Forget the Pixel Watch: This $350 Android Has a Sportier Look and Better Battery Life

Buying a smartwatch these days is just like buying a smartphone in two ways: watchOS or Android. It all depends on your preference of operating system and what devices you are pairing the wearable with.

If Android is your OS of choice, then Samsung and now, Google are your best options. But every so often, a challenging brand comes along and completely obliterates our prejudice list—or, at least mine.

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Currently, that honor goes to Mobvoi’s new $350 tickwatch pro 5A smartwatch model that should ring a bell with Android enthusiasts more than anyone else.

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moboi ticwatch pro 5

No-frills Wear OS watch powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor.

it’s the successor of 2020 tickwatch pro 3that delivered a speedy Wear OS experience in an affordable, attractive hardware package.

At the time, before Google even released its own Pixel smartwatch, the TicWatch was arguably the best device running Google’s wearable platform. It was very responsive, supported more Play Store apps than Samsung’s popular Galaxy watches, and covered the usual gamut of fitness and health features.

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Three years later, I got to test the new TicWatch Pro 5 last week — the Asia-based manufacturer tends to eschew model names containing the number “4” because of negative connotations — and I’m very pleased.

A big part of this is how little Mobvoi has changed in terms of the watch’s hardware. It’s still a rugged, sporty look and something you’d wear to more formal occasions, but the watch just looks and feels good on the wrist.

The TicWatch Pro 5 is only available in one size (50.15 x 48 x 12.2mm) and color (black), but even for someone who loves rock climbing and rock climbing for morning jogs and city commutes, the TicWatch Pro 5 The 15K is designed for tough mudders to conquer. The larger-than-average size of the wearable is bearable.

However, I will give the TicWatch Pro 5 two nods for its design. 1) Although the textured bezels surrounding the surface of the watch face give the wearable a premium aesthetic, it cannot be dialed or turned like some older Samsung Galaxy watches. 2) And if you’re planning to work with the default rubber watch band, expect it to leave a serious mark on your arm. My suggestion is to buy a more breathable, sweat-resistant band if you plan to run and take the Ticwatch on at all.

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I’m glad to go back to the features Mobvoi kept: The TicWatch Pro 5 still has the company’s simple dual-layer display, which sets an ultra-low-power panel on top of the OLED below. This matching of displays allows the TicWatch to cycle between a battery-efficient watch face when the device is idle and a more colorful, contrasting view when it is.

Mobvoi has taken it up a notch with the new dual-layer display by implementing six backlight colors to indicate which heart rate zone you’re in during a workout. So, as I’m running outside, a quick glance at what color the low-power display is showing gives me an idea of ​​how much less or more intense my exercise should be.

Ultimately, I got an average of three days of use out of the watch before needing a charge, which is just as impressive as its fast charge time of around 50 minutes. Mobvoi says a half-hour charge takes the watch from 0% to 65%, and I can confirm that. If I forced the Ticwatch to stay in Essentials mode all day, which limits the display to ultra-low-power visuals, I could watch it for quite a long time.

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The smartwatch’s user experience, while relatively bare-bones compared to the ecosystem-driven benefits of Apple Watches and Samsung Galaxy Watches, has been refreshing to use. Most, if not all, of the on-device features I want in a smartwatch are here, like heart rate and sleep tracking, timers, calendar and message notifications, and even Google Maps navigation.

In fact, it was during my taps, swipes and pinches in services like Google Maps that I noticed how fast the smartwatch was. Thanks to the new Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor powering the unit, street names and directions were loading as I zoomed in and out on maps.

The emerging question with the Mobvoi smartwatch concerns software support. three years after the release of the previous tickwatch pro 3The company still hasn’t updated the wearable with its promised Wear OS 3. And while the Pro 5 model I’m testing is running the latest Google software, its most recent security patch was four months ago.

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When asked about Mobvoi’s commitment to software updates with the latest watch, a spokesperson said that an OTA update will arrive as soon as the launch date is today. I’ll see if that holds true, and whether or not there will be more continuity going forward.

Aside from updates, there’s a lot more to explore with Mobvoi’s latest TicWatch, and it’s more than capable of running even the most demanding Android apps thanks to the upgraded processor. for $350, Pro 5 competes perfectly with Google’s own pixel clock, But unless you prefer a fancier, more elegant design and a better updated Cadence, I’m finding it hard to justify the latter.