The launch comes after a series of well-timed appearances on sponsored athletes, which had already strongly hinted that the device was nearing release. Those sightings now make much more sense in hindsight, as Zepp Health clearly used them to build anticipation ahead of the announcement. With the watch now confirmed, we can finally see where the company is taking its dedicated running line.

A clear step up in build quality

The first thing that stands out is the materials. Zepp Health has gone with a titanium alloy case and sapphire glass protection, which immediately gives the Cheetah 2 Pro a more premium feel than many watches in this segment.

The timepiece comes in a 48mm round case and keeps a four-button layout, a setup that should work well during runs when touchscreens can become awkward in rain or during intense sessions. The overall design keeps the sporty DNA of the original Cheetah Pro, with elements of the recently released Active 3 Premium.

Display quality also looks set to be one of the strong points here. Zepp Health is using a 1.32-inch AMOLED panel with 466 x 466 resolution and brightness rated at 3000 nits, which should keep the screen easy to read even in bright outdoor conditions. Based on our testing of the Active 3 Premium, which also uses sapphire glass, one thing to keep in mind is that the surface can pick up fingerprints quite easily, so that may be something to watch for here as well.

Like the T-Rex 3 Pro, it features dual-mode LED illumination with white and red light options that improve visibility during early morning and late evening runs, along with Boost and SOS modes that add an extra layer of confidence when training in low light.

Built around training and navigation

This is clearly a watch designed with runners in mind. The Cheetah 2 Pro supports 170 workout modes and includes satellite support across GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou and QZSS. The sensor package appears to be identical to what is available in the latest crop of Amazfit watches. But you are getting dual-band GNSS rather than single-band which should help with satellite accuracy.

Navigation features are also built in, with offline maps and route guidance included. That makes it a much more capable option for long runs, trail sessions and training in unfamiliar locations.

Amazfit has also included 32GB of storage, which should leave plenty of room for maps, workout data and offline music. Together with the built-in speaker and microphone, it also keeps the smartwatch side of the experience well rounded for day-to-day use.

As far as battery life, you can expect up to 20 days between charges. That is one of the headline figures that will likely catch attention, particularly for runners comparing it against more established names in the category.

Our takeaway

Overall, the Cheetah 2 Pro looks like a solid upgrade. There is nothing here that feels radically different on the hardware side, but the mix of premium materials, a very bright display, strong battery life and proper navigation tools points to a watch designed for runners who want serious performance features without moving into much higher price brackets.

Zepp Health has also spent the past year steadily building out its running metrics and training ecosystem, so this watch seems well placed to benefit from that broader software push. In that sense, the hardware upgrades and the company’s growing focus on performance analytics appear to complement each other quite well.

You can pick up the Cheetah 2 Pro for $449 on the Zepp Health website. Which means it is quite a bit pricier than the original which sold for $299 at launch.

The real test, as always, will be how it performs in GPS and heart rate accuracy. On paper, though, it looks like a well-rounded update to the Cheetah line with a clear focus on running and outdoor training.

Tech specs

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Better maps and route guidance

The biggest talking point here is navigation. Zepp Health says it has optimised route planning, while also improving the sensitivity of off-course alerts and the timeliness of turn-by-turn notifications. For anyone using the watch for runs, hikes or walks in unfamiliar areas, this could make a noticeable difference in actual use. Late prompts and overly relaxed off-route alerts are the sort of issues that can quickly become frustrating.

According to the release notes, topographic maps now support more detailed features, with improved contour line precision. That suggests users should see a cleaner and more accurate representation of elevation changes and terrain details on the wrist.

Sleep tracking gets another pass

Another part of the update focuses on sleep. Zepp Health says it has refined the algorithms to improve the accuracy of sleep tracking and the reliability of overnight records. Another addition is that heart rate variability data can now be synced to Apple Health

There are also changes to music playback, with optimised regional restrictions for podcasts and local music in certain countries. Interestingly, some users in EU markets who previously did not have access to the music app are now reporting that the feature has appeared following the update.

Zepp Health also mentions interface text improvements, bug fixes and general performance optimisation. So while this is not a major feature drop, it does bring a few worthwhile refinements.

