS so you possibly can map your entire out of doors routes. There’s additionally a menstrual cycle tracker.

Sleep monitoring didn’t fairly handle to all the time inform the distinction between being sedentary and asleep, however once more, in case you’re blissful to get a ballpark determine of the hours you’re in mattress and the standard of your sleep, then you possibly can’t go unsuitable for the value. 

Battery life and charging

• 270mAh battery
• Properly over per week of use in regular mode
• Sluggish to recharge

Battery life on the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini is nice. Utilizing the system with the always-on show disabled and going gently on the charges of heartbeat monitoring will get you round two weeks of life between fees. Even with the options talked about enabled, you’ll nonetheless get nicely over per week earlier than needing to connect the magnetic charger as soon as extra. 

Martyn Casserly

The one function that can drastically drain the 270mAh cell is utilizing the GPS tracker. As soon as that’s turned on, you’ll get a most of 21 hours earlier than the juice runs out. However, even that’s spectacular. Recharging the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini takes round two hours, so it’s a great factor you don’t must do it fairly often.  

Value and availability

The Amazfit GTS 4 Mini is that can be purchased direct from Amazfit for $99.99/£99.99/€99.99, which is a extremely good value for the options you get and the stunning design of the system.

For about the identical cash you possibly can decide up the Fitbit Cost 5, which additionally has a GPS tracker and loads of wonderful well being and health capabilities, though some are solely out there with a Fitbit Premium subscription.

When you like what you see with the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini however need extra options and bigger show, then the Amazfit GTS 4 is offered for round $200/£199/€199.  

Verdict

Amazfit has constructed a fame for good high quality, inexpensive trackers and the GTS 4 Mini retains that custom intact. It’s a really good wanting system that’s effortlessly comfy to put on. The software program and options out there are wonderful for the cash, and the battery life means you received’t be having to take away it each evening like another smartwatches. 

The monitoring isn’t as correct as costlier fashions and I’d have most popular a extra delicate show, but it surely’s exhausting to complain if you’re getting a strong health tracker that has some smartwatch capabilities for lower than $100/£100.

Specs

• 1.65-inch AMOLED show, 336×384 decision, 309 ppi
• At all times-on show
• BioTracker 3.0 PPG biometric sensor
• Acceleration sensor
• Geomagnetic sensor
• Ambient gentle sensor
• 5 ATM water resistance
• GPS
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 270mAh battery
• 41.8 x 36.7 x 9.1mm
• 31.2g (together with strap)