Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGood Looking, Capable Watch, Built to Last
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2021
First, why I purchased the T-Rex Pro has everything to do with the two digital watches I had before I purchased the T-Rex Pro. Bear with me. More details about the watch itself below that.
HUAWEI GT 2E
My 1-year old HUAWEI GT 2E watch strap broke and fell into a trash dumpster, which I didn't notice until it was too late. The $130 Huawei digital watch needed $4 screen protectors which broke almost bi-week, and the watch face eventually scratched up once I stopped replacing the protectors. The lesson here for me was that I wanted something more durable, similar to the Garmin Fenix 3 I had for 5 years prior to this watch.
GARMIN FENIX 3
My $650 Garmin Fenix 3 had come with a Saphire un-scratchable watch face. I loved this watch, treated it like a beast until the battery died (which is un-replacable). The memory for my love of the Fenix 3, with the bulky feel, and durable, sporty look, brought me to the T-Rex Pro, which is far less expensive. I was able to purchase the T-Rex Pro with a discount on amazon for $154.
T-REX PRO
I've had the T-Rex Pro for several weeks, notably while moving locally and put it through an initiation where I accidentally clanked it against several doorways while walking with jumbo boxes in hands and it came through without a mark, even in one case having white paint stuck to the bezel from a wall where I had to peel off the paint with a utensil from the watch bezel. But no scratches through the 5 day ordeal despite the bezel hitting various doors, etc. The raised bezel no doubt has protected this watch face where the Huwei had failed time and again. As far as I can tell the watch face should hold up well without screen protectors.
In terms of features, I've seen several reviews incorrectly state that you can only run one app on the watch at a time. They say, for example, if you've started the timer then you can't use the stopwatch, etc. Not true. When you have an app working on the watch just LONG-PRESS the "BACK" button and it will bring you out of the current app and back to the watch face where you can go back into your app list to select another app to use and run while the other one is working. It is possible to use multiple apps at the same time.
I mostly use the watch for notification for calls, emails, and texts. It does an adequate job for this. I don't need to respond to them but just see what I need to get to while I'm out and about. The pop up notifications to alert you to a new text/email are a little too quick before disappearing for my tastes. When using the Notifications app to read an individual text/email, the messages are again on screen for only a few seconds before automatically kicking back out to the list of texts, so I need to go back and select/open the text again to get whatever part I missed. Also, a word in a text message will sometimes be broken up over two lines. It's not a huge deal in terms of functionality for but I also think it's something that should be fixed as it isn't professional look IMO. I can get past these small issues personally but you should know about them before purchasing this watch all the same.
I love the look of the watch: the blue color suits me well and I like how the band feels more integrated with the overall look of the watch with the raised texture on the side of the band. In some online video reviews the blue watch color sometimes seemed a little greenish depending on the lighting but in personal it’s more of a matt blue grey which I do like and am pleased with. Please note, I've seen some people say there aren't replacement bands for this watch because they don't use the quick release mechanism on the band. You CAN purchase aftermarket bands for this watch but those bands require two small screw drivers (usually they come with the replacement band) and this was the very same process I used with my Fenix 3. The feel of the watch is good on the wrist and it's not too heavy. My fenix 3 had real heft to it which I kind of liked and wouldn't mind if the T-Rex Pro was even heavier. I imagine though most people would prefer the lighter feel of this watch.
I downloaded a watch face that reminded me of one I had on the Fenix 3. I used the "AmazFaces" app from the iPhone store for a much wider selection of faces to download. Make sure in the T-Rex Pro "Zepp" watch app to toggle the watch setting for "Discoverable" to "ON" to be able pair and download watch faces from the AmazFaces app.
The battery is very good. I still won't use an Apple watch because I don't like taking off my watch at night to charge and I like the option of not charging the battery for more than a few days. For instance, I misplaced my charger while moving, so I simply turned off all of the notifications, monitoring and special features, etc and I went 8 days using only 25% of the battery. But, should I turn all monitoring/features on such as heart rate, notifications, watch face always on, etc, I can use well more than 10% in a day. I like being able to adjust and balance what I want to use on the watch and keep a happy medium to battery length.
All in all, I feel I have everything I wanted with my Fenix 3 at a big discount (sacrificing a little bit of the glitz of having a silver bezel, and the sports app, etc) but still have the pleasant feeling of a rugged watch that will give me a long battery life, take a beating, and provide the features I want.
