Comparison Amazfit GTS 2 Mini vs Amazfit GTS 2

Types of notifications, as well as basic voice communication features supported by the gadget.

— Call notifications. Notifications about calls coming to the smartphone connected to the gadget, and for watch-phones — about calls to the watch itself. In classic smartwatches and fitness trackers (see "Type"), the specific functionality of such notifications can be different — from the usual sound or vibration signal to the ability to see the caller's number on the screen and accept/reject the call. But anyway, such notifications are often more noticeable to the user than the own signal of a smartphone deep in a pocket or bag.

— SMS notifications. Notifications about SMS messages received either on a smartphone connected to the gadget, or on the gadget itself, if it is capable of receiving messages (all watch phones and many children's beacons have this capability, see "Type"). The specific features of notifications can be different — from the icon "you have received a message" to the ability to read SMS and reply to it. Anyway, this feature often provides additional convenience — at least it reduces the likelihood of missing an important notification, and often also eliminates the need to once again take the phone out of your pocket / bag.

— Voice control. The ability to control the device through voice commands. In order for a smartwatch or f...itness tracker to perform some simple feature, it is enough to say its name aloud.

— Voice assistant. In watches with voice assistant support, the level of user interaction with the device is displayed in a new qualitative way. The most popular virtual assistants are Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. In Apple devices, the role of an assistant is performed by Apple Siri, in Samsung wearable gadgets — a virtual assistant Bixby. Unlike the voice control function, the assistant does not just turn on this or that feature, but allows you to perform certain operations in applications that require feedback.

— Sound signal. The ability to give sound signals using the built-in speaker. This feature will be useful primarily in situations where the gadget is not on hand — for example, if it is used as an alarm clock and is removed at night.

— Vibration. Vibration signal similar to that used in mobile phones. In wearable gadgets, such a signal is especially convenient due to the fact that the device is constantly in contact with the wearer's skin, so that the vibration is perfectly felt — and regardless of the level of noise around. In addition, vibration mode is also useful in quiet environments where a loud sound signal is undesirable.

— Built-in microphone. Own microphone built into the body of the device. Such equipment can be used for different purposes, depending on the type and features of the gadget. First of all, voice communication is impossible without a microphone. Another feature for which a microphone is required is the voice assistant (see above). And in children's smartwatches, it may be possible to remotely turn on the microphone from the parent gadget and listen to what is happening around the child; see the relevant paragraph below for details.

— Speakerphone(speaker). The ability to work the gadget in hands-free mode, using the built-in speaker and microphone for conversation. In a conventional smartwatch (see "Type"), this feature allows you to talk through the watch without removing the smartphone from your pocket; in watch-phones, speakerphone allows you to do so without headphones and headsets, and for children's smartwatches, this feature is almost mandatory. However the volume of the built-in speaker is usually low, so in a noisy environment its power may not be enough.

The size of the display installed in the gadget; for round screens, respectively, the diameter is indicated.

A larger screen, on the one hand, is more convenient to use, on the other hand, it significantly affects the dimensions of the entire device, which is especially critical for wearable gadgets. Therefore, manufacturers choose the display size in accordance with the purpose and functionality of each specific model — so that there is enough space on the screen and the device itself is not too bulky.

It is also worth mentioning that screens with a similar size may have different aspect ratios. For example, traditional smartwatches are usually equipped with square or round panels, while in fitness trackers, screens are often made elongated in height.

Screen size in dots (pixels) horizontally and vertically. In general, this is one of the indicators that determine the image quality: the higher the resolution, the clearer and smoother the picture on the screen (with the same size), the less noticeable are the individual dots. On the other hand, an increase in the number of pixels affects the cost of displays, their power consumption and requirements for a hardware platform (more powerful hardware is required, which itself will cost more). In addition, the specifics of using smartwatches is such that there is simply no need to install high-resolution screens in them. Therefore, modern wrist accessories use displays with a relatively low resolution: for example, 320x320 with a size of about 1.6" is considered quite sufficient even for premium watches.

The density of dots on the screen of the gadget, namely, the number of pixels that are on each inch of the panel vertically or horizontally.

The higher the PPI, the higher the detail of the screen, the clearer and smoother the image is. On the other hand, this indicator affects the price accordingly. Therefore, the higher the density of points, the more advanced, usually, this gadget is in terms of general capabilities. However, when choosing a screen, manufacturers take into account the general purpose and functionality of the device; so that even a small number of PPIs usually does not interfere with comfortable use.

The material from which the transparent cover of the display is made.

— Plastic. Inexpensive, moreover, quite durable and impact-resistant material: even with a strong impact, the plastic is more likely to crack than crumble into fragments. At the same time, scratches easily appear on such a surface, and over time it inevitably becomes cloudy. Because of this, plastic is found predominantly in inexpensive wearable gadgets.