As noted in our recent review, the Amazfit Active 3 Premium stands out for offering a lot at its price point. The sapphire glass display, four physical buttons, offline maps, strong battery life and solid running features make it feel like a very capable watch for runners and outdoor users who want serious tools without stepping into a much higher price bracket.

Full change-log

Version 3.10.0.5
Update size: 15.87MB

• Navigation: Optimised route planning, improved sensitivity of off-course alerts and improved timeliness of turn-by-turn notifications.
• Map display: Topographic maps now support more detailed features, with improved contour line precision.
• Music playback: Optimised regional restrictions for podcasts and local music playback in certain countries.
• Sleep: Refined sleep algorithms to improve the accuracy of sleep tracking and records.
• Apple Health Integration: HRV data can now be synced to Apple Health
• User interface: Optimised certain notification prompts and system copywriting.
• Miscellaneous: General bug fixes and performance optimisations.

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The size and battery are the big clues

The filing itself clearly identifies the device as an Amazfit smartwatch and, importantly, a production unit. That usually suggests the hardware is fairly close to launch rather than an early engineering sample.

One thing that stands out straight away is the battery. At 550mAh, it is significantly larger than what we have seen on existing square Amazfit watches. That sort of capacity points to longer endurance, particularly if this is a device built with GPS-heavy sports tracking in mind.

The FCC paperwork also includes an internal antenna layout for what appears to be a square watch design. The drawing shows an internal footprint of roughly 49.5 x 42.6 mm. This should not be treated as confirmed case dimensions, but it does suggest the device may have a relatively large chassis, especially when paired with that battery size.

That combination hints at a watch aimed more at serious sports use than everyday casual wear.

Which watch could this be

The FCC paperwork does not give away the commercial name. Which means, for now we are left piecing things together from the hardware clues.

One possibility is that this is the next Bip model, namely Bip 7. That said, the unusually large 550mAh battery still makes that feel like a slightly less natural fit, even if the Bip line already includes Zepp Health’s largest square watch. The range has generally been positioned as a more affordable mainstream option, so this filing may point to something aimed a bit higher.

Another possibility is an upcoming square Active model. We recently saw the launch of Active 3 Premium. That would fit if Zepp Health wants to introduce a more premium rectangular lifestyle watch with stronger battery life.

The most interesting theory, though, is that this could be a second-generation Cheetah Square.

That idea starts to make more sense when you look at the overall package. A large internal footprint, much bigger battery and square display would fit nicely with a running-focused watch designed for longer GPS sessions, clearer on-wrist metrics and perhaps even better navigation features.

But that is not where it ends. We are expecting Cheetah 2 Pro to launch in the weeks ahead. Plenty of leaks are already floating around, including images of retail units. That model goes by number A2564, while this one carries the moniker A2568, so the numbering is fairly close.

Our takeaway

Even without an official name, this is one of the more intriguing Zepp Health filings we have seen in recent weeks because it points to a new square watch with an unusually large 550mAh battery. That alone suggests the company may be preparing something with stronger endurance than its current rectangular lineup.

If this does turn out to be a Cheetah 2 Square, the larger battery could make it a compelling option for runners and outdoor users who want longer GPS tracking between charges. For now, the branding remains unknown, but the filing strongly suggests another square Amazfit watch is moving closer to launch.

Source: FCC

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Better tools for runners

Let’s start with the new workout features. One of these is the addition of segment-based equivalent pace data for Outdoor Run and Trail Run. In simple terms, this gives runners a more contextual view of pace over specific segments rather than relying purely on the constantly fluctuating live pace number.

That matters more than it might seem at first glance. Instant pace can jump around quite a bit, especially in urban environments, under tree cover or on trails where GPS conditions are less than ideal. Segment-equivalent pace tends to provide a steadier reference point, making it easier to judge effort and hold a target speed.

The inclusion of both current segment equivalent pace and last segment equivalent pace is particularly useful. It gives runners a quick way to compare consistency between efforts without needing to dig into post-run data afterward.

Navigation gets easier mid-workout

Another addition is the new “Navigation” entry within the track page menu during workouts. Previously, accessing route guidance or navigation options during an activity could feel a little buried depending on the mode and setup. It should now be a bit to reach from the workout interface, which is important for trail runners, hikers and anyone using routes on the move.

