The Amazfit T-Rex 2 has been officially unveiled; a durable rugged adventuring GPS watch with navigation tools and ‘ultra-long battery life’.
The watch is said to be ideal for ‘hikers, climbers, trail runners and adventurers to explore unfamiliar terrain through its route trajectory navigation, real-time navigation, and journey tracking functions.’ It’s apparently extremely durable, having been tested in temperatures as low as -30°C and high as +70°C.
The Amazfit T-Rex Pro, the previous model in the range, was lacking these navigation tools, one of the factors that ended up with the watch comparing unfavorably to its Garmin rivals. It’s packing a barometric altimeter, compass and supports dual-band positioning and five satellite networks.
With 10ATM water resistance – up to 100 meters – and emphasis on its rugged durability and super-long battery life, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is positioning itself as a direct rival to some of Garmin’s more expensive outdoors watches, such as the Garmin Instinct 2 and Garmin Enduro.
The T-Rex 2 also contains all the usual 24-hour health monitoring features we’ve come to expect, such as heart rate, sleep tracking, blood oxygen saturation and stress tracking.
There’s currently no word on US, UK and Australia prices, but its European price is stated to be €229.99 and will be released in ‘other countries’ in June. This is less than half the price of the Garmin Enduro and over €100 cheaper than the Garmin Instinct 2’s standard non-solar charging model, which looks set to be the T-Rex 2’s main competition.
Analysis: Can the T-Rex 2 take a bite out of Garmin?
The T-Rex 2 may be named after the tyrant king of the dinosaurs, but its positioned as an underdog here, more of a velociraptor than a tyrannosaurus. Amazfit and its parent company Zepp may be the world’s second-largest producer of wearables, but the T-Rex 2, like its predecessors, is fighting an uphill battle against the better-known and highly trusted Garmin.
However, Garmin isn’t cheap, and by producing its components in-house and cutting some features that are unlikely to be used by any but the most serious of endurance athletes, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is able to offer its services at a much more competitive price than its rivals.
T-Rex is slowly making a name for itself as a budget watch that will withstand anything the casual adventure fan can throw at it. It’s likely die-hard endurance athletes will still opt for the superior Garmin models, but for weekend warriors looking for a rugged smartwatch, the Garmins are often overtuned, too expensive, and pack too many features.
With military-grade durability and navigation features at a reasonable price, the T-Rex 2 could be in a good spot to nip under Garmin as an affordable second option, especially during times in which people are looking for their favorite tech for less.