Review Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro: our complete review – Watches / Bracelet smart health connected

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Introduction

In the world of smart health connected watches, the Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro offers a different solution able to solve one of the main problems of smartwatchs under Wear OS: autonomy. With its second monochrome LCD, the battery can last up to a month … but does that make it an excellent smart health connected watch? The answer in our Review !

Technical sheet

This Review was performed with a watch loaned by Mobvoi.

Between city and sports

smart health connected watches always have a hard time defining themselves and attracting both athletes (the market favors thanks to the many sensors and possible applications) and the public who wants a watch for their everyday outings. And for once, the Ticwatch Pro is doing pretty well.

Its case (circular) is quite classy, ​​but rather imposing. It is made of carbon fiber reinforced with nylon and has a numbered aluminum frame, while the underside of the watch is metal.

All in all, the Ticwatch Pro proves robust and breathes solidity, but the finishes could be better. In the long run, we notice the presence of scratches more or less visible on the metal parts and I also noticed a little addict in the paint just above the level of the charger, which requires to be very cautious.

With its weight of 57.4 grams on our scale, its 45 mm dial and its thickness of about 15 mm, the Ticwatch Pro is not what can be called a discreet watch; keep this element in mind if you have small wrists and do not like the tocantes too massive. However, from a very personal point of view, I do not find that she swears particularly.

Finally, we note that there are two buttons on the side, which is a shame when we used to navigate with a crown (like the Fossil Q) or a rotating ring (like the Samsung Galaxy Watch), and that the case is IP68 certified, guaranteeing its use even in humid environments.

The bracelet is a standard 22mm, which means you can change it easily if needed. And that's good, because the basic one is not exceptional. This is a hybrid wristband made of silicone on the inside to suit the sporty and Italian leather on the outside for a more chic look.

Unfortunately, the leather quickly displays the pangs of time, including its many folds, while the striated silicone is perfect to capture the salt of your perspiration and bad smells. At the slightest heat, you will quickly want to remove the watch to avoid this unpleasant and odorous sensation on your arm.

Two screens to double the uses

Its design is rather banal, but its particularity lies in its screen. If there seems to be only one at first sight, there are in fact 2 superimposed. One OLED to display the information of Wear OS, the other FSTN (passive matrix LCD) and monochrome. Transparent, it allows to see the main screen when it turns off, while consuming very little energy and allowing to consult certain information without having to turn on the greedy OLED screen.

The OLED screen in question is very bright and readable even in direct sunlight. Note also that it has an ambient light sensor, which is not always the case. With its diagonal 1.4 inches and 400 x 400 pixels definition, it is in the average of what is usually done.

The LCD screen is completely invisible when it is turned off and does not interfere with the reading of the screen dedicated to Wear OS. If we want to quibble a little we can notice that it removes a little slab (OLED) of the glass, which reduces a little vision angles, but you have to stick his nose on to realize it.

The LCD screen on its side is designed to display the time constantly in black on a gray background, without backlighting. It is therefore readable only in certain light conditions. If there is too much light, the reflections make the screen unreadable, and if there is not enough, the screen is illegible since not lit. It remains practical on many occasions, especially since it displays not only the time, but also the number of steps, the date and the battery level.

Still, as you lift your wrist, the OLED screen may turn on, reducing the interest of the LCD screen. On the other hand, the setting may be a little light and it can happen that by raising the wrist, the OLED screen will not be displayed. If you only want to check the time, it's a good thing, but during sports sessions, when you want to take a quick look at his performance, having to shake his wrist is not always pleasant.

Wear OS 2.0 at the rendezvous

The Ticwatch Pro is one of the most current Wear OS watches of the moment. It embeds version 2.1 of Google's system, with its new interface. Despite this very up-to-date version, on the other hand we have on board a security update dating from July 2018.

I will not come back here on WearOS, which has been processed up and down in other tests, the system does not change compared to a Fossil Q Explorist HR for example. It should be noted however that Google's solution is far from being the most ergonomic to use or even the most complete. Developers are in no hurry to adapt their applications to this format, not even Google does not offer YouTube Music on its smart health connected watches, forcing to go through the soon outdated Google Play Music.

Basically, the Ticwatch Pro includes many different dials, more or less aesthetic and more or less complete in terms of information given (time, date, number of steps, battery level, upcoming event, pulse, etc.). A good point for those who do not want to dig for hours on the Google Play Store to find the one that suits their needs.

Switching from one application to another can also be tedious knowing that it must be found in the list each time. Trouble during a training for example if you switch regularly between a music application and a monitoring effort.

Note that all the sensors are in the game. We find on board a GPS, an NFC chip for contactless payment (the day Google Pay really arrives in France) and of course a heart rate monitoring to always keep an eye on his heart rate. Heart rate also consistent with what other smartwatchs like the Apple Watch.

Note that, like many Wear OS watches of 2018, the Ticwatch Pro embeds a SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 coupled with 512 MB of RAM, an aging configuration that sometimes lacks fluidity, it's a shame.

The good point: Mobvoi has added its own applications natively on the smartwatch. We thus find "TicExercice", with 5 types of integrated exercises (quite limited), TicPouls to force the taking of the heart rate and TicSanté to regularly remember the objectives that we set ourselves.

Finally a watch with a correct autonomy

A problem that is often encountered on smart health connected watches is their autonomy. With little room to house a battery, a screen always on or almost and energy hungry sensors, they struggle to keep several days.

However, with its secondary screen that avoids lighting the OLED, Ticwatch Pro and its 415 mAh battery (among the largest on the market), it can easily take 2 to 3 days between recharging depending on the sensors used ( pay attention to GPS, rather greedy). Note that if you only use the black and white screen and turn off the smart features, you can keep up to 30 days depending on the manufacturer.

Only downside: the lack of fast charge. Allow 2 hours for a full charge with the supplied dock.

Price and availability

The Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro is already available at the recommended price of 250 euros. You will be able find it at this price on Amazon for example.

Where to buy the Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro at the best price?

And if you hesitate, do not hesitate to consult our buying guide for smart health connected watches.

• Water resistant

• With a brightness sensor

• The second screen is convenient …

• … especially to save battery!

• Updates are fast

• The bracelet

• Dial quickly striped

• Aging architecture

• Wear OS still limited

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