HYROX and interval users get something too

The update also expands AMRAP mode support for HIIT, HYROX Training, Hybrid Training and Cross Training, with timer modes and templates. These now support durations of up to 99 minutes. Longer AMRAP sessions are common in hybrid fitness and endurance-focused circuit work, so removing tighter duration limits makes the watch better suited to real programming.

Given how much Zepp Health has been leaning into HYROX recently, this part of the update feels especially relevant. It suggests the company is continuing to fine-tune the watch around that training ecosystem. Interestingly, there may be a new device drop soon as it has been teased at a recent HYROX event. By the looks of it it might be a new variant of Balance 2.

There’s more

This is not where the updates end.

Battery Manager now includes usage duration statistics for the LED flashlight, which is a neat addition for anyone who actually uses the built-in torch regularly during night walks, early runs or camping trips.

The new toggle for watch face status indicators is another change. Some users like having icons and indicators visible at all times, while others prefer a cleaner watch face. Giving people the option to choose makes sense.

Workout interaction has also been refined, with a countdown prompt now added when pausing or ending via long press. That should help reduce accidental workout endings, something every runner has probably experienced at least once and usually at the worst possible moment.

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A familiar design with some obvious differences

A few things stand out in the Instagram post. While the display and overall proportions look very Balance-like, the casing does not immediately resemble a standard Balance 2 render. The biggest difference is the outer case architecture. Instead of the smoother round shell and clearly exposed crown of the current model, this one appears to sit inside a more angular protective frame, with harder edges and what look like screw-like details around the top and bottom.

The lugs also seem chunkier and more engineered than on the Balance 2, where the case-to-strap transition is cleaner and more flowing. Here, the strap almost looks as if it mounts into a reinforced outer shell, which gives the watch a more tactical or hybrid-rugged feel. The side controls are less obvious too, with the crown area appearing more enclosed.

Taken together, it looks close enough to the Balance 2 to suggest the same design family, but different enough to raise questions. So what is it?

Too early for a Balance 3

A straight jump to a Balance 3 feels unlikely. The Balance 2 only launched globally in June 2025, which means it has been on the market for less than a year.

That timing matters because Zepp Health does not usually refresh this line at such a fast pace. A full generational successor would feel a little early, especially as the Balance 2 is still one of the company’s key premium smartwatches.

A mid-cycle variant feels more realistic. This could be something along the lines of a special edition, a region-specific model, or a slightly refreshed version aimed at fitness-focused users. We recently saw the launch of Active 3 Premium. Perhaps this is a premium version of Balance 2?

HYROX link could be the real clue

Another interesting angle is the HYROX connection itself. The watch face in the video clearly references HYROX Warsaw, which suggests it was created specifically for the event.

That opens up the possibility that Zepp Health is testing a special edition tied to its ongoing HYROX partnership. The company has been leaning heavily into this relationship, so a Balance-based training edition would make sense.

Some on social media are also comparing it to the T-Rex 3 range. So there is an outside chance it could be related to that line instead.

For now, the safest conclusion is that Zepp Health appears to have something in the works. Whether that turns out to be a new variant or simply event-specific marketing hardware is something we will likely find out soon.

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Amazfit Active 3 Premium: One minute review

The Amazfit Active 3 Premium does not really try to break new ground, and that is perfectly fine. What Zepp Health has done here is take the proven feature set from its recent watches and package it into a more compact design with slightly more premium materials.

That means you are getting a familiar mix of solid health tracking, strong sports features, offline maps and dependable battery life, all wrapped in a watch that feels good on the wrist and looks a step up from the standard model. The Zepp Health app has also continued to improve, which helps the overall experience feel more polished than it did a year or two ago.

The main appeal is the balance between features and $170 price-tag. If you want much of what Zepp Health already offers on its recent lineup, but in a smaller and more refined package, this watch makes a lot of sense.

