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Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: One minute review
Three years after the release of the Cheetah Pro smartwatch, Amazfit has finally released its successor, the aptly named Cheetah 2 Pro. Designed for serious road runners who rely on structured training programs, the smartwatch is a solid offering that competes impressively with the best running watches on the market today. It doesn’t hit the dizzying heights of Garmin’s high-end alternatives, but the Amazfit closes the gap. The Cheetah 2 Pro has a bigger sibling, the Cheetah 2 Ultra, which is a bit bigger, more expensive and comes with gradient trail profiles and terrain features that aren’t here.
The high price of a watch with no routing features will put a lot of people off, especially considering that Amazfit is still an unknown brand to many and a budget brand to those in the know. On closer inspection, the cost is usually justified. The bright 1.32-inch AMOLED display is very sharp and covered with a sapphire crystal glass.
The display is housed in a high grade 5 titanium alloy case, which looks and feels premium, but the 15.6 mm thickness and large sensor bump make the watch uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.
Cheetah 2 Pro includes a set of impressive features, including structured training programs and dynamic AI-driven performance. It also tracks comprehensive health data, including 24/7 heart rate, blood oxygen, and skin temperature, all of which make it possible to generate a daily “Readiness Score” to monitor fatigue. The watch achieves a high level of accuracy in all tested metrics.
As you’d expect for a watch at this price, the Cheetah 2 Pro boasts offline color maps and navigation tools like auto-reset and point-to-point route planning. It’s a rich set of features, but the implementation lacks finesse. Due to limited hardware, panning and zooming maps is fast.
When it comes to smartwatches, Amazfit is closing the gap on Garmin, but they still have a long way to go, especially when it comes to dedicated performance tools.
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: Specifications
|
Element |
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro |
|
Price |
$499.99 USD / £449.90 UK / $729 AUS |
|
Size |
48mm wide, 15.6mm thick (inc. heart sensor) |
|
Weight |
45.6g without strap |
|
Case/bezel |
Titanium case, plastic bezel |
|
Show |
1.32 inch AMOLED screen, 466 x 466 px resolution |
|
GPS |
Dual-band, 6 satellite systems |
|
Battery life |
Up to 10 days of heavy use, or 20 days of normal use |
|
Communication |
Bluetooth, BLE 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4GHz |
|
Water resistance |
5 ATMs |
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: Price and Availability
- $499.99 USD / £449.90 UK / $729 AUS
- It’s more affordable than the Garmin Forerunner 970
- An impressive set of features for the price
The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro costs $499.99 USD / £449.90 UK, which is a significant 50% increase over the price of the original Cheetah Pro. Amazfit justifies this big jump by offering high-end hardware, including a titanium bezel, sapphire crystal lens, and up to 20 days of battery life.
Its place in the market is one of the budget that suits Garmin’s flagship category, especially the Garmin Forerunner 970. Although both watches boast premium titanium bezels and glossy AMOLED screens, the more expensive Garmin has superior features, especially when it comes to offline maps and ECG functionality.
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: Design
- Premium materials and bright AMOLED display
- Touch screen interface and physical buttons
- Very small design
The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro boasts a premium grade-5 titanium alloy case finished with scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass. The 1.32-inch AMOLED display is brilliantly sharp, with a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits that ensures clarity even on sunny days.
If you were wondering why the watch is so expensive, the material design and the AMOLED display are two reasons. Compared to the cheap, plastic feel of many sports trackers, the Cheetah 2 Pro is a high-quality piece of hardware, let down only by the integrated silicone strap, which feels like an ill-conceived afterthought.
Alongside the touchscreen interface, the watch has a four-button layout with aluminum tactile buttons. The presence of physical buttons proved useful, in my experience, especially when using the watch with sweaty hands or rain.
As much as I like the design of the Cheetah 2 Pro, it has been reduced to its 15.6mm thickness. It made my wife’s small wrist look small, and because of the size and weight I found it uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. If Amazfit could make a way to reduce the thickness of the underside sensor bump, most of these problems would disappear.
