Matthew Miller/ZDNET
Amazfit continues to launch new watches by the month, and it is changing into clearer and clearer that the corporate desires to compete with the most effective from Garmin, Coros, Polar, and Suunto. For the previous few weeks, I have been operating, strolling, biking, sleeping, and residing with the brand new Amazfit Cheetah.
To my shock, its greatest characteristic would be the one you’d least count on.
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Amazfit Cheetah
A mid-range smartwatch with GPS and satellite tv for pc monitoring, as much as 14 days of battery life, and an AI-generated operating coach.
Let me begin with the {hardware}. The watch is pretty light-weight at simply 32 grams and has a stunning 1.39-inch AMOLED show with a 454 x 454 pixels decision. The highest proper button doubles as a rotating crown for scrolling via lists with a decrease proper button used for going again.
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The remainder of the watch {hardware} is in step with what I’ve seen from different $200 sports activities watches. There is a 5 ATM ranking for water resistance, and the battery capability is a sizeable 440mAh. Amazfit advertises as much as 14 days of battery life with typical utilization. If you happen to use specialised options like dual-band GNSS (most correct mode), the battery life will get you nearer to 26 hours.
Whereas the Amazfit Cheetah has a sportier look than your conventional smartwatch, it provides a lot of the identical expertise because the GTR 4 I examined again in 2022. And just like the GTR 4, the Amazfit Cheetah syncs to the Zepp smartphone app, which is the place the actual energy of the expertise lies.
The rubberized watchband is sturdy sufficient to resist most environments.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
The Zepp app could be fairly overwhelming with the huge variety of screens, settings, and choices that require you to spend hours exploring. However as soon as you realize the place your go-to menus and settings are, it is one of many higher companion apps on the market.
A big addition to the Cheetah’s software program is the inclusion of the AI Zepp Coach. Much like ChatGPT, the Zepp software program launches an interactive interface the place you choose your required coaching plan in a chat. A coaching plan is then created and adapts itself as you full your operating actions.
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I have never accomplished my full coaching plan but — that might take weeks, if not, longer — however using AI here’s a intelligent strategy to develop the most effective exercise to your wants. I may see this being useful for newer runners who want teaching and constant suggestions, or have questions on greatest practices in relation to various kinds of exercises and operating basically.
A take a look at the AI coaching bot, Zepp Coach.
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As I discussed earlier than, dual-band GNSS is supported on the Cheetah, together with six satellite tv for pc techniques. Amazfit calls its satellite tv for pc know-how MaxTrack, and whereas it performs pretty effectively, it is not as correct as what I’ve examined from Garmin and Coros gadgets. The general distances have been nonetheless shut, with most GPS monitoring points related to corners in wooded areas. For most individuals, that is completely acceptable.
Amazfit additionally features a Observe Run mode in order that an algorithm corrects your GPS path to match a regular monitor and the lane you might be operating in, ought to your connection show unstable. It’s also possible to sync your run information to varied providers, together with Strava, Relive, Google Match, and Apple Well being, which I am a fan of.
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For a extra sturdy operating exercise, you may choose 4 to 6 metrics to seem on numerous information pages as you train. These classes embody period, distance, tempo, steps, velocity, altitude, coronary heart charge, and extra. I discovered the guts charge monitoring to carefully match the outcomes from Garmin and Coros, however if you would like essentially the most correct readings, you even can join the Amazfit Cheetah with an exterior chest strap.
Offline maps, offline music (MP3 manually loaded), and Amazon Alexa through a related smartphone are additionally supported. One in all my favourite Garmin options is the Morning Report and Amazfit supplies the same expertise on the watch face that known as Morning Updates. The info out there on this Morning Replace contains climate, battery standing, sleep, PAI, and schedule.
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All in all, the Amazfit Cheetah, at $229, jogs my memory of a mid-range smartphone, the place so long as you might be happy with the way it comes out of the field, then you need to be happy with the watch. There are issues that pop up once in a while that annoy me, and the smartphone app wants some work to enhance for typical customers. However for the value, and the distinctive AI coaching coach characteristic, this can be the most effective starter look ahead to aspiring runners and athletes.