Amazfit Active 3 Premium can be purchased from Zepp Health or Amazon*

Design, hardware

Look & feel

The Amazfit Active 3 Premium leaves a good impression from the start. It feels closer to a mid-range sports watch than something in the sub-$200 bracket, and much of that comes down to the materials. You get a stainless steel frame, sapphire glass over the display and a clean round design that gives it a premium look.

In terms of size, the watch comes in at 45 x 45 x 11 mm and weighs 38g without the strap. On the wrist, it feels light enough for 24/7 wear without ever coming across as flimsy.

The four-button layout is also worth mentioning. It gives the watch more of a sports-watch feel and, from a practical point of view, makes navigating workouts, maps and menus easier, particularly when moving.

The 1.32-inch AMOLED display is decent. It runs at 466 x 466 resolution with 353 PPI and can hit up to 3,000 nits brightness, so outdoor visibility is no problem. In bright daylight it remains easy to read, whether checking pace data during a run or looking at notifications.

The sapphire protection is another plus, especially if the watch is going to be used regularly for training. On the downside, the screen does attract fingerprints quite easily, and it is a shame there is no anti-fingerprint coating.

In many ways, the device feels like a sibling to the Amazfit Active Max. But while that one comes with a larger 48.5mm case and feels more substantial on the wrist, the Active 3 Premium comes across as more of a unisex option, better suited to those with smaller wrists. So while the Max goes bigger with its 1.5-inch display and larger case, the Active 3 Premium strikes a better balance for anyone after something less bulky.

I, personally, prefer the Active Max. Sure it’s a less premium design. And you get two physical buttons instead of four. But I prefer the larger size. Of course, not everyone will agree with this.

Overall, the design of Active 3 Premium works well. The lighter weight means it never feels cumbersome, and for a watch at this price, the combination of sapphire glass, steel frame and a bright AMOLED screen is a strong selling point.

Under the hood

Under the hood, the Amazfit Active 3 Premium is well equipped and shares much of its hardware with Zepp Health’s recent watches. There is no sense that anything important has been stripped back here.

At the core is the latest BioTracker optical sensor, using a 5PD plus 2LED setup. This handles heart rate, blood oxygen and the wider set of health and fitness data the watch tracks. It is the same generation sensor tech found on the newer models, which is good to see.

Backing that up is a full sensor array that includes an accelerometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, barometric altimeter, ambient light sensor and temperature sensor. For outdoor use, the barometric altimeter is particularly useful as it helps track elevation changes more reliably during runs, hikes and climbs. The geomagnetic sensor also helps with direction when using on-wrist maps and route guidance.

GPS hardware is another important part of the package. The watch supports five satellite systems, which should provide solid location tracking in most environments. It does not use dual-band GNSS, so this is something worth noting.

A nice touch is the inclusion of both a microphone and speaker. That means Bluetooth calling, voice assistant features and audio prompts during workouts are all available. These are still extras you do not always see on watches at this price.

Battery life

Battery life is pretty decent. Zepp Health quotes up to 12 days of typical use, and while real-world results obviously depend on settings and workout frequency, that figure does not feel unrealistic. I switched on pretty much all the bells and whistles apart from the always-on display, and the watch is capable of comfortably lasting well over a week with a few exercise sessions thrown in.

Once you start leaning more heavily on GPS, the picture changes a bit, but it still holds up well. For longer activities, the GPS battery performance feels strong enough to comfortably cover long runs, marathon sessions and day hikes without any real battery anxiety. That matters because it means the watch’s sports credentials are not let down by weak endurance.

Amazfit Active 3 Premium*

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The always-on display also has a noticeable impact, so anyone who likes the screen permanently visible should expect shorter endurance. Even then, it remains far more forgiving than watches that struggle to get through two full days.

Tech specs

Health & fitness tracking

Health and fitness tracking is very much in line with what you get on Zepp Health’s recent watches. There is nothing radically different here.

As mentioned, the Active 3 Premium uses the same latest-generation sensor setup as the company’s newer devices. So you are getting the full suite of metrics you would expect, including heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen, stress and recovery-focused insights. Nothing important missing here.

Performance is broadly where you would expect it to be as well. Accuracy in day-to-day health tracking feels solid, particularly for continuous heart rate, sleep trends and general wellness data. If you have used other recent Amazfit watches, the experience here will feel very familiar.

