The Amazfit T-Rex is a rugged beast of a smartwatch.
Rick Broida/CNET
I’ve long been a fan of the Amazfit Bip budget smartwatch (and its excellent successor, the Bip S). But the name? A bit too cutesy. How about something a little more exciting, like Razor or Stealth or… T-Rex! Now we’re talking. Indeed, on the merits of its ferocious moniker alone, I like Amazfit’s latest wearable. It’s also a genuinely cool watch, and now there’s a deal to be had: Today only, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the Amazfit T-Rex for $111.99. I believe that’s the lowest price to date.
Available in your choice of four colors, the T-Rex is a big watch; thick, chunky and rugged, with a dozen different military certifications for things like heat, cold and humidity resistance. It can accompany you into the shower or pool, and its Gorilla Glass 3 display should withstand hard knocks. Despite all that, it feels pretty light on your wrist, thanks in part to the all-plastic bezel. Even so, I wouldn’t want to wear it to bed, sleep-tracking features notwithstanding. It’s just too bulky.
Speaking of features, the T-Rex does pretty much everything. It can monitor your heart rate and provide warnings if your ticker is beating too fast. It can control music playback and find your phone. It offers dozens of different analog and digital watch-face choices, many of them gorgeous. There’s also an always-on display option, though Amazfit notes this will “seriously degrade battery life.”
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That battery can last as long as 20 days, though using features such as GPS and the always-on display will impact it. But even if you get, say, five days? That’s still better than most.
The Amazfit app (which is now called Zepp) is the weak link in this equation. It can be glitchy and unintuitive — not impossible to figure out, but definitely in need of some polish. (There are three main screens, including one labeled “Enjoy.” Huh?) Plus, I discovered that while nearly all phone notifications come through fine on the watch, iOS reminders don’t. You’ll get a notification, but it merely says to “see phone.”
Those annoyances aside, the T-Rex is a pretty sweet watch, one you’d expect would cost more like $200 to $250. Anyone looking for a rugged wearable would be wise to consider this.
Your thoughts?
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Originally published last month. Updated to reflect new sale price and availability. Removed expired bonus deal.
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