My first ever proper smartwatch review was the Amazfit T-Rex 2 and it was a blast to know that one doesn’t need to pay for something that they don’t use 90% of the time and instead get practical functions made with care and focus.
As such, I am basing on that experience to review the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini, and contrary to the design of the T-Rex 2 made for the outdoor people, this one is taking on a casual approach
First, the entire retail box is on the lighter side of things but it is a little bit heavier than the packaging of bands since this is technically a watch by Amazfit’s standard.
The materials used are also not as sturdy and hard but still decent for a device like this. The colors are nice as well with the red to blue gradient fade and simple prints.
With a single tape holding the structure, after peeling it one can just pull on the little tab on the bottom and take the lid off (Yes it isn’t a fully concealed box).
The glistening shine of the GTS 4 Mini looks nice and clean but I did give it a little shake out to carefully wriggle it out of its little snuggly fit but hey, extra stability and no complaints.
Underneath the throne of the watch are the usual instruction booklet and charging cable.
Lighting up the 1.65-inch AMOLED display and it honestly looks quite good with its vibrant color and thanks to sufficient PPI ratio, you don’t really see blurred pixels.
As the auto brightness function is enabled by default, having a quick catch on the time while under the bright sun isn’t a difficult task. But you may run into mild difficulties if you use a bright watch face though so adjust accordingly.
Here comes one of my favorite points about the watch. The lightweight characteristic is true as it sits comfortably on my wrist to the point that I wear it to sleep and not worry about crushing it (Yes, I’m an occasional hand sleeper).
The band design is also quite cool because the end of the strap is tucked nicely under the main band so there’s no strap tip for better aesthetics and tighter fit.
However, the fit is not tight enough to cause any markings due to over-constrict therefore the range of adjustment is actually quite forgiving. The silicone material says that it is skin-friendly but I did run into one particular problem which is sweats from exercising seep under the band causing some light skin rashes so be sure to take it off and clean it as needed.
Your usual USB-A to magnetic pin charging cable.
At least compared to the T-Rex 2, this one secures more strongly to the socket so it doesn’t fall off as easily.
I’m not sure whether the stability of the connection scales against the weight of a given watch but hey, this definitely performs in general.
Another new experience that got me slightly bamboozled is the way navigation works in a watch that only has one physical button since the T-Rex 2 has four.
But to keep things simple, Amazfit made sure the Quick Function panel is accessed with the usual “Drag from Top” direction.
Aside from that, everything is getting swapped around with the “Down Going Up” gesture now bringing up the notifications panel.
Swiping from Left to Right brings up the general “App Card” menu to let you glance through all of them within a block list while the Right to Left does essentially the same thing but one screen at a time for more details.
Also, clicking the crown while the screen is at the time display will pop out the app drawer screen and you can get to everything on this page including the settings.
So in this aspect, I respect that to keep the GTS 4 Mini as mini as possible, it isn’t possible to add physical buttons because those are just something that is “nice to have” but not “crucial”.
Also, sometimes simple is better.
The home screen on the Zepp app which is Amazfit’s companion software shows the default layout consisting of crucial fitness-related data such as steps, heart rate, and more.
And relating back to the point that the GTS 4 Mini is really easy to wear for sleep, it was actually the first time I get to see the Sleep Quality chart in detail in person. You’ll get to rate your mood after you wake up as well.
This does raise the question of whether future smartwatches are capable of detecting emotions on the go but I digress.
On the Health tab, if you have prepared some goals for specific fitness activities or just exercises, you’ll get to access, browse, and change the numbers according to your liking.
Over here, you can get access to detailed customizations for things including health monitoring and notifications reminder and they are mostly, if not identically same as the T-Rex 2’s listed items so it is easy to feel close to home.
The amount of available watch faces for the GTS 4 Mini is just a little bit lesser than the T-Rex 2 but the most important ones are here to stay – the Custom Background selection, where you can place your own images as the foundation of your smart wearable that you daily drive in style.
Conclusion
So how was the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini? I’d say that it is a very well-packed smartwatch fitted into a more compact format and due to its advantage in size, this will appeal to the ladies and kids especially.
Contributed by its extreme lightweight, one can wear it with absolute comfort and for an extensive period of time without feeling too much pressure yet still durable enough thanks to the full metallic frame.
Adding its coverage of most conventional fitness routines and exercise tracking, the GTS 4 Mini is a well-made product and those who are looking for a simple yet carefully-crafted smartwatch with ample software support can give it a try at its official price of RM399 or even lower during certain sales campaign too.
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