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Fitness and health tracking
When it comes to smartwatches that are compatible with Android smartphones, there are many choices available. You can find excellent options from brands like Amazfit, Garmin, Fitbit, and others. However, if you specifically want a smartwatch with Wear OS, your choices are a bit limited. You’ll find Google’s own Pixel Watch and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Series among the top choices.
Another standout option is the TicWatch Pro 5 by Mobvoi. It runs on Google’s Wear OS platform, boasts impressive battery life, features an appealing design, and has a lot more going for it. I have been using the TicWatch Pro 5 for a month now, I think it’s the best choice for those looking for a Wear OS smartwatch with long battery. Read on for my detailed review.
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
Longest-Lasting Battery in a Wear OS Watch
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 smartwatch is powered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and Wear OS 3. It can last for up to 80 hours on a single charge, and it has 5ATM water protection, many built-in sports tracking features, NFC for contactless payments, and the same dual-screen technology that extends the battery life further.
Brand Mobvoi
Heart Rate Monitor Yes (HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor)
Operating System Wear OS 3.5
Onboard GPS GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS
Customizable Strap Yes (Interchangeable solid silicone, 24mm)
Lens Material Corning Gorilla Anti-fingerprint Cover Glass
Case Material Metal, high-strength nylon with fiberglass
Colors Obsidian, Sandstone
CPU Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1
RAM 2GB
Storage 32GB
Battery 628mAh
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi
Health sensors HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor, SpO2 Sensor, Skin Temperature Sensor, Low Latency Off-Body Sensor, Barometer, Compass
Dimensions 50.1mm (H) x 48.0mm (L) x 12.2mm (D)
Weight 44.3g
Mobile payments Yes (Google Pay)
IP Rating 5ATM, MIL-STD-810H
Price and availability
The TicWatch Pro 5 was introduced on May 24, 2023, with a price tag of $350. You can buy the smartwatch directly from Mobvoi’s website or from Amazon. It’s offered in a single version featuring a 1.43-inch display, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage, available in Obsidian Black or Sandstone colors. For now, there is no variant that offers cellular connectivity. Since the watch has been on the market for a while, you may be able to snag it at a discounted price during sales.
Design and build
Source: Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia
Taking a look at the design, you’ll notice that the TicWatch Pro 5 keeps a classic and slightly rugged design, just like the previous TicWatch models. On the hand, the TicWatch Pro 5 feels rather big, especially coming from the 44mm Apple Watch Series 6. The watch comes only in one size, which is 48mm, so if you have smaller wrists, it might feel a bit on the larger side. However, Mobvoi has managed its weight well, and wearing the TicWatch Pro 5 for extended periods doesn’t lead to fatigue.
In comparison to the Pixel Watch 2, the TicWatch Pro 5 is both heavier and larger. The TicWatch Pro 5 measures 50.15x48x12.2mm and weighs 44.35 grams, while the Pixel Watch 2 is 41 x 41 x 12.3 mm and weighs 31 grams. Despite its larger 48mm dial size compared to the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (47mm), the TicWatch Pro 5 is lighter than the Samsung smartwatch, coming in at 44.35 grams versus 52 grams.
The display, protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass, has a slight matte finish — which, by the way, I’m not really a fan of — but it’s there for one special purpose (which we will talk about in the display section below). There is a rotating bezel around the display, which has been given a textured finish, while the rest of the body has a matte look. Compared to other smartwatches on the market, the TicWatch Pro 5 gives off a rugged vibe, making it feel less delicate.
Source: Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia
On the back, you’ll find the watch’s health sensor and charging pins, along with regulatory markings and screws holding the watch in place. In terms of durability, the TicWatch Pro 5 ranks up there with the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy smartwatches, boasting 5ATM water resistance and an MIL-STD-810H rating for durability. The watch is also constructed using 7000-series aluminum and high-strength nylon with fiberglass, making sure it is up for all your outdoor adventures.
If I were to point out a design flaw, it would be the change from a 22mm strap size to 24mm on the TicWatch Pro 5. Yes, the straps are interchangeable, and the pre-installed watch strap even supports the quick-release mechanism, but I’ll be honest, I am not really a fan of the strap that comes with the watch. Moreover, since the strap size is 24mm, there are limited options to choose from on the market. Thankfully, Mobvoi sells watch straps on its website, including a leather option, so you can purchase them directly from the manufacturer if you prefer.
Display
Source: Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia
Now, let’s talk about the display. The TicWatch Pro 5 features a 1.43-inch circular AMOLED display with 466×466-pixel resolution. What’s unique about this display is that it’s not your typical AMOLED screen like you’d find on most other smartwatches. Mobvoi has implemented a dual-layer display in the TicWatch Pro 5. There’s the primary AMOLED panel, and on top of that, there’s an always-on Ultra-low-power panel.
When the watch is idle, it uses this monochrome panel to show essential information like the time, heart rate, and step count. This enables the smartwatch to conserve battery more efficiently compared to other smartwatches with always-on AMOLED displays. Mobvoi also uses this secondary panel smartly; for instance, during workouts, it displays heart rate zones, allowing you to quickly glance at the important data without waking up the entire watch.
A single tap on the display activates the OLED panel beneath, and then you can interact with the Wear OS platform as usual. Of course, the dual-layer design does have a slight impact on the color quality of the OLED panel, and personally, I’m not a big fan of this dual-layer design, but it significantly contributes to the impressive battery life of the watch, so I’d take it over other AMOLED panels.
