Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro, Wear OS 7, Garmin EU: Weekly Roundup

Three stories landed this week that matter if you race with a watch on your wrist. Amazfit finally shipped a serious running watch, Google pushed a major Wear OS update, and EU regulators forced Garmin closer to Apple Watch parity on iPhone. Here is what each one means for your training.

The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro is the brand's most credible running watch in years. Titanium case, sapphire crystal, and a price tag roughly 50% higher than its predecessor put it squarely against the Garmin Forerunner 965 and Polar Vantage V3. Testing across running, cycling, and swimming with Garmin and Stryd as references will tell us whether the optical PPG heart rate and GPS accuracy actually close the gap, or whether Amazfit is still selling hardware spec sheets over real-world performance. Early indications suggest the most honest effort the brand has made yet.

Wear OS 7 is the bigger platform story. Google is pushing improved battery life, Gemini AI integration, and a unified workout tracking screen to Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch hardware. Better battery is the only spec endurance athletes actually care about on a Wear OS device. The Pixel Watch 3 already struggled past 24 hours of mixed use, so any real gain here changes the calculus for athletes who want Android integration without carrying a charger to every race. The Gemini layer is interesting for post-workout analysis, but it adds nothing during a 70.3.

The EU regulatory story is the quietest but potentially most useful for Garmin users on iPhone. Brussels has pushed Apple to open Live Activities and wrist-based reply functionality to third-party watches. With iOS 26.5, EU Garmin owners get two features that previously required an Apple Watch. Glancing at your Strava segment live status or replying to a message mid-ride without touching your phone is genuinely useful on long training days. UK and US athletes get nothing yet, and Garmin still needs to ship a firmware update to activate it.

Short verdict: Cheetah 2 Pro is the Amazfit to actually test. Wear OS 7 battery claims need real-world validation before trusting them. The Garmin EU unlock is real progress, just not global yet.