Amazfit is quietly building a solar-charging smartwatch, and the evidence is stacking up. Between code found inside the Zepp Health app and a mysterious watch that appeared on Amazfit's official Spanish Instagram account, it is looking increasingly likely that the brand known for budget AMOLED watches is about to take a swing at Garmin's solar dominance.
This is a bigger deal than it might sound. A solar Amazfit watch would be the first real competitor to Garmin's Instinct Solar and Fenix Solar lineup, and it could change the value math in the outdoor watch category.
Here is what the leaks tell us so far.
The App Code Leak
The first signal came from the Zepp Health smartphone app, which is the companion app that controls Amazfit watches. Developers digging through app version 10.5.0 found data fields that should not exist unless solar hardware is being planned.
The code includes a category called "SolarBatteryChargeRecord" with fields for "lux," "panelType," and "status." Those are solar charging diagnostics. "Lux" measures light intensity. "PanelType" refers to the solar panel hardware. "Status" tracks whether the watch is actively charging from light.
Gadgets & Wearables, who first spotted the code, noted that these fields were actually present in older app versions too, which means Amazfit has been building the software framework for solar hardware for a while. This is not a placeholder or a mistake. It is infrastructure being prepared for a real product.
The Instagram Teaser: A T-Rex Solar?
The second piece of evidence is more visual. Amazfit's official Spanish Instagram account posted an image of a watch that does not match anything currently in their lineup.
The watch has a rugged, round case with a red triangle on the bezel, which is the visual signature of Amazfit's T-Rex outdoor line. The shape and proportions suggest a transflective MIP display rather than the AMOLED screens Amazfit uses on most current watches.
Put the app code and the Instagram post together, and the picture becomes clear: Amazfit is building a rugged T-Rex watch with solar charging. Whether it is called the T-Rex Solar or something else is still unknown, but the T-Rex connection makes sense. The T-Rex line is Amazfit's outdoor and adventure family, which is exactly where solar charging matters most.
Why Solar Means a Different Display
This is the most interesting technical detail in the whole leak, and it explains why a solar Amazfit watch is a bigger deal than it sounds.
Solar panels cannot generate enough electricity to keep a bright AMOLED screen running. AMOLED displays are power-hungry because every pixel produces its own light. A 3,000-nit AMOLED at full brightness will drain a watch battery in hours, not days. No solar panel small enough to fit on a wristwatch can offset that.
That is why every solar watch on the market uses a transflective MIP display instead. MIP stands for Memory-in-Pixel. These displays use reflected ambient light to show the time and data, which means they are essentially zero-power in bright sunlight. The brighter the sun, the more readable the screen. And because the screen sips almost no power, the solar panel can actually keep up and extend battery life significantly.
Garmin has used this formula for years on the Instinct 2X Solar (which can achieve effectively unlimited battery in smartwatch mode with enough sunlight), the Fenix 7X Solar, and the Enduro series.
For Amazfit to go solar, they would need to go back to a transflective display. And here is the twist: Amazfit already has experience with this. The original Amazfit Bip S, released in 2020, used a transflective display and achieved 40 days of battery life without any solar assistance. It was a legendary battery champion in the budget category.
A solar T-Rex would combine Amazfit's transflective display experience with modern solar charging tech. That is a genuinely compelling product for outdoor enthusiasts who want Garmin-level battery endurance without Garmin pricing.
How Garmin's Solar Tech Works
To understand what Amazfit is up against, it helps to understand how Garmin does solar.
Garmin uses a technology called Power Glass (or Sapphire Solar on premium models). It is a single semitransparent layer of solar cells bonded between the glass and the display. The layer captures sunlight and converts it to electricity that trickle-charges the battery.
The key metric is 50,000 lux, which is roughly the brightness of a sunny day. Garmin's battery claims assume three hours per day of exposure to 50,000 lux conditions. In full direct sun (which can hit 150,000 lux), the charging effect is two to three times stronger.
On the Instinct 2X Solar, this translates to up to 48 days of battery in smartwatch mode with solar assist, and potentially unlimited battery with conservative settings and adequate sunlight. The Fenix 7X Solar delivers up to 37 days. These are numbers no AMOLED watch can touch.
The trade-off is the display. MIP screens look dim and washed out indoors compared to AMOLED. They refresh slowly, so animations are choppy. They are monochrome or limited color. If you want a watch that looks like a mini smartphone on your wrist, MIP is a step backward. If you want a watch that lasts for weeks outdoors, MIP is the only game in town.
The AMOLED Solar Wildcard
There is one more possibility that would be even more interesting. Garmin has filed patents for solar technology that works with AMOLED displays, using transparent solar harvesting layers that let light through to the screen while capturing energy. If Amazfit beat Garmin to market with solar AMOLED, it would be a genuine first.
The Zepp app code does not specify which display type the solar watch will use. But the Instagram teaser showing what looks like a MIP display suggests the more conservative route. Amazfit would be playing it safe with proven technology rather than betting on unproven solar AMOLED.
What This Means for the Market
A solar Amazfit watch would land in a specific gap in the market. Here is the landscape:
- Garmin Instinct 2X Solar costs around $399 and is the solar battery champion
- Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Solar starts around $699 for the solar version
- Garmin Enduro 3 delivers massive battery but at premium pricing
Amazfit's entire brand identity is delivering premium features at lower prices. The T-Rex 3 currently costs $279 and offers military-grade durability, 27-day battery, and a 1.5-inch AMOLED. A solar version at a similar price point, even with a MIP display instead of AMOLED, would undercut Garmin's solar lineup by $100 to $400.
For trail runners, hikers, and ultramarathoners who care about multi-week battery life, the math could be compelling. Garmin's solar watches are excellent but expensive. An Amazfit alternative at half the price would force Garmin to respond.
What We Still Do Not Know
Plenty of questions remain unanswered:
- Name and model: T-Rex Solar? T-Rex Ultra Solar? Something entirely new?
- Price: Will it stay under $300, or will solar tech push it higher?
- Battery life claims: How many days with solar assist?
- Display details: Transflective MIP confirmed, or is solar AMOLED possible?
- Launch date: No official announcement yet
- Whether it replaces or supplements the T-Rex 3: A solar model could be a new tier above the current T-Rex 3, or it could be a separate outdoor-focused line
The Bottom Line
Amazfit building a solar smartwatch is a sign that the brand is serious about the outdoor and adventure category, not just the budget AMOLED space where they currently dominate. The app code is real. The Instagram teaser is real. The technology makes sense for a T-Rex-family watch.
The big question is whether Amazfit can deliver Garmin-level solar performance at Amazfit-level pricing. If they can, the outdoor watch market just got a lot more interesting. Garmin has had the solar category almost entirely to itself for years. That might be about to change.
For now, treat this as a strong rumor backed by solid evidence. The app code does not lie, and the Instagram post matches the T-Rex aesthetic. An official announcement feels likely before the end of 2026, possibly alongside other T-Rex family updates Amazfit has already confirmed are coming.
If you have been waiting for a solar watch that does not cost Garmin money, this is the one to watch.