Training by objectives implies the premise that every workout counts not only to improve progression, but also to ensure that the performance in competition is the most optimal, and thus be closer to achieving the goals set. So if you're one of those runners, cyclists or triathletes who takes it seriously, you've surely spent hours researching the best GPS heart rate monitors & sports watches. Brands like Garmin and Polar have been at the forefront of the market for years, offering high-end models that have become the benchmark among athletes around the world. But nowadays, there is a brand that has gained momentum and is gaining ground: Amazfit.
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Go to the Shoe FinderYou're probably already familiar with Amazfit, a brand that has specialized in offering high-qualityheart rate monitors & sports watches at more competitive prices. The key question is: can Amazfit compete with Garmin and Polar? In this RUNNEA Magazine article we analyze it. We're going to pit them head to head, comparing equivalent models to see if Amazfit can measure up to or even surpass the Garmin and Polar models in certain areas.
In this comparison we will take into account aspects such as GPS technologies, battery life, endurance, and advanced training metrics. Although it is important to keep in mind that while there are key similarities, each brand has a particular approach and distinctive features, such as app ecosystem, accuracy of metrics, or specific features that may be unique to each brand.
For starters and in case you don't know, the Amazfit T-Rex Ultra boasts the Good Design Award 2023 accolade. Positioned as the ultimate GPS smartwatch, built with 316L stainless steel, this device combines exceptional durability with superior performance in extreme conditions. Its bright display of up to 1000 nits ensures excellent visibility even in direct sunlight, while its ability to operate in ultra-low temperatures makes it ideal for expeditions in cold climates. The dual-band GPS provides accurate and stable tracking of your activities. To top it off, its impressive battery life-of 20 days of typical use and 9 days of heavy use-ensures that you'll be covered during your longest adventures without worrying about frequent recharging.
Comparison 1: Amazfit T-Rex Ultra vs. Garmin Enduro 3 vs. Polar Grit X2 Pro
If you're one of those mountain runners, hikers or adventurers who need a watch that can withstand all weather conditions, this is your battle. The Amazfit T-Rex Ultra, Garmin Enduro 3, and Polar Grit X2 Pro are meant to withstand the wear and tear of long days libre and give you everything you need to overcome the toughest routes.
What makes each stand out?
Durability
The Amazfit T-Rex Ultra has nothing to envy in terms of resistance. It has military certifications (MIL-STD-810G) that make it a rugged watch, as does the Garmin Enduro 3, which also includes similar toughness. The Polar Grit X2 Pro adds a more elegant touch without losing endurance, but it is also extremely rugged, ideal for extreme athletes.
Battery
In the autonomy section, Garmin takes the crown with the Enduro 3 that, in GPS mode, offers more than 80 hours. However, the Amazfit T-Rex Ultra also impresses with a long battery life of 80 hours in endurance mode and 58 hours in power-saving GPS mode, exceeding expectations for most users. The Polar Grit X2 Pro offers good battery life (43 hours), but is slightly behind in this regard.
GPS and navigation
In this section, all three watches offer high-precision GPS and advanced navigation, although Garmin and Polar tend to stand out for their preset maps and routes. Amazfit is no slouch, providing offline maps and navigation options that work flawlessly.
Final Verdict.
If you're looking for a rugged and adventurous watch, the Amazfit T-Rex Ultra offers a lot for less price than the Garmin Enduro 3 or Polar Grit X2 Pro. If you're the type that needs maximum battery life, Garmin may be the better choice, but Amazfit is getting closer.
The Amazfit T-Rex 3 is an exceptional smartwatch designed for true adventurers, highlighted by its impressive 1.5 AMOLED display with an outstanding brightness of 2,000 nits that ensures perfect visibility in any conditions. Its rugged construction, which includes a 316L stainless steel bezel and a comfortable liquid silicone strap, meets military standards to withstand extreme conditions of temperature, humidity and shock, making it a totally reliable companion for any libre challenge. Navigation becomes intuitive thanks to its free offline maps and turn-by-turn directions, while its extraordinary battery life of over 3 weeks, or up to 180 hours with continuous GPS, ensures you'll never run out of power during your longest adventures. Whether it's for a weekend hike or a more ambitious expedition, the Amazfit T-Rex 3 proves to be an all-rounder, thanks to combining durability, advanced technology and exceptional autonomy in a single device.
Comparison 2: Amazfit T-Rex 3 vs. Garmin Fenix 7 vs. Polar Vantage V3
Do you like to be ready for anything? Then these options are for you. The Amazfit T-Rex 3, the Garmin Fenix 7, and the Polar Vantage V3 are multifunction watches designed for those who practice high-intensity sports, both in the mountains and in urban environments. These models are considered "la crème de la crème" for demanding athletes.
What stands out about each one?
Multisport and advanced metrics
The Amazfit T-Rex 3 includes advanced metrics such as heart rate, oxygen saturation and training load. Garmin continues to lead with more detailed features in the Fenix 7, such as running dynamics and advanced recovery metrics. The Polar Vantage V3 is no slouch either, with a deeper focus on performance and recovery analysis.
