Amazfit GTR 2 & 2e review part 4 : Watchfaces, phone calls and music
Part 1 : HARDWARE
Part 2 : BATTERY LIFE
Part 3 : UI
Part 4 : WATCHFACES, CALLS, MUSIC
Part 5 : SMARTNESS, APPS, NOTIFICATIONS
Part 6 : HEALTH & SPORT
Part 7 : CONCLUSION
You can install many watchfaces on the watch and then keep it there and change at will. Some official watchfaces can be edited on the watch to choose the data fields content.
There is a good choice of first party watchfaces available for free in the Zepp app (around 60). That’s a lot better than the meagre choice offered by an Apple Watch ... And a lot less than the huge and frankly overwhelming market of free and commercial watchfaces for Samsung watches (what a mess !).
The big improvement is that most of these watchfaces come with a dedicated AOD display matching the live face. The GTR had only 2 different and quite ugly AOD faces to choose from and they didn’t match with the different watchfaces you could install. Those 2 old AOD are still available with a new option to select the watchface’s embedded AOD, when available.
Another good new is that the AOD system is designed to prevent screen burn-in as much as possible : the display shifts a bit, regularly, to avoid keeping the same pixels powered all the time. You may see from time to time the watchface jump a little, it’s not a bug, it’s an essential feature and, fortunately, you can not stop it, for the sake of your screen. Just keep in mind that some AOD designs with elements near the screen edge may be a bit cropped in one side or another with this function.
As already told in the first part of this review, the AOD is pretty dim and unusable outdoor. That’s a pity and a bit frustrating when you compare with the 80€ GTS 2 mini which offers a brighter screen with less reflections and a warmer color temperature.
The watchfaces choice in the store is quite large, with various styles, and totally free. One could notice that AOD are often too much simplified and may look a bit empty, but let’s keep in mind that it will help to preserve battery life.
A small bad move from Amazfit : they kept the best AOD watchface, the more complete and one of the best looking ones ... exclusive to the GTR 2. It’s simply not available on the 2e. Isn’t that a bit petty ?
There is a third party app : AmazFaces, on the Google play store and the Apple app store with many other watchfaces for the GTR 2 and 2e. At the time of writing, it’s nearly 300 different designs, a of them with their own AOD and you can get it for free. Some are really really good. Unfortunately it’s still quite new and doesn’t work reliably to install the watchfaces. I had to use another app on my iPhone to finally make it work : AmazTools.
Phone number is masked for privacy
On the GTR 2e you can simply read the name or number and mute or refuse the call as there is no speaker to actually take the call from the watch.
Be aware that, even if you manage to get this working, it will use a lot of battery, like on any other smartwatch.
There is no music streaming service compatibility and that’s perfectly fine because we are on a device without any cellular connection. To stream music from the web to headphones through your watch simply doesn’t make sense. As you need the phone to get a connection, it’s better to pair directly your heaphones to it and simply use the watch as a remote. It wil not deplete your watch tiny battery.
The GTR 2 and 2e can be used as music remote controller for your phone. The music app can be pinned in the widgets on the right and in the shortcuts list on the left. It’s easy to use and efficient, you can skip tracks, go back, ajust volume, play/pause, shuffle and repeat. The title of the playing track scrolls. Unfortunately the album cover won’t display on the screen ... like on many other watches.
Part 2 : BATTERY LIFE
Part 3 : UI
Part 4 : WATCHFACES, CALLS, MUSIC
Part 5 : SMARTNESS, APPS, NOTIFICATIONS
Part 6 : HEALTH & SPORT
Part 7 : CONCLUSION
Watchfaces : Very good !
This is, in my opinion, an essential function of any smartwatch and a huge evolution from the first GTR.You can install many watchfaces on the watch and then keep it there and change at will. Some official watchfaces can be edited on the watch to choose the data fields content.
The big improvement is that most of these watchfaces come with a dedicated AOD display matching the live face. The GTR had only 2 different and quite ugly AOD faces to choose from and they didn’t match with the different watchfaces you could install. Those 2 old AOD are still available with a new option to select the watchface’s embedded AOD, when available.
Another good new is that the AOD system is designed to prevent screen burn-in as much as possible : the display shifts a bit, regularly, to avoid keeping the same pixels powered all the time. You may see from time to time the watchface jump a little, it’s not a bug, it’s an essential feature and, fortunately, you can not stop it, for the sake of your screen. Just keep in mind that some AOD designs with elements near the screen edge may be a bit cropped in one side or another with this function.
As already told in the first part of this review, the AOD is pretty dim and unusable outdoor. That’s a pity and a bit frustrating when you compare with the 80€ GTS 2 mini which offers a brighter screen with less reflections and a warmer color temperature.
The watchfaces choice in the store is quite large, with various styles, and totally free. One could notice that AOD are often too much simplified and may look a bit empty, but let’s keep in mind that it will help to preserve battery life.
A small bad move from Amazfit : they kept the best AOD watchface, the more complete and one of the best looking ones ... exclusive to the GTR 2. It’s simply not available on the 2e. Isn’t that a bit petty ?
There is a third party app : AmazFaces, on the Google play store and the Apple app store with many other watchfaces for the GTR 2 and 2e. At the time of writing, it’s nearly 300 different designs, a of them with their own AOD and you can get it for free. Some are really really good. Unfortunately it’s still quite new and doesn’t work reliably to install the watchfaces. I had to use another app on my iPhone to finally make it work : AmazTools.
Taking a call : good !
GTR 2 (not the 2e) lets you answer to a phone call directly from the watch. It works like a handsfree kit and a specific second bluetooth pairing is required. It works perfectly fine, the sound is clear enough from the microphone and through the tiny speaker ... but not very loud and won’t be enough in a noisy place. However this is a simple, reliable and convenient function. The name of the contact is displayed or the number if it’s not in your contacts list.On the GTR 2e you can simply read the name or number and mute or refuse the call as there is no speaker to actually take the call from the watch.
Music : Good remote, bad player !
In theory, you can load music into the GTR 2 (not the 2e). The watch has 3Go for this use but keep in mind that it’s not a big memory so you won’t put all your music inside it. It’s good if you don’t have your phone or you wanna make a playlist for sport. You can actually listen this music on the small speaker, if you insist to enjoy an awfull sound. Of course you can pair bluetooth headphones or speakers directly to the watch and enjoy a much better sound. Alas, music transfer from my iPhone doesn’t work at all and this function seems totally unusable.Be aware that, even if you manage to get this working, it will use a lot of battery, like on any other smartwatch.
There is no music streaming service compatibility and that’s perfectly fine because we are on a device without any cellular connection. To stream music from the web to headphones through your watch simply doesn’t make sense. As you need the phone to get a connection, it’s better to pair directly your heaphones to it and simply use the watch as a remote. It wil not deplete your watch tiny battery.
The GTR 2 and 2e can be used as music remote controller for your phone. The music app can be pinned in the widgets on the right and in the shortcuts list on the left. It’s easy to use and efficient, you can skip tracks, go back, ajust volume, play/pause, shuffle and repeat. The title of the playing track scrolls. Unfortunately the album cover won’t display on the screen ... like on many other watches.