What’s worth a special mention is the smartphone side of the experience. Zepp Health has been steadily improving the app over the past year or so, and it now does a much better job of presenting data in a way that is useful.

A good recent example is the rollout of the updated BioCharge tools on the Amazfit Balance 2, which will almost certainly make their way to other Amazfit watches soon. Alongside Life Log, which lets you manually add things like stress, alcohol intake, travel and illness, the update also introduces boundary alerts during workouts and a new Self-check feature designed to flag unusual trends in your recovery data. 

That is the bigger point here. Zepp Health is not just tweaking the visuals of the app, it is actively improving the way the data is interpreted and presented, which makes the whole ecosystem feel more mature.

Sports tracking

Sports tracking is also very much in line with what Zepp Health has been doing on its recent watches, and that is a good thing. The Active 3 Premium gets the same broad workout tracking platform, so if you have used the Balance 2, T-Rex 3 or Active Max, the experience here will feel very familiar.

For running, most of the advanced metrics are here. I did several runs and the watch performed well. Here’s an example of my most recent run as compared to a Garmin Forerunner.

Distance tracking was almost identical. The Amazfit recorded 5.50 km, while the Garmin came in at 5.52 km. A 20 metre difference over a run of this length is negligible in real-world terms and well within what you would expect even between two high-quality devices.

Pace data also lined up extremely well. The Amazfit reported an average pace of 5:58/km, while Garmin showed 5:56/km. That two-second gap is about as close as you could realistically hope for, and it suggests both GPS tracking and pace calculation are working very well on the Zepp Health watch.

Heart rate was virtually spot on. Both watches returned the same average of 135 bpm, while maximum heart rate was 155 bpm on the Amazfit versus 154 bpm on the Garmin. That is an excellent result and suggests the optical sensor is doing a very solid job, at least for this type of steady run. It helps that the watch is very light – so does not move much on the wrist while you are exercising.

The same applies to running dynamics. Cadence was 173 spm on the Amazfit and 172 spm on the Garmin. Stride length was effectively identical at 97 cm on both. Ground contact time was 260 ms versus 265 ms, which is again very close. The only noticeable difference was vertical oscillation, where the Amazfit came in at 9.1 cm compared with Garmin’s 8.3 cm. That is still in the same ballpark, but it is one area where the numbers are not perfectly aligned.

Power tracking was also close enough to inspire confidence. The Amazfit averaged 298 W, while Garmin showed 311 W. A 13-watt difference is not huge and could easily come down to how each brand calculates wrist-based running power.

Plus Zepp Health has recently added a lactate Tthreshold figure. That is also in line with my Garmin, at 155 bpm only 1 bpm difference.

Beyond running, the usual wide range of sports profiles is present, covering cycling, swimming, walking, gym sessions and the other activity modes you would expect from a recent Zepp Health device.

Offline maps and route navigation are also included, which remains one of the stronger parts of Zepp Health’s sports offering. At this price, having mapping on the wrist is still a real advantage, particularly for outdoor runs and hikes.

The main takeaway here is that Zepp Health has not stripped anything back for this model. It gets the same strong sports feature set as the company’s other recent watches, just in a smaller and more premium-feeling package.

Smartwatch features

On the smartwatch side, the Active 3 Premium covers all the essentials you would expect from a modern Amazfit device. Notifications come through reliably, calls can be taken directly from the wrist thanks to the built-in microphone and speaker, and there is support for voice assistant functionality as well.

Music controls are present and work well, which is handy for day-to-day use as well as during workouts. More importantly, the watch also offers 4GB of onboard storage for offline maps and audio, so you can load music or podcasts directly onto the device and head out without your phone.

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You also get the usual collection of alarms, timers, calendar reminders, weather and other everyday tools that most users will rely on. And as with other recent Amazfit watches, there is a decent selection of apps and watch faces available through the Zepp Health ecosystem. It is not trying to compete with the depth of Apple’s App Store or Wear OS, but for most people the core functionality is all here.

Amazfit Active 3 Premium can be purchased from Zepp Health or Amazon*

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A second sighting makes this look far more deliberate

When the watch first appeared in the Grant Fisher training clip last month, it was easy to see it as an early teaser or even an accidental reveal. That is much harder to argue now.

