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Amazfit's new solar-powered AMOLED smartwatch aims to rival Garmin

  • Amazfit has unveiled the T-Rex Dual Solar smartwatch
  • It offers solar charging on an AMOLED watch β€” a feat not even Garmin has managed
  • As well as charging from the front, the innovative back plate allows the wearer to invert the watch for maximum light absorption

In a world in which most smartwatches now have the same features and similar specs, it's always nice to see something innovative. The Amazfit T-Rex line is a range of rugged adventure-focused smartwatches that are generally β€” like almost all of Amazfit's products β€” great value alternatives to more expensive wearables such as the best Garmin watches.

Despite focusing on solar charging, as seen on some top-tier Garmin watches such as the Fenix 9 Pro, the T-Rex Dual Solar brings innovation all of its own. Amazfit's newest smartwatch not only provides battery-lengthening solar charging from the front, but also a secondary, more efficient solar charging plate on the back of the watch. With enough sunlight, this back plate can reportedly revive a completely flat battery. That means if you're out of power, you could invert the watch and wear it inside-out, or leave it on a rock with the back plate facing the sun, to bring it back to life.

Amazfit says that "for those who adventure at the edge of the map, solar offers something more: a way to bring a completely depleted watch back to life using sunlight when traditional power isn’t available, helping users regain access to essential functions like maps and route information."

However, the most interesting bit is that Amazfit has finally cracked what Garmin has not been able to, as yet: bring solar charging to an AMOLED watch. The Amazfit Dual Solar, as its name suggests, charges from both sides, even though it's got a bright AMOLED screen, as long as you're in conditions of 50,000 lux or more for three hours or more. Without exception, Solar charging Garmin watches uses lower-power memory-in-pixel displays in conjunction with Garmin's Power Glass solar charging tech.

Sara Webster Wylie, VP of Global Marketing at Amazfit, says: β€œWith T-Rex Dual Solar, we didn’t want users to have to choose between the bright, premium display they want every day and the battery endurance they need outdoors. Bringing AMOLED and solar together for the first time lets us deliver both.”

Other specs & pricing

Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar

(Image credit: Amazfit)

In normal conditions, the watch packs up to 25 days of battery life, extended up to 35 days in optimal solar conditions, and 41 hours of use in 'accurate GPS mode'. A flashlight with red and white modes is built into the titanium casing, while its sapphire crystal screen is capable of up to 3,000 nits of brightness.

With full color preloaded maps (including ski maps), intelligent route planning with turn-by-turn directions and Apple Watch Ultra-style waypoints, and LiveShare (Amazfit's equivalent of Garmin's LiveTrack location-sharing feature), it's certainly a powerhouse of a watch.

Unusually for Amazfit, it's also very expensive, priced at $649.99 in the US. Other regions' pricing is TBC, but that's around Β£500 / AU$900. Having seen what Amazfit can do with budget devices such as its five-star Amazfit Active 3 Premium, I'm excited to get my hands on a high-end model.

A camera in a toothbrush? Dyson tells us why it combined 'WiFi, AI, intelligent sensing and fluid dynamics with a highly engineered brushing experience' to create the Dyson Camerajet

The Dyson Camerajet arrived 10 years after online rumours emerged that Dyson had filed a patent application for an electric toothbrush with water jet. True to form, it has surpassed the rumours with a toothbrush that goes one step beyond the norm and is packed with innovation. Having trialled it a week prior to launch, I was among the first journalists to give the Dyson Camerajet a hands-on review.

As the only smart electric toothbrush and water flosser with a built-in camera, the CameraJet uses imaging, machine learning and precision fluid dynamics to identify gaps between teeth and deliver a jet of mouthrinse. The CameraJet has received much attention since its launch, with many praising Dyson for pushing the boundaries with new innovation in oral health, and others questioning its price, reporting faults online, and asking whether we need a camera in a toothbrush at all. But for a brand that revolutionised the vacuum with cyclonic suction, restyled the hair dryer and pioneered bladeless fan technology, the Dyson CameraJet was never going to be an obvious product.

Back in May 2026, I visited Dyson’s factory and global HQ in Singapore to take a first look at the Dyson CameraJet. I went behind the scenes in Dyson’s oral health care labs where six years of research, development and engineering for the CameraJet had been taking place and spoke to Rich Bacon, head of product development at Dyson, to find out what makes the CameraJet so unique. I also asked him about the potential security implications of having a smart camera in the bathroom, and how Dyson hopes to improve our oral health.

Why now?

Dyson CameraJet toothbrush

(Image credit: Dyson)

When I first saw the CameraJet I immediately wanted to know why Dyson is branching into attempting to make one of the best electric toothbrushes and why now?

The Dyson team said it likes to start with a problem people experience every day and ask whether they can solve it better through engineering. β€œOral care is an area where many people want to improve their routines, but often struggle with consistency, technique, or understanding how effectively they're brushing,” Bacon explained. β€œDyson research shows 9 in 10 people do not floss as regularly as they should, reinforcing the need for a solution that helps target the gaps between teeth as part of an everyday routine.

β€œThe technology is now at a point where we can combine WiFi, AI, intelligent sensing and fluid dynamics with a highly engineered brushing experience, making this the right time to bring the product to market.”

