Amazfit just pulled off the solar AMOLED trick Garmin couldn't

What you need to know

• Amazfit has unveiled the T-Rex Dual Solar, its first dual-sided solar AMOLED smartwatch that collects sunlight from both the front and rear.
• A larger panel sits inside the glass-ceramic rear plate, which Amazfit claims has twice the collection area, so the watch keeps charging even when it's off your wrist.
• Its 660mAh battery is said to deliver 25 days of standard use (or 41 hours in Accuracy GPS mode), extending up to 34 days with three daily hours of direct sunlight.

If you're in the market for a rugged outdoor watch with great battery life that's built to withstand off-grid excursions, Garmin's Fenix series has long held a monopoly on your wrist. But it makes you choose between a battery-sipping, washed-out Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) display with solar, or a rich, vibrant AMOLED display, and settle for shorter battery life. Amazfit's new T-Rex Dual Solar takes a different approach: keep the bright AMOLED display and add solar charging to both sides of the watch.

The T-Rex Dual Solar is the brand's first-ever AMOLED smartwatch with dual-sided solar charging. The front display can harness sunlight while you're wearing it, and a larger solar panel is inside the glass-ceramic rear plate. Amazfit says the rear panel has twice the collection area of the front one, giving you another option when the watch is not on your wrist.

That means a somewhat surreal but actually useful backup plan: if the battery dies, you can flip the watch over and expose its back to the sun, or just leave it in a sunny place, to get enough power to boot essential functions back up. The watch also has a Solar Priority Mode to help you get the most out of this off-wrist charging.

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Amazfit rates the 660mAh battery for up to 25 days of typical use and 41 hours in Accuracy GPS mode. Under the test conditions described, 50,000 lux for three hours a day can extend typical battery life up to 34 days.

The rest of the package is suitably rugged too, with a 1.32-inch AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, sapphire crystal, a Grade 5 titanium bezel, 10 ATM water resistance, maps, turn-by-turn navigation, waypoint tools, ski maps, and LiveShare location tracking. Plus, there's a red-light flashlight for night use.

The catch is the cost. Amazfit is stepping up into the premium adventure watch arena with this $650 offering, rather than its usual value-focused space. The T-Rex Dual Solar is now available on Amazfit's website and Amazon, and real-world testing will determine if its dual-sided solar system can live up to its lofty battery promises.