Durability and design
All three are ultra-rugged, with premium materials and certifications for water and adverse weather resistance. However, Garmin still stands out for its rugged yet sleek design, while Amazfit and Polar have made great strides in making the T-Rex 3 equally as attractive as it is functional.
Display
Amazfit has improved greatly on the AMOLED screen of its T-Rex 3, offering brightness and vibrant colors that are second to none to Garmin. Polar, with its touchscreen, offers a similar experience.
Final Verdict.
The Amazfit T-Rex 3 is competing head to head with Garmin and Polar in the multisport performance section and at a much more contained price. If you are an athlete looking for the best in each discipline, these three options are perfect, but Amazfit offers excellent value for money.
The arrival on the market of this Amazfit Balance is a revolution in the interaction between user and smart watches thanks to Zepp Flow, an innovative technology that allows a natural and fluid communication without the need for physical contact, all powered by the advanced operating system Zepp OS 4.0. Its navigation capabilities are exceptional, integrating dual-band GPS with six satellite positioning systems and offline maps, ensuring extraordinary accuracy in tracking routes and libre activities. Autonomy stands out as one of its strong points, offering up to 14 days of typical use and 5 days with AOD (Always On Display) mode, allowing users to maintain their routine without constantly worrying about recharging. The device transforms into a smart personal trainer thanks to Zepp Coach?, an AI-powered system that provides personalized workouts tailored to each user, complemented by more than 150 sports modes to cover virtually any physical activity you can plant yourself to do.
Comparison 3: Amazfit Balance vs. Garmin Venu 3 vs. Polar Ignite 3
For fitness and active living enthusiasts, these watches are the perfect companions to measure your daily wellness. Both the Amazfit Balance, Garmin Venu 3 and Polar Ignite 3 are designed for those who want to monitor their health, sleep and performance, without spending a fortune on an ultra-specialized watch.
What stands out about each?
Health and wellness.
This is where Amazfit starts to stand out with its Balance model. It offers advanced health features, such as sleep, stress, and fitness recovery monitoring, competing directly with the Garmin Venu 3 and Polar Ignite 3, which also include sleep, stress, and daily energy analytics. The Amazfit Balance even incorporates a bioimpedance sensor, which adds a plus in terms of body composition monitoring.
Design and style
The Amazfit Balance has a modern design, geared towards more everyday use and not just sports, which makes it similar to Garmins Venu 3, which also goes for a sleek, casual design. Polar, on the other hand, stays more sporty with the Ignite 3
Final verdict.
If you're interested in overall wellness rather than extreme performance, Amazfit Balance gives you everything you need and more, at a more affordable price versus Garmin and Polar.
The Amazfit Cheetah Pro emerges as a high-end sports watch that stands out for its premium ultra-lightweight design and cutting-edge technology, specially designed to meet the demands of runners and libre sports enthusiasts. Its most outstanding feature is the innovative MaxTrack technology, which incorporates a dual-band GPS antenna capable of capturing circularly polarized signals from satellites, providing unparalleled positioning accuracy in its class. The personalized training system with Chat AI Coaching represents a significant breakthrough in sports guidance, offering real-time, adaptive coaching to optimize each training session.
The combination of cutting-edge technology and advanced functionalities positions the Cheetah Pro at the forefront of best sports watches, setting new standards in terms of accuracy and performance. Its comprehensive focus on the runner's experience, from accurate tracking to personalized coaching, makes it an indispensable tool for those looking to elevate their athletic performance to the next level.
Comparison 4: Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Garmin Forerunner 965 vs. Polar Vantage V2
Now we go to the more experienced and advanced runners. If your goal is to improve your times and monitor your running workouts accurately, these are the best options on the market. The Amazfit Cheetah Pro, Garmin Forerunner 965 and Polar Vantage V2 are all designed for fast running.
What stands out about each?
running metrics.
Amazfit s Cheetah Pro is designed specifically for runners, with advanced performance metrics like running power and stride analysis, just like its competitors, the Garmin Forerunner 965 and Polar Vantage V2.
Weight and comfort.
This is where the Amazfit Cheetah Pro excels, offering an extremely lightweight design, ideal for marathons and long-distance running. The Forerunner 965 is also lightweight, but Garmin tends to include more features, which can result in a slightly heavier weight. Polar continues to maintain a balance between performance and comfort with its Vantage V2.
Final Verdict
For runners looking to improve their times and metrics, the Amazfit Cheetah Pro offers an excellent combination of lightness and performance, and at a very competitive price, considering its Garmin and Polar counterparts.
The Amazfit Cheetah Round establishes itself as an exceptional sports watch that combines unparalleled GPS accuracy with an ultra-lightweight design, perfect for runners looking to maximize their performance without compromising on comfort. Powered by the advanced Zepp OS 2.0 operating system, this device revolutionizes personal training thanks to its innovative AI chat coaching system, which provides personalized and adaptive guidance for each runner. Comprehensive health monitoring ranges from heart rate to sleep tracking to stress levels and SpO2, offering a complete picture of the user's well-being.