By combining two devices – a toothbrush and water flosser – in one, the CameraJet has the potential to save us time in our daily routines and also help us brush for the recommended time. β€œIn our research we found that a lot of people brush for 45 seconds, but the optimum time is for two minutes, or ideally three,’ says Bacon. β€˜When I’m using this device myself for three minutes, it’s much more convenient than having separate devices to clean your teeth.”

What excites Bacon most about the CameraJet is its sophisticated engineering combined with a simple user experience. β€œThere’s a huge amount of technology working behind the scenes here from the camera and machine learning, to its Gap Optical Targeting and precision fluid dynamics,” he says. But the user doesn't need to think about any of that. As engineers, that's always our goal: solving complex problems in a way that feels effortless for the person using the product.”

Bacon believes that this technology has the potential to make oral care more consistent and personalised. β€œMany people brush their teeth in exactly the same way every day without really knowing if they are cleaning effectively, and many are not flossing as regularly as they should. Dyson CameraJet brings brushing, precision-flossing and mouth-rinsing to your routine to target the gaps between teeth where plaque can build up.”

Privacy included

Dyson CameraJet toothbrush

(Image credit: Dyson)

But in an age of AI, the internet of things and relentless data collection, having a camera in your bathroom is a natural cause for concern. For Dyson, privacy was also a key consideration, however. Bacon reassures me that the camera is only active during live viewing or auto-jetting; no images are recorded or stored on the product or in the cloud, and images remain private to the user.

β€œWe take privacy very seriously,’ he says. β€œThe MyDyson app is a great companion piece and comes with unique cleaning insights such as location coverage. Through the app, you can also access guided cleaning, coverage mapping and personalised feedback so you have a better understanding of where you are cleaning well and where you may be missing.”

The app is a closed ecosystem, but could it one day become a broader health-data platform, similar to how people use Oura or Apple Health? β€œThe app has been designed as a platform that can evolve over time, and the immediate focus is on useful, evidence-led insights that help people understand their brushing and interdental cleaning habits,” says Bacon. β€œThere is an opportunity to help make those behaviours easier to see, understand and improve. Any future information or guidance would need to be grounded in robust evidence and developed responsibly, but our ambition is to empower users with helpful, accurate feedback about their oral care. We're always exploring how technology can help people get more from our products.”

Teething problems

Dyson CameraJet electric toothbrush

(Image credit: Future / Emily Peck)

Since its launch, there have been reports on Reddit of a small number of early production batches malfunctioning, so TechRadar reached out to Dyson for comment.

β€˜We are aware that a small number of early batches of Dyson CameraJet products may have experienced a component issue,’ says a spokesperson for Dyson.

β€˜We are isolating those batches and are taking all the necessary steps to support our customers. We have had a very positive reaction to the new Dyson CameraJet and are experiencing strong demand globally and we are seeing some shortages of supply as we are in the process of scaling up production.’

Whether or not you’re tempted to try a toothbrush with a built-in camera and smart app, it’s exciting to see Dyson engineers paving a way with new innovations in oral health. And for that, I think we have a reason to smile.

The Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro is made from titanium, looks like an Apple Watch, performs really well against a top-tier Garmin watch β€” and is currently under Β£200

While all eyes this week were on the launch of the Apple Watch Series 12, there are plenty of other wearables out there receiving tempting discounts that might turn your head. As we slowly march towards peak deals season, culminating in Black Friday, we're likely to see discounts on watches from Samsung, Garmin, Huawei and more.

Today it's Huawei's turn, with the excellent Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro. Right now, you can get the Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro discounted from Β£249.99 to just Β£199 at Amazon, in its black color. Orange and white options are available, but the discounts aren't quite as good. Check out the deal in full below:

Today's best Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro deal

Save over Β£50 on the Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro in its black color. It's a great alternative to an Apple Watch: in our Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro review, we said it "succeeds, from a hardware perspective, in every way that matters". Its high-quality titanium case, accurate metrics, and a week's worth of battery life seal the deal. View Deal

Why get this deal?

I personally tested this watch, running around the streets of Paris and comparing its stats to a top-tier Garmin Fenix 8 Pro on the other wrist, which costs around Β£1,000 (or did at the time). The Fenix 8 Pro is the best Garmin had to offer (or was, until the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro arrived), with its Elevate V5 premium heart rate sensor. Comparing the two watches, their respective average heart rate measurements differed by just 1bpm.

I can confirm that it's an accurate watch; the titanium casing looks and feels great to wear, and it's ideal for runners in particular due to a rich feature set. It's got virtual pacers with snappy animations to keep your runs on time, which is perfect for training through your winter arc, ready to hit some races in Spring.

I gave the watch 4.5 stars out of 5 in my Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro review. It's a great value package, and it's now cheaper than ever, making it easy to recommend.

It's also easily mistaken for an Apple Watch at first glance, so if you're after a Series 12 but don't want to pay launch prices, this is an ideal buy over the Apple Watch SE 3. The only sticking point is that it doesn't work with third-party apps like Spotify and WhatsApp as well as other smartwatches do, and you have to sideload apps via Huawei's AppGallery.

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