The same unreleased device now appears to have been shown again in official athlete footage, this time during a real race setting. Amanal Petros, who recently broke the German record at the Berlin Half Marathon, can be seen wearing a large round smartwatch that closely matches the device from the earlier clip.

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A post shared by Amazfit Global (@amazfit.global)

That second appearance changes the tone of the story. Two separate athlete videos strongly suggest this is part of a planned pre-launch tease rather than a one-off glimpse. It feels increasingly likely that Zepp Health wants the device seen ahead of an official announcement.

More of the design is now visible

This latest footage also gives us another look at the hardware.

The watch appears to feature a round case with a relatively large display, a metal body and a black silicone sports strap. One of the more interesting visual details is the button design. Unlike the buttons on the recently launched Active 3 Premium, this watch seems to use larger buttons with the same 4 button setup.

That detail helps distinguish it from other recent Amazfit models and points toward a more premium running-focused design. It also lines up with the look of the original Cheetah Pro, while still suggesting Zepp Health has refined the chassis.

From what we can see so far, the design seems aimed at runners who want a lightweight sports watch without giving up a premium finish. In fact, we previously compiled a mockup based on all the images seen so far. This is what the device is likely to look like.

What this could mean for launch timing

The specifications still remain under wraps, but the name “Cheetah 2” had already surfaced earlier this year in app code, which was the first strong clue that a successor was on the way. Now that the device has appeared in two athlete-focused videos, the case for an imminent launch looks stronger.

Not just that. But there have also been two recent regulatory filings of yet to be released Amazfit watches. One goes under the number A2441, the other model under the number A2564. Most likely, one of these two is the Cheetah 2 Pro. The other one might be Falcon 2. Zepp Health has clearly already secured regulatory approvals for two new devices.

Brands tend to place unreleased wearables on sponsored athletes once the final design is largely locked in. While that remains informed speculation, the pattern now looks increasingly clear. The Cheetah 2 Pro seems to be moving from rumour stage into late pre-launch visibility.

Sources: Instagram via Frandroid

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The update appears to be the next step in Zepp Health’s steady expansion of BioCharge. Over the past few months, the company has been building this into one of the watch’s key software features, and this latest release pushes it further into daily health and recovery use.

BioCharge gets more context

The biggest addition here is something called BioCharge Life Log. This looks to be a manual logging feature that lets users record real-world events that may affect recovery and energy levels through the day, including stress, alcohol intake, travel and illness.

That added context should make BioCharge easier to interpret. If your score suddenly drops after a long-haul flight, poor sleep or a particularly stressful work day, the watch and Zepp Health app can now help explain why rather than simply showing a lower readiness value.

The update also introduces a BioCharge boundary alert, which appears to notify users when they are approaching or reaching their daily BioCharge limit during workouts. In practical terms, that acts as a soft warning that strain may be starting to outweigh recovery.

Self-check adds a more proactive layer

While Life Log is based on manually recorded events, Self-check appears to work from the watch’s own physiological data. According to the update notes, it is designed to identify unusual trends and help flag potential health risks earlier.

That suggests the system is monitoring deviations from your personal baseline rather than relying on fixed thresholds. A sustained drop in HRV, elevated resting heart rate, poorer sleep metrics or prolonged stress signals could all feed into this.

This gives BioCharge a more proactive role. Instead of simply helping explain why your score has changed, the watch may now be able to alert you when something in your recovery profile looks out of the ordinary. Those alerts are also expected to sync with the Zepp Health app homepage, making them easier to spot at a glance.

Alongside the new BioCharge tools, Zepp Health says it has further refined the underlying algorithm to cover more scenarios and improve the accuracy of energy use and recovery estimates. That is arguably just as important as the visible additions.

Rollout should begin soon

While this update is rolling out first to the Balance 2, these BioCharge additions will likely make their way to most recent Amazfit watches. Features like Life Log, boundary alerts and Self-check feel like software-level tools rather than something tied to specific hardware.

Zepp Health has followed this approach before, first introducing new features on one device before expanding them across the wider lineup. This update may simply be the first phase of a broader rollout.

