pros and cons
- High quality titanium and sapphire glass materials
- Brilliant 3,000-nit AMOLED display
- Long battery life
- Accurate positioning and offline navigation
- Watch faces with extensive complications
- $450 price is rather high for Amazfit
- Premium subscription required for advanced analysis
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In 2024, I tested the Amazfit Cheetah, a smartwatch with a heavy focus on runners. Two years later, we see a much more elegant and premium watch in the Cheetah 2 Pro also targeted toward runners. The new watch is priced $150 higher than its predecessor, but it competes directly with watches like the Garmin Forerunner 570 and the Coros Apex 4.
While the Cheetah 2 Pro is marketed for runners, it can track more than 170 activities. Since I’m dealing with a hip injury at the moment, I couldn’t run extensively and focused on other activities I could do, including indoor rowing, walking, biking, and golf.
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On the green
Amazfit has a few select watches that support golf, and the last Amazfit model I tested for this sport was the Amazfit Balance 2. Amazfit has significantly improved support for golf since 2025 with quick swipes to view distances to hazards, target, and pin positioning, and manual zoom support.
The map view adjusts as you approach the green, and entering every shot is more intuitive than before. I went out early last week and shot my best ever on a local par-3 course, with the Cheetah 2 Pro providing the guidance I needed to stay focused on my game.
Also: This lower-end smartwatch brand just gained one of my favorite Garmin features – and wow
The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro is one of the more expensive watches available from Amazfit, thanks to its sapphire glass display, titanium build, integrated LED flashlight, microphone/speaker, and GPS battery life of up to 31 hours.
In my typical usage with activities every three days, I was able to go two weeks between charging up the large 540 mAh battery. The Amazfit Balance 2 is similar but lacks an LED flashlight, while the T-Rex 3 Pro is larger and more rugged.
Light up the night
I’ve praised watch makers for the dedicated LED flashlight, and it is now such an essential feature that I always wear a watch with one and use it daily. I used it on the golf course to find some tees and a ball marker hidden in my bag, I used it to help me rebuild a toilet and get it sealed properly, and I use it with the red light at night to take out my aging dog who can’t sleep through the night.
Amazfit has improved the LED flashlight’s functionality beyond a simple toggle, allowing it to switch between white and red light modes. Like Garmin, you can now customize the LED flashlight for each workout type in the Safety Light setting. In this setting, you can designate LED light modes and colors so it flashes on your wrist to make drivers and others aware of your presence.
The watch is easy to navigate thanks to its four large physical buttons and responsive touchscreen. You can also use the Zepp Flow offline voice control to quickly open apps, switch modes, start a workout, and more. The Zepp Coach feature is an excellent way to set up a personalized running or cardio plan that adapts as the watch measures your daily activity metrics.
Accuracy and customization
Runners will appreciate the long battery life, support for advanced training programs like TrainingPeaks and Runna, a vivid display, and the lightweight 43mm size, which makes it comfortable to wear 24/7. Dual-band, multi-frequency GPS has proven very accurate, and the turn-by-turn offline navigation ensures you will always stay on your route and find your way home.
Also: I compared this Amazfit with my $1,300 Garmin for outdoor tracking, and it was surprisingly close
Quick access to key data is important to me on a smartwatch. Some watch faces display multiple complications that are actionable by simply tapping them. Metrics, activity launch, and other utilities are easily launched right from the watch face, and this is exactly what I need, rather than swiping and scrolling around a watch face endlessly.
Some features in Zepp Aura require a subscription, which costs $70/year. (The service often goes on sale, so it may be worth waiting.) Weekly sleep reports, a sleep health assessment, advanced performance analysis, and premium relaxation content are included with the Zepp Aura subscription service.
The Zepp smartphone app is very capable but can also be overwhelming, with extensive data and customization options to optimize your Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro experience.
ZDNET’s buying advice
Due to the size, elegant form factor, and long battery life, the Amazfit Balance 2 has been my preferred Amazfit watch until now. With a dedicated LED flashlight, longer battery life, and premium titanium and sapphire glass, the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro is my new daily driver. I’ll be back running soon and can’t wait to see what this new watch can do to help me train for my next half-marathon.
