Mobvoi TicWatch Pro Review: A smartwatch that ticks almost all the boxes

There are some downsides, but TicWatch Pro more than makes up for them with what it has to offer. You might want to pick this one up

The premium smartwatch segment seems empty with very few options that can take on the exalted Apple Watch or Samsung S3 gear. However, some players now want to carve a niche for themselves.

We recently came across Mobvoi's TicWatch Pro, a premium smartwatch with one of the best displays and a bag full of features. We felt the watch can easy give premium smartwatches a run for their money, but does the first impression stick on after almost a month of use? Let’s find out.

Design and build quality

 

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro looks like a premium smartwatch from every angle. It has hybrid leather straps on the outward side, while the inner side has a silicone layer. You can carry the watch with formals and casuals, it complements both the looks.

The smartwatch has a large face (1.39-inch) with a carbon fiber case. It looks bulky but isn't heavy on the wrist. There are two buttons on the right, one for navigation and the other is dedicated to mapping physical activities.

Display

 

This is one of the best displays we have seen so far. It has an LCD display mounted on its primary AMOLED screen. To put it simply, you get the experience of two displays.

The AMOLED display has an amazing touch response, but there are some lags also when you're using it during intense workouts. The colours are vivid and you can adjust the brightness. The battery drains quickly if you use it on high brightness.

On reserve battery, the LCD display comes into play. It works on 'Essential' mode and shows time and other basic data.

Battery

 

This is where most of the premium smartwatches haven't been able to up the game -- and Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro is no exception. If you're planning to buy Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro, then you'd have to keep your charger handy, just like we did during the time we had the watch. It's the only downside we could observe. The battery drains in a little over two days with the Smartwatch Mode. In Essential Mode, it gets reduced to a basic watch.

Performance

 

The TicWatch Pro runs Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 2100 CPU with 512MB RAM and 4GB storage. It runs on WearOS and you can use Mobvoi app to get further insights on the data. You get notifications and call alerts, you can reply with pre-saved templates. The voice assistant does a fair job of performing on commands.

You can also use Google Maps. We found it really convenient while riding a bike as we didn't have to stop and check the phone all the time.

You can store your songs and listen to them during a workout or otherwise after pairing the watch with Bluetooth earphones.

There is an option to reply to notifications, though you may find it a bit difficult with the touch keyboard; the Google Assistant may come handy in such cases.

 

The heart rate and other sensors seem to work fine. The readings were convincing enough. The IP68 rating makes it resistant to water, sweat, and dust.

We used the watch for a few exercise sessions and the data seemed reliable. However, the watch may not be too comfortable during intense workouts because of the large face.

Verdict

 

There are some downsides, but TicWatch Pro more than makes up for them with what it has to offer. The short battery life is a dampener but the smartwatch, priced at Rs 20,249, impressed us on overall performance.