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: Features
- Very well organized training, especially with Zepp Flow AI
- Offline maps and turn-by-turn navigation
- A wide set of senses
At the heart of Cheetah 2 Pro are structured training programs and goal-driven workouts. It’s like having your own personal running coach or using a platform like Runna, but without the ongoing costs. There are workouts and programs for half marathons, full marathons, and Fartlek runs, and each session helps extend endurance, build strength, and ensure proper recovery, all done with Zepp Coach AI.
In addition to dedicated training programs, the Cheetah 2 Pro boasts a comprehensive set of navigation features that help you stay on track, no matter how hard you try. I was pleased to see the presence of offline maps and directions, and it is possible to import courses so that you can navigate with confidence on unfamiliar routes. Beyond this, the watch includes automatic routing, search for points of interest, and point-to-point route planning.
Advanced optical sensors include 5 photodiodes and 2 LEDs, providing continuous 24/7 monitoring of heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and stress levels. All these sensors, and more, feed data so the watch provides a daily Readiness Score to assess training fatigue and overall condition. Additional environmental sensors include a skin temperature sensor, barometric altimeter, gyroscope, accelerometer, and geomagnetic compass.
Compared to the Forerunner 970, the Cheetah comes up short in many areas. Garmin includes a comprehensive set of tools, including its own popular route database, granular analytics, and ECG functionality. If you want the best, Garmin is still the brand to turn to.
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: Performance
- Spot on GPS and heart rate performance
- Great map performance but very small
- Advanced activity tracking and health monitoring
Serious runners need accurate on-board GPS, and the Cheetah 2 Pro offers just that. Thanks to its advanced positioning systems, the watch is able to deliver accurate tracking and speed tracking even when the signal appears to be weakening. I compared it to the same trail as my accuracy benchmark, the Garmin Tactix 8, and the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2. It tracked this run to within one or two percent accuracy and was able to handle a variety of environments, including tall buildings and forests.
The functionality of the map is wide enough for most runners, although the subjective feeling was not perfect. Any amount of panning and zooming caused stuttering, and if I was cycling, the map wouldn’t update smoothly. These issues aren’t game-changers, but if you’re after super-smooth map interactions, then the Cheetah 2 Pro doesn’t have the hardware to deliver.
The Cheetah 2 Pro is a solid wrist running trainer. It is able to provide specific metrics such as ground contact time, stride length, and cadence. The ability to track in real time my VO2 Max level and running intensity is very helpful in knowing if I am doing well (or not, as the case may be).
An extensive set of health metrics is available, including heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate, lactate threshold, VO2, and more. Heart rate was exactly the same as a dedicated heart rate monitor band. The heart rate zone feature is a great addition to know when you’re building endurance, improving speed, or pushing harder.
Amazfit positions the watch as a long-distance runner’s dream, and that calls for outstanding battery performance across all features and settings. They claim up to 31 hours in accurate GPS mode enabled, which is more than enough for a long-distance run, assuming it doesn’t last more than several days. If you use the watch between training sessions, you can expect up to 20 days of battery life with regular use.
The Cheetah 2 Pro is much more than a running watch, however. Its standard smartwatch features are comparable to the best from Apple, Google, and Samsung. You can make and receive Bluetooth calls, read and respond to texts, and use Zepp Pay to make NFC contactless payments. Overall, a very useful watch for everyday life.
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: Scorecard
|
Section |
Comment |
The result |
|
Price |
It’s far from cheap but it’s more affordable than similar alternatives from Garmin. |
4/5 |
|
Design |
A high-end smart watch with valuable features. It is reduced only to the size that is not comfortable. |
4/5 |
|
Features |
It’s a full-featured all-around smartwatch with features focused on running unashamedly. |
4/5 |
|
Working |
Accurate activity and health tracking with robust GPS. It is only lowered by map navigation. |
4.5/5 |
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: Should I buy?
Buy if…
Don’t buy if…
Think again
How did I check?
I’ve been wearing the Cheetah 2 Pro for the better part of six weeks. This time I used it while running, biking, hiking, relaxing, and more. I tested it using the Coros heart rate monitor and competing devices for accuracy. It also served as a companion tool to my smartphone, keeping me up-to-date on everything happening in my world.
First updated: June 2026