As a long-time consumer of Garmin watches, I used to be eager to match the Amazfit T-Rex 3 with the Forerunner 955. I needed to see how they stack up towards one another when it comes to GPS accuracy and run monitoring knowledge. On this article I give the outcomes from a half-marathon run.
Garmin’s identified for its precision, and the Forerunner 955 makes use of just about the identical sensor tech because the high-end Fenix collection, so I anticipated it to carry out properly. Granted, the most recent units use the Elevate 5 coronary heart price sensor, however Elevate 4 that’s within the Forerunner 955 stacks up simply as properly. Amazfit, then again, has a little bit of a popularity for fighting GPS accuracy and coronary heart price throughout train in earlier fashions, so I used to be curious to see how far they’ve come.
Proper off the bat, the Amazfit T-Rex 3 is a bit greater than the Forerunner 955, however equally light-weight. It’s a rugged-looking watch, whereas the 955 is extra streamlined. That mentioned, measurement wasn’t my important concern right here. I used to be centered on how correct the monitoring can be. Each watches have seen updates of their sensors over time, and the T-Rex 3, particularly, has come a good distance since Amazfit’s earlier struggles with GPS and coronary heart price monitoring.
The outcomes – half marathon distance
To check GPS efficiency, I began with a easy sign acquisition check. And as soon as once more, the T-Rex 3 really acquired the sign simply as rapidly because the Forerunner 955. I say as soon as once more, as a result of this was the case in every of the earlier 4 runs I did. Each watches lock onto GPS rapidly, and neither one struggles to take care of a connection throughout runs. It’s an enormous enchancment over early Amazfit fashions, which generally used to take minutes to discover a sign.
Important studying: High health trackers and well being devices
And I’ll use the phrase “once again”, the center price outcomes from each watches had been nearly an identical. The Amazfit T-Rex 3 recorded a mean coronary heart price of 149 beats per minute throughout the half marathon run. This matched nearly precisely with the Forerunner 955 (148 beats per minute). The utmost coronary heart charges had been additionally shut, with just some beats-per-minute distinction between the 2.
Listed below are the screenshots for the Amazfit T-Rex 3.
And that is the Garmin knowledge.
When it got here to pacing, the numbers had been simply as tight. The T-Rex 3 clocked my common tempo at 6 minutes 12 seconds per kilometer, whereas the Garmin confirmed 6 minutes 9 seconds. The distinction stems from a slight GPS discrepancy of round 10 meters per kilometer. Contemplating I ran in a semi-urban setting and neither watch will observe distance with 100% accuracy – 10 meters per kilometre is kind of good.
Even cadence knowledge, which I wasn’t certain would match up as properly, was very related. The T-Rex 3 had me at a mean cadence of 177, whereas the Forerunner confirmed 175. There was additionally small distinction within the most cadence readings, however nothing that stood out as a significant discrepancy.
The apparent query, after all, is how these watches would carry out throughout high-intensity runs. Wrist-based coronary heart price sensors are usually much less dependable while you’re actually pushing your self, and that’s true for each watches right here. It’s not a flaw within the units themselves; it’s simply the character of utilizing wrist sensors for high-intensity exercises. For accuracy in these instances, a chest strap is all the time going to be the higher selection. Thankfully, the Amazfit T-Rex 3 can hook up with chest straps, which is a function I’m comfortable to see, particularly for a watch at this value level.
My takeaway
Total, I’ve been impressed with the Amazfit T-Rex 3. It’s holds up surprisingly properly towards the Garmin Forerunner 955, particularly contemplating the value distinction. The T-Rex 3 prices a few third or perhaps a quarter of what you’d pay for a Garmin Fenix mannequin, and but the info it offers is just about on par with the Garmin when it comes to GPS accuracy and coronary heart price monitoring.
In fact, Garmin nonetheless leads the best way on the subject of the sheer variety of efficiency metrics and in-depth knowledge it affords. In the event you’re somebody who likes to dive deep into these stats, you’ll nonetheless discover Garmin to be extra superior in that space. However the hole is closing, and the T-Rex 3 proves that Zepp Well being is catching up. I wouldn’t be stunned if in one other yr or so, they’re matching Garmin even on the superior metrics entrance.
For the value, the T-Rex 3 affords quite a bit. It’s dependable, correct, and has clearly benefited from years of enhancements. In the event you’re in search of a extra budget-friendly various to Garmin watches, the Amazfit T-Rex 3 might match the invoice.
Amazfit T-Rex 3 – view on Zepp Well being | Amazon
Garmin Forerunner 955 – view on Garmin | Amazon
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