Everybody is talking about getting their steps in. What they’re really saying is that wearable technology works. Smartwatches and fitness trackers motivate people to get moving. It’s the gamification of fitness. While it’s not for everyone, wearables are great for people who love tracking data. I’m a big fan of activity trackers because I like to look at workout data. If I track a workout, it feels like an exam, and I want to get good results. If that sounds like you, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch is worth looking into.
This activity tracker supports more than 150 sports modes! It comes equipped with biometric sensors to track heart rate, stress levels, and sleep quality. Best of all, the battery lasts up to 24 days on a full charge. Is the Amazfit T-Rex 2 the missing piece you need to reach your health and fitness goals? Let’s find out.
Specs: Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch
- 150 sports modes including Triathlon, Jump Rope, and Golf Swing
- Support for five satellite positioning systems, a built-in compass, and a barometric altimeter ensure precise positioning, even in remote environments
- Rugged construction meets military standards for splashes, rain, snow, swimming, and temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius
- Lithium-ion battery provides up to 24 days of battery life on a full charge
Design of the Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch
Unlike most smartwatches, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is built tough. It’s rugged and bulky to the core, with a body fitted with four navigation buttons on the corners—up, down, sel(ect), and back. It features a 1.39-inch always-on HD AMOLED colour display with 454 x 454 resolution and 326 ppi. It is touch sensitive and swipes left and right like a smartphone.
The band is constructed from thick rubber with a pin buckle clasp type. The band is adjustable and long enough to fit a variety of wrist sizes but the watch’s design makes it so if you have small wrists, it will look bulky and out of place. There are two loops in the strap to hold it in place. Most watches have only one. While it secures the band, it takes a little more time to put the watch on.
Setting up the Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 works alongside the Zepp app, available for Android and iOS. After creating an account and connecting the watch, the app automatically downloaded and installed an update. This update took about 40 minutes. After that, the watch was ready to go. I was also surprised to see that it had over 80% battery life out of the box, so I didn’t need to charge it beforehand.
In the app Settings, I could manually set my preference for units for distance, weights, and temperature. I chose the metric system for distance, imperial (lbs) for weight, and Celsius for temperature.
Using the Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch
For this review, I wore the Amazfit T-Rex 2 for several days to track my daily steps, workout activity, and sleep. With more than 150 workout modes, I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to test a variety of different workouts. I tracked walks, outdoor runs, jump rope, and strength training.
During and after each workout, data is displayed on the screen for you to quickly glance over. However, more detailed data is synced to the Zepp app after a workout session is completed. This is where you can look back and assess the workout data.
Jump rope mode
During lockdown, I learned to jump rope by watching YouTube instructional videos. Since then, I’ve learned that many popular activity trackers do not track jump rope. Thankfully, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 does exactly that. After selecting Jump Rope, I set my target goal as 2000 jumps. This is what I typically do every morning.
The great thing about jumping rope is that it is easy to test against fitness trackers. After starting the workout, I counted my jumps until I tripped. I counted 62 consecutive jumps. The Amazfit T-Rex 2 counted 67. For me, that is pretty close. However, after a full workout session, I’m unsure how it is determining jump data. I feel I reached 2000 jumps on the watch rather quickly. As I incorporate a lot of advanced moves (i.e criss-cross, double-under, high knees) I suspect that the jump data was affected by those hand movements.
Outdoor running mode
I run to the gym every morning as a warm-up before I workout with weights. I started the T-Rex 2 Outdoor Running mode before the run and stopped it once I reached the gym. The watch uses dual-band positioning and five satellite positioning systems to track my runs and presents it in the Zepp app. Here I could look at the total distance, workout time, average heart rate, calories burned, and max heart rate. More detailed data can also be analyzed such as average cadence, total steps, altitude, and elevation gain, etc.
The T-Rex 2 said my average heart rate was 128 and my max heart rate was 139. Based on my effort and exertion, I think these heart rate measurements are too low. Or my cardio has improved from the daily jump rope workouts. During the walk back home, my average heart rate was 100 and my max heart rate was 110. These numbers are very close to what I normally see on walks.
Strength training mode
I was surprised to see Strength Training as one of the workout options inside the Amazfit T-Rex 2. Users can use the watch to track sets by manually setting them on the watch. Personally, I didn’t want to do that as it’s too distracting. Instead, my goal was to start the strength training workout and track the workout session time and calories burned.
After the workout, I ended the session on the watch. Later, I analyzed the results on the Zepp app. I was surprised to see the primary muscle used during that workout was the chest. I did complete a chest workout, but I didn’t tell the T-Rex 2 beforehand. I’m assuming it knew based on my hand movements. I’ve never seen that predictive feature in any other activity tracker. Still, I wish it could automatically predict workouts and track sets. That would be an absolute game changer.
Who is the Amazfit T-Rex 2 for?
After spending several days with the T-Rex 2, I now know who it’s for. First, it will appeal more to men due to its bulky, rugged design, so it’s a good choice for those with large arms. I can get away with it on my wrist, but it does still look big. Next, it’s for active people who want to track a variety of workouts. I love the fact that it tracks jump rope, which is rare. You will be hard-pressed to find an activity that the T-Rex 2 doesn’t track. Finally, it’s for someone who spends a lot of time outdoors. This watch has a rugged build so it’s designed for the elements. If you just train indoors, this might be overkill.
That said, this is the proverbial Swiss army knife of a smartwatch. It tracks your activity day and night and lasts almost a month on a single charge with typical use. If you’re in the market for a rugged, multi-use smartwatch, I recommend you try the Amazfit T-Rex 2.
