Mobvoi’s $350 TicWatch Pro 5 made a big impression on me. For a similar price as smaller WearOS watches like the $350 Google Pixel Watch 2 or the $330 Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, the 50mm TicWatch Pro 5’s 1.43-inch AMOLED display provides a larger canvas for its watch faces.
While I wouldn’t consider the TicWatch to be subtle, it allows more space for apps and WearOS 3 notifications. Mobvoi includes a few watch-face options that let you cram in lots of complications if that’s your jam. While I prefer more minimalistic watch faces, the large display was still beneficial, with even enough room for an on-screen keyboard for text replies.
The TicWatch Pro 5’s AMOLED display.
Even though the TicWatch Pro 5 was released last spring, it’s still one of the few WearOS watches to include Qualcomm’s newer Snapdragon W5 Plus chip. I found the chip helped favorably with the watch’s battery life and charging speeds.
During my month of testing, the battery easily lasted two days on a charge. With less intensive use and Mobvoi’s ultralow-power display mode enabled, which I’ll detail more later, the TicWatch Pro 5 impressively lasted four days between charges. Compare that to recent WearOS watches that last roughly two days on a charge. Charging is also fast, with the TicWatch’s magnetic charger bringing it from 0% to 49% in 30 minutes.
Charging speed test
On the whole, the TicWatch Pro 5 is a great choice for its big design and generous battery life. But Mobvoi’s hasn’t updated the TicWatch Pro 5 to WearOS 4, nor has it committed to a roadmap for future OS and security support. It’s concerning because Mobvoi promised a WearOS 3 update for its TicWatch 3 lineup back in 2021 that took until December 2023 to roll out.
If you like the TicWatch Pro 5’s larger look, WearOS 3 and ability to last for days on a single charge, then this is a great watch to consider. But if you’re the kind of person that gets FOMO seeing new features land for Google’s Pixel Watch or Samsung’s Galaxy Watch, then Mobvoi’s lack of guaranteed software improvements is a good enough reason to skip the watch.
Read more: Best Smartwatch of 2024
TicWatch Pro 5 design: Always-on display
The TicWatch Pro 5 comes in two colors: Obsidian (the unit I reviewed) and a lighter Sandstone option. The watch has a crown for scrolling through menus and accessing apps with a button that brings up a recent-app list or Google Wallet for contactless payments. Its 44.3-gram weight is noticeable but lighter than the comparably sized 59-gram Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.
Around back are health sensors for heart rate, blood oxygen and skin temperature. The TicWatch Pro 5 does not include an ECG feature like the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch. The watch’s charging cable magnetically attaches to the back left side which gives it a slight hump.
The TicWatch Pro 5 follows other smartwatches with an always-on screen option to reduce battery drain. By default, its “ultralow-power display” is set as its always-on display, which is a secondary screen that has been offered on prior TicWatch models. This screen only appears while the AMOLED is off, and it has an old-school monochrome look with a backlight that you can color-customize. It shows basic information including the time and your heart rate. When you want to return to WearOS, tap the screen to switch on the AMOLED display, or simply rotate your wrist when receiving a notification.
The back of the TicWatch 5 Pro includes sensors and a magnetic clip for the charger.
TicWatch Pro 5 software
The TicWatch Pro 5 runs on WearOS 3, but syncs with the Mobvoi Health app on Android phones instead of Google’s WearOS app. The Mobvoi Health app is largely capable. It includes the results of any tracked workouts, sleep or health measurements. I especially liked that after a workout it estimated how much recovery time I needed. The Mobvoi Health app syncs data with Google Fit, and from there you can sync that data to other services, like MyFitnessPal. It also allows for sending new watch faces to the TicWatch using the TimeShow service, which requires setting up a second app on your phone.
The TicExercise app can track specific movements or mixed workouts.
If you don’t like Mobvoi’s suite of tracking apps, there’s the Google’s Play Store for installing alternates like Google Fit. However, even though the TicWatch Pro 5 is running WearOS 3, it lacks access to the Google Assistant. And Mobvoi hasn’t made it public when such support will arrive on the watch. Other non-Google WearOS smartwatch makers have had issues getting Google Assistant to work on their devices. For instance, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 and Fossil’s Gen 6 watches each added the Assistant months after launch. Prior TicWatch models have even lost Google Assistant access when Google discontinued Assistant support on WearOS 2 in August.
Since WearOS is based on Android, you can find support in the TicWatch’s Reddit community which offers some help toward installing those missing services, but doing so will depend on your comfort level with side-loading software instead of using Google’s official Play Store. For me (and most watch buyers, I imagine) I’m not interested in that much mucking around, but a benefit to Android is that the option is available.
Amazon’s Alexa app can be installed instead of Google Assistant, and it can fulfill many of the same functions, but it’s a notable concern alongside Mobvoi’s inability to commit to a software and security update timeline.
The TicWatch Pro 5 is also only compatible with Android phones, which isn’t surprising, but is disappointing when compared with Fossil’s Gen 6 smartwatch. And even though Garmin and Fitbit also make wearables that are compatible with iOS and Android, the smartwatch market is still generally led by companies that are iOS-only or Android-only.
Article source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/ticwatch-pro-5-review-big-wearos-watch-with-battery-life-tricks/#ftag=CADe34d7bf