Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro review: Why these features are (now) must-haves for me

As a longtime Garmin user, this is nothing entirely new, but offline maps and on-device navigation are increasingly available even in more affordable smartwatches (Amazfit Active 2 on Amazon). Many Amazfit models also offer local navigation features, while Garmin still reserves the full experience much more strictly for higher-end models. Wrist-based maps are clearly aimed at more ambitious athletes, but they are also genuinely useful for everyday users: With POIs and turn-by-turn navigation, as offered by the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro, they add real value on a city trip. Your smartphone can stay in your pocket, which saves battery and keeps your hands free. A specific feature offered by the Cheetah 2 Pro, among others, that I initially underestimated is its round-trip routing function. Starting from the current location, the watch can generate a loop route with a defined distance, a chosen activity type, and a preferred direction of travel. That is especially useful on vacation, because simply heading out without a plan often means retracing your steps or missing your target distance.

One major advantage Garmin has emphasized for years with its MiP displays is low power consumption and excellent readability without backlighting. The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro takes a different approach with its AMOLED display, yet it still offers an always-on mode along with watch faces designed to remain highly readable in sunlight. Even though the automatic wake-up of the display worked reliably on the review unit, I would not want to do without always-on functionality. That is partly a matter of taste, but it is also simply practical. At the same time, I do not want to charge my smartwatch constantly. Under demanding conditions, the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro achieved a realistic battery life of just under a week. That is not exceptional on paper, but in daily use it is perfectly usable.

You often only realize how much you have been missing certain things once they suddenly become available. That was also the case for me with the flashlight built into the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro. It utilizes two white LEDs and an additional red LED. As expected, its maximum brightness is limited compared with a dedicated flashlight. Subjectively, it is slightly brighter than an Honor 400 flashlight at its highest setting, but it illuminates a much smaller area. Even so, the light output is more than sufficient to avoid tripping in the dark. On the Cheetah 2 Pro, the flashlight is conveniently activated by long-pressing a function button.