Amazfit GT 4 range gets the ability to connect to external heart rate monitors
A little known fact about the Amazfit GT 4 range is the fact that these devices can connect to external heart rate monitors.
This is actually a pretty big deal and it is strange that Zepp Health has not done more to publicise the news. We stumbled across the feature by accident while testing the Amazfit GTR 4.
It works only via Bluetooth, so there is no ANT+ compatibility. But if you head over to the settings page on the watch and select Bluetooth, you’ll notice a menu option that says Workout accessory. Click on that and you will have the ability to add external devices by tapping the little + sign.
Once they are added, whichever device is switched on will automatically connect when you start an exercise. You’ll get a message letting you know the connection was successful.
In our testing of the device we tried adding a couple of different Bluetooth heart rate monitors, and they all worked without a hitch. The connection was quick and fast and the GTR 4 has not trouble at all finding the external devices.
We have not tested the GTS 4 so cannot confirm whether that device also has the ability. But there is no reason to assume that it doesn’t as pretty much the only difference between the GTS 4 and GTR 4 is the design.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
Anyone who is serious about their athletic pursuits will be excited about this news. As good as heart rate sensors from the wrist have become, they still lag behind heart rate chest straps when it comes to monitoring heart rate during exercise. This is particularly the case with high-intensity workouts.
You have to go back a while to find the last Amazfit watch with support for external heart rate monitors. In fact Stratos watches are the only devices that support this. And the last timepiece from that line dropped back in August 2019. There was speculation we might see Stratos 4, but the device doesn’t seem to be on the horizon.
We have been very impressed so far with the GTR 4. Improvements across-the-board are evident. The dual-band GPS functionality works great, as does the BioTracker 4.0 PPG optical sensor. With the ability to connect to external heart rate monitors, this is now a much more serious sports tracking device.
There is clearly is a lot to like about the GT 4 range (Amazon link; Amazfit link) and the jump from the previous generation is big. Look for our full review to drop in the next few days.
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This is great news. Someone should tell Amazfit. I specifically asked the company this question about a week ago. Their response was an unequivocal “No”. I would love to see a review of the accuracy of the new Biotracker 4.0 sensor with high-intensity workouts sometime soon. With Garmin’s new sensor and Apple’s sensor improving as they have for these activities, I am hopeful Amazfit has done the same.
What external chat HR sensor you were using? Any list of compatible chest HR sensors?
Polar works, Frontier X works. We didn’t test any other ones. I am guessing anything with Bluetooth connectivity works.
Hi, thank you for the article.
I read that “Polar H10” is not compatible with Amazfit because Amazfit doesn’t have «Bluetooth Host Mode»!!
(in https://wearald.com/polar-h10-compatible-watches-list/)
Which Polar chest HR sensor did you test?
I’m refraining to purchase Amazfit because I’m afraid it won’t pair with Polar H10.
Hi – its been a while since that article was written so can’t remember which one was used – H10 or OH1 (we have both). The article that you mention doesn’t have a date – its possible it was written before Amazfit watches got the ability to connect to external devices.
My Polar H10 has paired with my Amazfit GTR 4
I wonder if the same can be said for connecting a power meter (i.e. – stryd foot pod) through bluetooth connection.
Is the Update rolling out for the gt 3 series as well? And what about the gts 4 Mini? I can’t find anything about it! Thanks!
As far as I am aware only GTR 4 and GTS 4 have this. Don’t know if it will come to other devices.
when extern HRM sensor used, does it mean internal an be switched off and that saves power?
The main benefit is that the heart rate data is more accurate while exercising.
I own both the Stratos 3 and the GTR 3. With the GTR 3, I thought I was going to get all of the capabilities of the Stratos 3, but with longer battery life. I could never get my GTR 3 to accurately and consistently provide HR information. I’m not sure if my dark skin is a factor, but I found the GTR 3 to be unusable without the ability to pair an external HRM. When the GTR 4 was announced, I did a lot of research to figure out if it could pair with an external HRM and I wasn’t able to find anything that said it could. Thank you for posting this. I’m placing my order for the GTR 4 now.
Glad it helped. Actually, Amazfit T-Rex 2 just received a firmware update that allows it to connect to external HR Monitors, as well. There’s an article about this in the Amazfit section of the website.
I wonder if it’s possible to connect the HR monitor and Bluetooth headphones at the same time. Have you tried?
Don’t know – haven’t tried.