Change-log

New

• Added BioCharge Life Log, supports logging events such as stress, alcohol intake, travel and illness
• Added BioCharge boundary alerts, provides notifications when you approach your daily BioCharge limit during workouts
• Added BioCharge Self-check, designed to detect unusual physiological trends and help identify potential health risks earlier
• Related alerts now sync to the Zepp Health app homepage

Optimisations

• Improved the BioCharge algorithm to cover more scenarios and events
• Improved the accuracy of energy consumption and recovery estimates

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the music player could not play music
• Fixed issues with the music list refresh and song switching
• Fixed display issues on Zepp Coach training reminder pages
• Fixed other known issues to improve system stability and smoothness

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Golf mode finally lands

The headline feature here is clearly the new golf workout mode. According to the update details, users now get access to data for over 40,000 golf courses globally, which is a serious addition for anyone who likes to keep one watch on the wrist for both everyday training and weekend rounds.

The golf tools go beyond just basic course mapping. The watch now offers distance readings to the front, centre and back of the green, hazard distances, digital scorecard support and target plus pin positioning. Those are the kind of features usually reserved for dedicated golf watches, so it is interesting to see them arrive on the rugged T-Rex line.

This move also makes sense strategically. More multisport watches are trying to cover a wider range of use cases, and golf remains a popular category for premium wearables.

The inclusion of course mapping and shot-distance guidance should make the watch more compelling for users who want a rugged outdoor device that can also handle leisure sports without compromise. It also brings Amazfit devices closer to some major brands like Garmin.

Better tools for runners

Another addition that has been making its rounds in the past few weeks to other watches is running lactate threshold calculation during outdoor running and track sessions. Basically, this gives runners access to an estimate of the pace and heart rate intensity they can sustain before fatigue starts to build more rapidly. If you’re interested in learning more about it, I recently tested it on the Amazfit Active 3 Premium.

For anyone who trains by zones, this is a useful metric. It gives the watch a more serious training edge, helping users better structure tempo efforts, threshold sessions and race pacing.

There’s more

Outside the major sports additions, the update also includes a Bluetooth disconnection reminder. This feature can be the difference between noticing immediately that you have left your phone behind and realising it much later.

Also, users now get more icon types when saving location points during workouts. And the sleep algorithm has been optimised.

Taken together, this feels like a strong update for the T-Rex Ultra 2. Golf is the standout addition, but the running and sleep improvements help round out the package nicely.

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A useful upgrade for runners

This is a metric that goes beyond the usual pace, distance and heart rate stats. Lactate threshold helps identify the point during a run where your body starts building up lactate faster than it can clear it. In practical terms, that is the moment when effort shifts from sustainable to hard.

For runners, this matters because it allows the watch to set more personalised training zones. Instead of relying purely on age-based heart rate estimates, the zones can better reflect your actual fitness level. That makes interval sessions, tempo runs and threshold workouts more useful, especially if you are training with a specific goal in mind.

The feature first appeared on the Active 3 Premium and was one of the more interesting additions on that watch. Just yesterday it rolled out to the T-Rex 3 Pro, so seeing it now arrive on Active Max feels like Zepp Health is quickly standardising the feature across more of its lineup.

A good fit for the Active Max

What makes this update particularly interesting is that the Active Max already feels like a strong match for more serious runners. In my review, one of the things that stood out was how much watch you get for the price, from the large 1.5-inch AMOLED display to long battery life and a design that looks closer to a sports watch than a basic fitness tracker.

Adding lactate threshold gives it another layer of credibility as a training device. It helps move the watch further into territory that used to be reserved for pricier Garmin and Polar models. For anyone who bought the Active Max earlier this year, this is exactly the sort of post-launch support you want to see.

The update also includes improved sleep staging accuracy, along with the usual system optimisations and bug fixes, so there is a bit here for non-runners too.

Our take

This update makes a lot of sense. The Active Max already had the hardware and sports focus to support something like this, so it always felt more like a matter of when rather than if.

The feature is quickly spreading to the rest of the lineup. That suggests Zepp Health sees lactate threshold as a core training feature going forward, not something reserved for one or two headline models.

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