Amazfit’s gen-four smartwatches come in square and circular styles
Pick and choose with square GTS 4 or circular GTR 4
Depending on who you ask, the best smartwatches either have a square shape or a circular one. It’s obvious which side of the fence brands like Apple and Samsung sit on, but Amazfit asks: why not both? The new GTR 4 and GTS 4 are the firm’s two latest takes on the wrist-friendly wearable, in your choice of traditional and modern designs.
Classic chronograph fans should head for the GTR 4, which gets a chunkier, more angular appearance than last year’s smoother GTR 3. It has a metal middle frame, contrasting bezel and anti-glare glass, plus a traditional crown at the side. You can get one in grandly-named Superspeed Black, Vintage Brown Leather, and Racetrack Grey colours. Each one is packing over 200 watch faces with matching always-on designs, with four new interactive faces.
The GTS 4, meanwhile, is all about staying slim. It’s only 9.9mm thick, with an aluminium middle frame and a crown inspired by gemstones. The 1.75in square screen has an AMOLED panel and high resolution, with over 150 different watch faces to pick from. It’s arriving in Infinite Black, Misty White, Autumn Brown, and Rosebud Pink colours.
Design aside, battery life is the biggest differentiator. The GTR 4 can last a substantial 14 days away from the mains in normal use, while the slimline GTS 4 is closer to seven. Both have a battery saver mode that can eke out a lot more days between recharges if you don’t mind limiting what each watch can do.
Feelin’ fit
Both models promise to track a whopping 150+ different sports, activities and fitness routines, with eight being recognised automatically so you don’t even need to press a button to record ’em. They count reps, sets and rests in the gym, understand interval training and even have a mode dedicated to perfecting your golf swing. An advanced Track Run mode is also new for ’22. Naturally it all pays nicely with big-name workout apps like Strava, and Adidas Running support is on the way soon.
Amazfit reckons the GTR 4 and GTS 4 are the first smartwatches with dual-band circularly-polarised GPS antennas. That should make them pinpoint precise when tracking your location (when you want them to be), with five satellite systems supported right now and a sixth on the way with a firmware update. Route imports are also coming soon, via the firm’s Zepp companion app. On-board storage means you can listen to tunes while you’re out without your phone, and the built-in speaker can bark out workout reports and hydration reminders.
An uprated, fouth-gen optical heart rate sensor collects 33% more data than the outgoing models, and should be less prone to spikes or dropouts caused by vigorous arm movements when exercising. So much so, Amazfit reckons they’ll give dedicated heart rate belts a run for their money. Heart rate, blood-oxygen saturation and stress levels are recorded 24/7, and sleep monitoring has been upgraded with a customisable sleep schedule – handy for anyone that works night shifts.
Amazfit’s custom Zepp OS interface has been upgraded with a choice of menu layouts, the option to boost colour vibrancy for better at-a-glance visual flair, and Amazon Alexa voice assistant support. Your paired smartphone needs to be online for the latter. There’s also a new “baby records” app available through the dedicated app store, which lets you record your sprog’s sleep and feeding times.
Amazfit has also shrunk the latest GTS down for smaller wrists. The GTS 4 Mini gets a dinkier 1.65in display, and records a truncated 120+ sports and activities, but still promises up to 15 days between charges in regular use, and as much as 45 days on battery saver mode. It’s coming in Midnight Black, Flamingo Pink, Mint Blue and Moonlight White colours.
Both the GTR 4 and GTS 4 officially launch today, with prices starting at €200. They land in Germany and Poland first, with Spain, Italy, France and the UK later this month. The GTS 4 Mini, meanwhile, is half the price at €100, and is up for grabs in Germany right now.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