Software and performance
Source: Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia
The TicWatch Pro 5 runs on Wear OS 3.5 out of the box. Even though Google has already released Wear OS 4, which is available on both generations of the Pixel Watch and the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series, there’s no official word on when the TicWatch Pro 5 will receive this update. We’ll update this review as and when we have a word from the company, but we don’t expect it to arrive anytime soon.
Under the hood, the TicWatch Pro 5 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor, and thanks to this, the Wear OS experience on this smartwatch is really enjoyable. Apps load quickly, and there’s a wide variety of watch faces and customization options available. You can also use Google Pay for contactless payments. The watch comes with several pre-installed Mobvoi and Tic apps like TicExercise for tracking workouts, TicPulse for monitoring your pulse rate, TicOxygen, TicCompass, and more. Additionally, it offers an Essential Mode that conserves battery life by disabling extra features.
Source: Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia
Pairing the watch with your Android phone is also a bliss. Just power up the watch and bring it close to your smartphone (with Bluetooth enabled), and the fast pairing process will take care of the connection. Interestingly, the watch prompted us to install the Mobvoi Health app for Android to complete the pairing, as Google’s Wear OS app didn’t seem to work. While this doesn’t make a significant difference since you can access all your watch-related data through the Mobvoi app, it’s worth noting.
Overall, the software experience is excellent, but there’s one downside — the TicWatch Pro 5 lacks Google Assistant. When I first powered on TicWatch Pro 5, I was of the opinion that all the Wear OS smartwatches come with Google Assistant capability. However, I was surprised to find out that this smartwatch does not support Google Assistant. While it may not be a big deal for some, I really found it hard without this capability. Having the ability to do things like starting workouts and checking the tasks list using a voice is something that I really love on my Apple Watch, but I really missed it here.
Fitness and health tracking
Source: Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia
TicWatch Pro 5 goes big on fitness features as well. There are tons of health sensors on the back, including a Heart Rate Sensor, SpO2 Sensor, Skin Temperature Sensor, Low Latency Off-Body Sensor, Barometer, and Compass. These sensors deliver a health-tracking experience that is on par with other premium smartwatches on the market.
For tracking your workouts, the watch comes equipped with the TicExercise app. It offers over 100 modes for monitoring various activities, from the basics like walking, running, and cycling to sports such as Badminton and even Cricket. You can view basic statistics directly on your smartwatch, but for more detailed insights, you will have to use the companion Mobvoi Health app on your Android phone.
Source: Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia
In a side-by-side comparison with the Apple Watch, both the TicWatch Pro 5 and Apple Watch seem to track calories burned and heart rate nearly identically. As shown in the image above, after spending 10 minutes on the Elliptical, the TicWatch Pro 5 recorded around 97 active calories burned, while the Apple Watch Series 6 showed 98. Heart rate readings showed a slight difference, with the TicWatch Pro 5 at 119 and the Apple Watch at 122. One thing that I really liked about the workout tracking on TicWatch Pro 5 is that the low-power display changes background colors based on your heart rate zone, which is a nice touch.
The skin temperature sensor doesn’t provide instant body temperature readings. Instead, you can enable it to monitor your temperature during your sleep, and then it will be able to provide further insights. As for sleep tracking, it’s well-designed and detailed. It provides information on the time spent in each sleep stage, as well as tracks your respiratory rate and heart rate.
Battery life
Source: Pocketnow / Sanuj Bhatia
The TicWatch Pro 5 comes with a huge 628mAh battery inside — in fact, it is even bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra which features a 542mAh cell. Mobvoi claims up to 80 hours of battery life on a single charge, and in our testing, we found this claim to be true. With all features active, including the skin temperature sensor during sleep tracking, we consistently got over three, nearly four days of battery life.
While most of the other Wear OS smartwatches can’t make it 24 hours with the always-on display enabled, the TicWatch Pro 5 surprised us with such amazing battery life. Mobvoi achieves this by using the low-power secondary display as the always-on mode. You can opt to use the OLED display for always-on functionality, but this does reduce the battery life to around two days, which is still impressive in my opinion. Additionally, the watch also switches to Essential Mode at night, disabling interaction with Wear OS and all smart features until the morning.
In terms of charging, the TicWatch Pro 5 includes a proprietary magnetic puck with a USB-A connector on the other end. While we would’ve loved to see USB-C connector and Qi wireless charging support, this is not the case here. The watch does support sort of fast charging, reaching from 0% to 65% battery in about half an hour, with a full charge taking just over an hour.
Verdict
So, should you buy the TicWatch Pro 5? Well, if you are in the market for a new Wear OS smartwatch that delivers outstanding battery life and a range of health tracking capabilities, the TicWatch Pro 5 is an excellent option. While it may not match the aesthetic appeal and Google Assistant support of the Samsung Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch, if you prioritize long battery life and don’t want to charge your smartwatch every night, this is the best Wear OS wearable out there.
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
Longest-Lasting Battery in a Wear OS Watch
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 smartwatch is powered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and Wear OS 3. It can last for up to 80 hours on a single charge, and it has 5ATM water protection, many built-in sports tracking features, NFC for contactless payments, and the same dual-screen technology that extends the battery life further.
