Review of Amazfit GTS 2 mini - inexpensive, stylish and compact smartwatch

Huami continues to expand the Amazfit watch line, trying to fill all price niches in the segment up to 15,000 rubles. Now there are more than a dozen current models in the series, and the brand new GTS 2 mini have taken an advantageous position: they are more expensive than Bip, but much cheaper than the flagships GTS 2 and GTR 2. These watches are clearly marketed in the golden mean, which many buyers usually look for.

Specifications
Design
Screen
Functions
Interface
Application
Autonomy
Outcomes

Specifications

Screen	1.55 inches, AMOLED, 306 × 354 pixels
Protection	5 ATM
Connection	Bluetooth 5.0
Sensors	Ambient light, geomagnetic sensor, BioTracker PPG 2 optical sensor, blood oxygen sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope
Battery	220 mAh
Working hours	Up to 14 days
The size	40.5 × 35.8 × 8.95mm
The weight	19.5 g

Design

GTS 2 mini is the "little brother" of the already mentioned model GTS 2. From the latter the novelty inherited the design, but not the size: the watch is more compact, thinner and lighter. This will be a plus for those looking for a neat and aesthetically pleasing accessory for a thin wrist.

For comparison:

Amazfit GTS 2 - screen 1.65 inches, body 42, 8 × 35, 6 × 9.7 mm, weight 24.7 g.
Amazfit GTS 2 mini - screen 1.55 inches, body 40, 5 × 35, 8 × 8, 95 mm, weight 19.5 g.
Apple Watch 5 (40 mm) - screen 1.57 inches, case 40 × 34 × 10.7 mm, weight 40 g.

The GTS 2 mini looks clearly more expensive than their price. The watch received a case with a metal frame and a plastic inner surface with a glossy finish. The glass over the display is slightly convex (2, 5D). The strap is made of soft silicone, has a classic plastic buckle and one tappet with a "tooth" for more secure fixation.

For testing, we got a version in a delicate pink version, but there are also options in green and black.

There is one mechanical button on the right side of the case. It recognizes a single press that opens a menu or returns back, and a long press to switch to training modes or to turn off the gadget (if you hold down for more than 5 seconds).

On the inner surface there are traditional sensors, a two-pin connector for recharging and a microphone hole, which is useless in the version of the watch for the Russian market. You will not be able to answer calls from the gadget.

Screen

AMOLED-matrix with a diagonal of 1.55 inches and a resolution of 306 × 354 provides a clear and rich picture. According to the manufacturer, it has 100% coverage of the NTSC gamut and a maximum brightness of up to 450 nits. The light sensor allows you to adjust it automatically.

Black, as expected, is the most black, so in most scenarios the borders of the screen are completely invisible. The display also supports Always On mode. You can choose classic hands or a digital clock with the date, day of the week and the number of steps taken. Several watch faces have their own watch options for this mode.

There are a little more than 60 dials in total. Some of them have flexible settings allowing you to choose what exactly will be displayed on the screen.

You can store only four dials on the watch, but two of them are not removable, which means that only two free slots are available to you. Not much.

Separately, it is worth noting the function of automatically turning on the screen when you raise your wrist. It can work constantly or on a schedule so that, for example, it does not blind you at night. At first, the response was too sensitive: the screen turned on even from the slightest turn of the hand when typing on the laptop keyboard. This was pretty unnerving. However, a few days later this "illness" passed, as if the watch had somehow adapted. I even had to cross this shortcoming from the list.

Functions

Everything is standard here:

counting steps, distance traveled and calories burned;
15 main sports modes (about 70 in total);

PAI score (activity level analysis):
sleep monitoring;
GPS navigation;
measurement of pulse and determination of the level of oxygen in the blood (SpO2);
weather display;

assessment of the level of stress and breathing training;
tracking female cycles;
displaying notifications about calls and events in applications on a smartphone;
timer, stopwatch and alarm clock;

control of music on a smartphone;
keeping a to-do list;
compass, world clock and smartphone search function.

Pomodoro Tracker can be distinguished from not quite usual for systematic breaks during work, as well as the function of remote control of the camera. The latter is connected in the Zepp application, in the "Laboratory" section, and simulates pressing the volume rocker. That is, if you press the shutter release from the watch and do not turn on the camera on your smartphone, you will see how the volume slider moves.

Interface

The watch has a pretty standard Amazfit interface. Swiping up and down from the main dial opens the notification shade and quick settings, where you can turn on Do Not Disturb mode or adjust the brightness. Swiping to the right and to the left flips through cards with basic metrics and functions. They can be selected from a smartphone. Clicking on the card opens more detailed information.

To go to the main menu, you need to press the mechanical button on the side. Pressing it again will return to the dial. You can also swipe right to go back one step.

In terms of speed, interface smoothness and responsiveness, the watch is perceived as a budget solution. They are far from the GTS 2 or even the first version of the GTS. Probably, it was the less productive filling that became the main compromise for reducing the price of the GTS 2 mini.

Application

To pair with smartphones, the Zepp application is used, which we have repeatedly talked about in previous reviews. The service has not changed recently and is still not very convenient. For someone who hasn't used a smartwatch at all before, it can be difficult to find the right features.

However, after choosing a pair of dials and initial setup, the application will only be needed to display statistics, some of which can be tracked directly from the watch screen.

There were no problems with connection and synchronization. For the first connection, it is enough to scan the QR-code from the screen of the gadget. If before that you already had Amazfit accessories, then upon authorization with the same email address, the application will restore the old settings (but the dials cannot be restored).

Autonomy

Huami claims the GTS 2 mini will last seven days under heavy load, 14 days on average, and 21 days when Bluetooth and heart rate are disconnected. The real figures turned out to be a little more modest: with an average load, 80% of the charge went away in a week. The watch was used in the following mode:

automatic screen brightness;
turning on when raising the wrist;
10-15 notifications per day;
heart rate measurement every 30 minutes;
sleep monitoring;
infrequent SpO2 and stress measurements;
music control on your smartphone.

This mode of use fits well into the definition of the average load. The clock will work like this for 9-10 days. For a very compact gadget, this is a good result, which can hardly be attributed to disadvantages.

The watch is charged using a standard magnetic connector. There is, of course, no power adapter included.

Outcomes

Amazfit GTS 2 mini is the kind of watch that is greeted by clothes. They received a high-quality AMOLED display and a stylish design - this is rarely seen in accessories with a price tag of around 7,000 rubles. The device will be a great addition to a strict wardrobe, especially if you do not like bulky gadgets that cannot be hidden under the cuff of a shirt.

There are few obvious shortcomings in the watch, more precisely, it is only one - low performance, which translates into not the smoothest animation and a slight delay in the responsiveness of the screen. This will be especially noticeable for those who have used more modern and advanced watches.

We recommend the GTS 2 mini to anyone looking for a small, discreet device with a nice design, good screen and at the same time a low price. If you are ready to spend more than 7-8 thousand rubles and the size of the gadget does not play a key role for you, then it is better to pay attention to other solutions, including those from Huami.