— Glass. In this case, it can mean both classic silicate glass (the same as, for example, in windows), and some original types of impact-resistant glass that are not related to Gorilla Glass(see below). Regular glass costs more than plastic, but not by much, and it looks better and stays clear longer due to its scratch resistance. The main disadvantages of this material are fragility and a tendency to crumble into sharp fragments upon impact. Impact-resistant glass types are devoid of this drawback to one degree or another, but they are also more expensive. According to the price category of the gadget, you can quite accurately determine what kind of glass it uses — ordinary or shock-resistant.

— Sapphire. The coating made of synthetic sapphire is used exclusively in premium-class gadgets — this is due to the complexity of its production and, accordingly, the high cost. On the practical s...ide, sapphire is extremely scratch resistant (it is only possible to scratch such glass with a diamond or special tools), but at the same time it is fragile and easily breaks from impact.

— Gorilla glass. A family of shock-resistant glass types created by Corning and widely used in modern electronics, including wearable gadgets. In addition to strength, Gorilla Glass is also distinguished by good scratch resistance, while being relatively inexpensive (by the standards of such a coating), which has led to their popularity. However, the specific properties of such glass depend on its version; Here are the options that are relevant for modern wearable devices:

• Gorilla Glass v3. The oldest current version was released in 2013. Nevertheless, even such a coating is noticeably superior to traditional glass (not to mention plastic) in terms of transparency and scratch resistance.
• Gorilla Glass v4. Version released in 2014. A key feature was that the development of this coating focused on impact resistance (whereas previous generations focused mainly on scratch resistance). As a result, the glass turned out to be twice as strong as in version 3, despite the fact that its thickness was only 0.4 mm.
• Gorilla Glass SR+. The first version of Gorilla Glass, designed specifically for smartwatches and other miniature wearable gadgets; presented in 2016. According to the creators, the scratch resistance of such coatings approaches those of sapphire glass while maintaining the main advantages of Gorilla Glass — high strength and transparency. In general, for this material, superiority over "alternative options" is claimed by 70% in terms of strength specs and by 25% in terms of optical properties.
• Gorilla Glass DX. Another type of glass, specially designed for wearable devices. It was released in 2018 at the same time as the DX+ version (see below). Of the key improvements in Gorilla Glass DX, in particular, increased anti-reflective properties and an increase in the contrast level of the visible image by 50% are announced; the latter, among other things, allows you to reduce the actual brightness and, accordingly, the power consumption of screens without compromising image quality, which is especially important for miniature wearable devices. And this material differs from the DX+ type coating, on the one hand, by lower scratch resistance, and, on the other hand, by higher anti-reflective specs.
• Gorilla Glass DX+. Almost the same as the original version of DX, related to the same specialization — wearable wearable gadgets and other miniature devices. At the same time, DX + has a higher scratch resistance, but has slightly worse anti-reflective specs. Otherwise, these types of coverage are almost identical.

The amount of own storage provided in the design of the watch/bracelet. This memory is used for permanent storage of various information: call log, received SMS and other messages, additional applications, data on physical activity for a certain time, etc. The larger its volume, the more data can be stored in the device without the need to clean it to free up space. On the other hand, in the operation of smartwatches, large volumes ( 64 GB, 32 GB, 16 GB, even 8 GB and 4 GB) are not always required, capacious drives are quite expensive, and replaceable cards installed in corresponding slot (see below).

The capacity of the battery that is installed in the gadget.

Theoretically, the higher the capacity, the longer the battery can work on a single charge. However, in fact, the battery life of the gadget also depends on its power consumption, and it is determined by the specs of the display and the hardware. Therefore, only models of the same type with very similar specs can be compared in terms of battery capacity; and for an accurate assessment of battery life, it is better to focus on the directly claimed operating time in one mode or another (see below).

It is also worth mentioning that high-capacity batteries inevitably turn out to be quite heavy and bulky. So the capacity of batteries installed in wearable gadgets is also greatly limited by size and weight.

The time that the gadget can work on one battery charge (or the supplied battery) in normal use.

Normal mode, as a rule, means working with a relatively low load. At this time, the display can display some data, and basic functions can also work (counting steps, periodically checking heart rate, etc.), but in any case, power consumption is low. Therefore, the operating time in normal mode can be quite impressive, up to several weeks, or even months. However, when choosing, it doesn’t hurt to also pay attention to the stated time in active mode (see below) — especially if a long operating time is critical, or you plan to use the gadget intensively. The actual autonomy of the device will most likely be somewhere in between these two values, depending on the actual load. If only the time in normal mode is indicated for the gadget, you should choose with a certain reserve.

The time that the gadget is able to work on one charge of the battery in the active mode of use.

For watch-phones (see “Type”), this usually means a talk mode, for other gadgets, an intensive work mode when numerous features and sensors are used and there is a constant exchange of data with a smartphone/tablet. However, the specific understanding of the "active mode" for different manufacturers may vary: some indicate the time at maximum performance (that is, in fact, guaranteed battery life), others — in some kind of "average mode". However, anyway, this is a fairly clear parameter that describes the battery life of a particular model quite well (and is much closer to real indicators than the time in normal mode mentioned above).

Note that for models with a GPS sensor (see "Navigation"), the specifications may additionally specify the time of active operation using such a sensor. See "Operating time (GPS)" for details.