Amazfit GTS 2 vs GTS 2 Mini vs GTS: here’s how to choose

Up until a couple of months ago Huami had only one watch in the GTS series. Now there are three.

The Amazfit GTS 2 was launched in October in the US and UK. It comes with some healthy upgrades over its predecessor and was widely expected to arrive.

Now here’s where it starts to get a bit confusing.

In a bit of a surprise, Huami unveiled in early December the GTS 2 Mini. It skims slightly on functionality but this helps to cut costs quite a bit. As its name implies, it is also smaller in size.

What exactly are the differences between these three watches? Read on to find out.

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Amazfit GTS 2 vs GTS 2 Mini vs GTS: Design and hardware

In terms of design the trio is quite similar. The GTS’s have a squarish look that reminds slightly of the Apple Watch. They are all made of aluminium alloy, a polymer material and there’s a silicone strap to go along with everything.

Interestingly, Amazfit GTS and GTS 2 Mini look almost identical. Apart from the size, that is. GTS 2, on the other hand, has a slightly more stylish design. Here’s a comparison below.

The physical size of the watch has changed slightly between the first and second generation. GTS 2 comes in at 42.8 x 35.6 x 9.7mm so is a fraction smaller but also slightly thicker than the original. Not that you’re going to notice. But you will notice that GTS 2 Mini comes in at only 40.5 x 35.8 x 8.95mm.

The weight of the watches is around 25 grams. Apart from the GTS 2 Mini which comes in at less than 20 grams. This makes it one of the lightest smartwatches around.

As far as display, you get a 1.65 inch AMOLED on GTS and GTS 2 that is well protected against scratches and drops. GTS 2 drops the Gorilla Glass 3 protection of its predecessor for a more robust diamond-like carbon coating. You are able to customize the display with multiple dials. GTS 2 Mini comes with a slightly smaller 1.55 inch screen, which should still suffice.

All the watches have a 5 ATM rating for water-resistance. This makes them well suited for swimming and other water and under-water adventures.

The internal specs are not that different between the three. GTS comes with a BioTracker PPG , 6-axis accelerometer, 3-axis geomagnetic sensor, air pressure sensor, ambient light brightness sensor. GTS 2 and GTS 2 Mini upgrade this with a BioTracker PPG (capable of measuring SpO2, 9-axis accelerometer. GPS/GLONASS and NFC can be found on all of these timepieces.

As far as battery life, Huami has done well. The watches can go for about a week with typical use. With most things switched off you’ll be able to keep them ticking for about three weeks. Enable GPS and this comes down to about a day.

Here’s a detailed look at the specs.

	GTS 2	GTS 2 Mini	GTS
Case material	Aluminum alloy, polymer matrial, soft silicone strap	Aluminum alloy, polymer matrial, soft silicone strap	Aluminum alloy, polymer matrial, soft silicone strap
Physical size	42.8 x 35.6 x 9.7mm	40.5 x 35.8 x 8.95mm	43.25 x 36.25 x 9.4mm
	24.7 grams	19.5 grams	25 grams
Display size	1.65 inch	1.55 inch	1.65 inch
Display resolution	348×442 pixels	306 x 354 pixels	348×442 pixels
Display type	AMOLED Screen; 450 nits of brightness and a diamond coating to protect against scratches.	AMOLED Screen; 450 nits of brightness and a diamond coating to protect against scratches.	AMOLED Screen, 100% NTSC color gamut; 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protected.
Water resistance	5 ATM	5 ATM	5 ATM
Sensors	BioTracker PPG (capable of measuring SpO2, 9-axis accelerometer, 3-axis geomagnetic sensor, air pressure sensor, capacitive sensor, ambient light brightness sensor	BioTracker PPG (capable of measuring SpO2, 9-axis accelerometer, 3-axis geomagnetic sensor, air pressure sensor, capacitive sensor, ambient light brightness sensor	BioTracker PPG , 6-axis accelerometer, 3-axis geomagnetic sensor, air pressure sensor, ambient light brightness sensor.
GPS/Glonass	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery	246mAh lithium ion	220mAh lithium ion	220mAh lithium ion
Battery life	7 days typical usage, 20 days basic usage and 25 hours with GPS switched on.	7 days typical usage, 20 days basic usage and 25 hours with GPS switched on.	7 days typical usage, 20 days basic usage and 20 hours with GPS switched on.
NFC (in China)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Microphone	Yes	Yes	No
Speaker	Yes	No	No
Music storage	3GB	No	No
RRP	$179.99	$99.99	$149.99

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Amazfit GTS 2 vs GTS 2 Mini vs GTS: Activity tracking

As far as fitness and health tracking ability, the trio has all the usual fitness and sleep tracking stats. This includes steps, distance, activity, stress, sleep, menstrual cycle monitoring and stress monitoring. You also get a PAI score to make sure you keep your heart pumping regularly.

There’s a plethora of sports modes and Huami has said it will keep adding new ones. GPS/GLONASS comes on all of these for phone free training. We don’t know yet if the latest generation brings improvements to the accuracy of the chip.

But there have been improvements in the accuracy of the heart rate monitor. The latest generation watches come with the new BioTracker PPG. As before it allows for abnormal heart rate warnings. Unlike the original GTS you can also track your blood oxygen with it.

The other upgrade is the accelerometer. It is now 9-axis instead of 6-axis which should ensure more accurate fitness stats.

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Amazfit GTS 2 vs GTS 2 Mini vs GTS: Smart features

Moving quickly on to smart functionality. Users can use the three watches to view message and app notifications and find my phone. You also get call & message alerts, although the GTS 2 Mini doesn’t have a speaker so you cannot accept calls on it. This is also the case with GTS.

Other than that, there’s a clock, alarm, stopwatch, weather and camera shutter function. The watches have NFC but this will most likely not be available outside China.

Worth a mention is Alexa control. This comes backed into the GTS 2 and most likely the GTS 2 Mini. But not into the original GTS.

Finally, GTS 2 also comes with 3GB of memory to store your own music. This is an important difference between it and the other two. They have no built in storage for music, and only allow for smartphone music control.

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Amazfit GTS 2 vs GTS 2 Mini vs GTS: Verdict

Amazfit has been quite busy churning out smartwatches on a regular basis. We now have three devices in the GTS series.

The GTS 2 is a healthy upgrade over the original. It comes with a more streamlined design, improved fitness and heart rate tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, built in storage for music and Alexa compatibility.

If you already own the original GTS, these are unlikely to entice you to make the upgrade. But if you’re in the market for a new watch, GTS 2 is the obvious choice.

Having said that, in terms of value for money GTS 2 Mini is a bargain. It comes with the same functionality as the GTS 2 but costs much less. Pretty much the only difference is the smaller size and lack of storage for music.

Amazfit GTS 2 and GTS are available on Amazon. GTS 2 Mini will be available in China from December 10th and soon after in other countries.

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