The holistic focus on sports performance and overall wellness, backed by cutting-edge technology and long battery life, positions this watch as an ideal companion for any runner committed to their progress.
Comparison 5: Amazfit Cheetah Round vs. Garmin Forerunner 265 vs. Polar Pacer Pro
These watches are aimed at intermediate and advanced runners who are looking for a specific device to improve their running performance. Therefore, this Cheetah Round can compete on equal terms with the Garmin Forerunner 265 and the Polar Pacer Pro.
What stands out about each?
running and activity monitoring.
The Amazfit Cheetah Round brings with it accurate GPS and advanced metrics for runners, such as running power, similar to its competitors, with up to 12 days of battery life, offering a good balance between longevity and functionality. The Garmin Forerunner 265 also offers advanced running metrics such as stride dynamics and real-time training analytics through Garmin Connect. It has a battery life of up to 13 days, giving it a slight edge. Although the Polar Pacer Pro draws attention for its heart rate and running power accuracy, and focuses on personalized training plans. Its autonomy is 7 days, somewhat lower but sufficient for regular workouts.
Performance and use in training
The Amazfit Cheetah Round is designed for advanced runners, offering customized training programs, running power analysis and real-time efficiency data, all with accurate GPS. It also has an AMOLED display that provides clear information even in low light conditions, making it ideal for outdoor workouts.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 stands out for its guided workouts based on VO2 Max and adaptive plans according to the runner's performance. This Garmin model also incorporates LiveTrack, allowing others to follow in real time the progress of the training or race. As for the Polar Pacer Pro, everything is designed to optimize running economy, offering training plans based on power and heart rate, with a focus on optimized recovery thanks to Polar Flow.
Final verdict
The Amazfit Cheetah Round is ideal for those looking for a watch with personalized workouts and advanced performance analytics at a competitive price. The Garmin Forerunner 265 focuses on adaptability and live tracking, while the Polar Pacer Pro excels at optimizing runner efficiency and recovery.
The Amazfit Bip 5 Unity can be your perfect daily companion, highlighted by its sleek 1.91-inch display framed in stainless steel, combining a slim and lightweight design with over 100 vibrant watch faces to suit any style or occasion. Its impressive sports versatility manifests itself through more than 120 sports modes with automatic workout detection, while its comprehensive health monitoring system tracks heart rate, SpO2 levels, stress and sleep patterns in depth.
Amazon Alexa integration and the ability to make phone calls via Bluetooth take its functionality to the next level, transforming it into a true smart assistant on your wrist. Battery life of up to 11 days ensures that this versatile device accompanies you for long days without worrying about recharging, while keeping all its essential functions active.
Comparison 6: Amazfit Bip 5 Unity vs. Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs. Polar Unite
In this section, we're going to compare three watches that cater to an audience looking for daily activity and health tracking without the complications of a high-end model. These Amazfit Bip 5 Unity, Garmin Vivoactive 5 and Polar Unite watches are affordable options, but each offers specific functionalities that make them stand out in their category.
What makes each stand out?
Health and activity monitoring.
The Amazfit Bip 5 Unity provides advanced sleep and continuous heart rate tracking, with up to 14 days of battery life, ideal for users looking for longevity and functionality. In the case of the Garmin Vivoactive, it integrates Garmin Connect for detailed monitoring and custom metrics; its battery lasts up to 8 days. While the Polar Unite is focused on the accuracy of metrics with Polar Precision Prime, ideal for recovery, although with 4 days of autonomy.
Connectivity and customization
The Amazfit Bip 5 Unity features basic customization and notification functionalities for those looking for simplicity. The Connect IQ universe opens up a lot of possibilities to the Garmin Vivoactive 5, where you can download both apps and fully customized watch faces. It is true that the Polar Unite does not have as many customization options, but it is a device that offers a masterful performance both in training and in a more accurate and effective recovery.
Final verdict
The Amazfit Bip 5 Unity stands out for its value for money and long battery life, ideal for users looking for uncomplicated functionality. The Garmin Vivoactive 5 is a robust option for those who value customization and a solid platform, while the Polar Unite focuses on those looking for accurate metrics and recovery.
As you can see, Amazfit has managed to position itself in a very competitive position against giants like Garmin and Polar, especially in value for money. Their watches offer much of the advanced features that the most experienced and demanding athletes are looking for, from multisport performance to health tracking and high-precision GPS, all at prices more suited to your pocket.
Without a doubt, if you're looking for a high-quality alternative that can compete "toe-to-toe" with high-end watches from Garmin and Polar, Amazfit models are options to strongly consider. Whether you're interested in endurance, lightweight, or running performance, Amazfit has a model for every need.
So, are you ready to find out which Amazfit sports watch fits you best?
Resource photos: Amazfit (official website)
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