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Wear OS is showing signs of life again in 2020 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 platform possibly delivering the performance and efficiency that has been missing, but for many of us, a fitness tracker is still the better wearable option to pair with our Android phones. Fitness trackers can deliver the features most people are looking for from their wearable like basic notifications and of course fitness tracking at a more affordable price and with considerably better battery life.
Let’s take a look at some of the top options in the market today, regardless of your goals with a wearable there is likely one on this list that will get the job done.
If you want the smartwatch look, but prefer the feature set and pricing of a fitness tracker then you should consider the Amazfit T-Rex by Huami. It’s a bit more expensive than the other options here at around $139, but it delivers a few extras that will justify the cost for some.
You can read my full review of the Amazfit T-Rex for a deeper dive on all of its features, but I’ll hit the highlights of this rugged fitness tracker in a smartwatch body.
While the Amazfit T-Rex is shockingly light, it is also incredibly rugged, with the raised exterior around the display protecting it from damage even while doing activities that would be hazardous to some of the more exposed display designs of the other fitness trackers like rock climbing or mountain biking.
It is also better suited to sports where using a touchscreen isn’t ideal such as swimming or gloved sports as you can opt to use the four physical buttons to navigate the UI and start and stop activities without fail.
The Amazfit T-Rex also supports tracking of up to 13 different activities and is one of the few fitness trackers at this price point to include standalone GPS, meaning that you don’t have to have your phone along to get a GPS lock or will at a minimum avoid the additional battery drain on your phone of using connected GPS.
Battery life is going to vary significant depending on your usage, particularly the standalone GPS and heart rate tracking. I got about six days with my daily 5K run being tracked by GPS, if you are more sparing with the GPS usage it is possible to get up to 20 days on a charge and if you just want to keep it running you can drop into a low power mode that just tells the time and tracks your steps which will run for days with minimal battery drain.
The Amazfit T-Rex is available in a variety of colors including black, army green, camo green, khaki, and gun gray. The default band is honestly one of the most comfortable I’ve ever worn, but it uses a traditional watch strap connector so if you did want to swap it out that would be possible too.
Again for those that want a little more functionality or those that just appreciate the smartwatch look the Amazfit T-Rex is an excellent option.
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