Okay, so I’ve been messing around with smartwatches lately, trying to find one that fits my needs without breaking the bank. I ended up grabbing both the Amazfit GTR Mini and the GTR 3, thinking I’d test them out and see which one I liked better. Here’s how it went down.
Unboxing and First Impressions
First thing I did was rip open the boxes, obviously. The GTR Mini is, well, mini. It’s noticeably smaller and lighter than the GTR 3. The GTR 3 has a bigger screen and feels a bit more substantial, which some people might prefer. I was kinda digging the smaller size of the Mini, though – felt less clunky on my wrist.
Setting Them Up
Getting them connected to my phone was pretty straightforward. Both use the Zepp app, which I already had installed. Paired them up, updated the firmware (always a pain, but gotta do it), and started poking around the settings.
Playing with Features
Both watches have your basic fitness tracking stuff – steps, heart rate, sleep, all that jazz. I wore them both for a few workouts (mostly just walking and some light jogging, nothing crazy) and the numbers seemed pretty consistent between the two. No major discrepancies there.
Where they start to differ is in some of the extra features. The GTR 3 has built-in Alexa, which is kinda cool if you’re into that. I used it a couple times to set timers and check the weather, and it worked fine. The GTR Mini doesn’t have that.
The GTR 3 also has this thing called “PAI,” which is supposed to be some kind of overall health score. I honestly didn’t pay much attention to it. Seemed kinda gimmicky.
Battery Life Test
This was a big one for me. I hate having to charge my watch every day. Amazfit claims some pretty impressive battery life for both of these, and they weren’t kidding. I was easily getting over a week with the GTR 3, and the GTR Mini was pushing two weeks with my usage! That’s way better than my old smartwatch, which was practically begging for a charger every night.
I tested with the following setup:
- Heart rate monitoring: every 10 minutes.
- Sleep tracking: enabled.
- Notifications: turned on for calls, texts, and a few apps.
- Brightness: set to auto.
- Always-on display for GTR3, and raise-to-wake for GTR mini.
Wearing Them Day-to-Day
After a few weeks of wearing both, I started to gravitate towards the GTR Mini. The smaller size was just more comfortable for me, especially when sleeping. The GTR 3 felt a little bulky at times, especially at night. I also liked the simpler interface of the Mini. It didn’t have all the bells and whistles of the GTR 3, but it had everything I needed.
My Final Thoughts
Honestly, both are solid watches. It really comes down to personal preference. If you want a bigger screen, built-in Alexa, and all the extra features, the GTR 3 is the way to go. But if you prefer a smaller, lighter watch with amazing battery life and a simpler interface, the GTR Mini is a fantastic option. For me, the GTR Mini won out, mainly because of the comfort and battery life. And it’s a bit cheaper, which is always a plus!