The Wear OS watch you were looking for [Video]

I found myself in a place where, after forty years, I am suddenly a fan of fine watches. I don’t know exactly why it happened, but I know when. I was in Newport on vacation with my family and I came across a watch that turned my head. It was then and there that I caught the bug that has now become an obsession. I don’t have the most impressive collection in the world, but I have collected a little more than a dozen watches and I love my watch family very much. I’d like to expand into a few more luxurious models, such as an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, but I’m not at that level yet.

With all that said, the technician in me collided with the newly found obsession with the watch and I decided it was time to give Wear OS another try. Last year, I tried TicWatch Pro 4G / LTE from Mobvoi and it was generally not a horrible experience, but the subtle shocks of Wear OS combined with the outdated Snapdragon 2100 chipset left me with a less desirable taste in the mouth. smart watches in general. The most impressive thing about the TicWatch line is the two-layer display that helps the smartwatch gain better battery life than almost any Wear OS device on the market. My biggest problem with Pro 4G / LTE was that it just wasn’t intuitive or intuitive enough to forgive my rather boring, completely black design. That being said, last year’s model is still well built. It feels more like an oversized fitness tracker that does a lot of things, it just did nothing but keep a charge.

GPS TicWatch Pro 3

For 2020, Mobvoi has brought its A game with one of the first Wear OS devices powered by the highly anticipated Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 chipset. (It’s not 4100+, but that’s totally found and I’ll let you know why in a minute.) This is a long-term review, as I’ve been using TicWatch Pro 3 for a few months now, so I can get a real impression of using Wear OS consistently over a decent amount of time. I will describe everything that is good and not so good in terms of the new watch from Mobvoi a little below, but for those of you who want this, here is my review of the TicWatch Pro 3 2020 GPS from Mobvoi.

Here is the short story. The TicWatch Pro 3 GPS is not the clearest Wear OS device on the market. In fact, it is very simple and modest, but Mobvoi has changed the aesthetics enough to take it from the sport-watch look of the previous model to a watch that can be worn in a variety of settings. For me, it’s simply the icing on the cake, because – as I mentioned in the video – I gathered a decent little collection of watches. What I want in a smart watch is a very good Wear OS experience and that’s exactly what Mobvoi delivered.

The upgrade of the Snapdragon 4100 chipset gives the TicWatch Pro 3 a definite advantage over most other Wear OS devices, thanks to Mobvoi’s dual-layer 2.0 display. Layered screens give TicWatch 2-3 days of battery life easily. I constantly receive over 4 days with a single charge and this is a very unusual achievement in the country of Wear OS. Combined with 1 GB of RAM, TicWatch moves easier than any other smartwatch I’ve tried. This is especially true when using the Google Assistant. On the last TicWatch, the Assistant was a burden to use. Response times were painful and made the Google Assistant almost useless, and this is a feature I WANT to actually use on my smartwatch. TicWatch Pro 3 fixes this. The assistant is fast and the results are provided quickly and consistently. Victory.

The other thing that really captivated me with the new Tic Watch is all the great health features that come with the Mobvoi app suite. You will get almost everything you could want from a portable fitness-focused item. You will find training sessions that can help you improve your calm with TicBreathe, monitor decibels with TicHearing and more. I found that the sleep tracking tool was very accurate and gave me a valuable perspective on my sleep patterns. There is even a sensor for oxygen saturation in the blood. This is very useful when you are working, but even more important now, because we are still in a pandemic. One of the most critical conditions caused by COVID-19 is a reduction in the level of O2 in your body, and TicWatch can help you keep track of this without having to go out and buy an independent sensor.

If you expect me to point out the “evil” of this watch, I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait a little longer. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t given up my collection of analog watches, but I can find very little about TicWatch that I don’t like. In any case, I would like to see Mobvoi team up with a bigger watchmaker and produce a model with a more refined look, but that would also mean paying the premium price that comes with more luxurious watches. However, as I said in the video, I have fancy watches if I feel like wearing them. If I want a completely round and durable Wear OS watch with excellent battery life and above-average experience, the TicWatch Pro 3 GPS is the best thing that’s happening right now and costs only $ 299. It is less than many of my traditional watches. Just saying. Speaking of durability, this watch has an IP68 class and you can feel safe taking a quick dip in the pool when you wear it. You probably want to avoid salt water, but this is true for almost any type of electronic device.

I would also recommend that Mobvoi consider adding a rotating crown or capacitive touch between the buttons on the next model. The way Wear OS is designed, navigating through apps, settings and notifications screams for a scrolling option and this is the only feature that TicWatches seems to avoid for some reason. I would also like to see an LTE version get here to the states, but that will probably happen sooner rather than later.

The general design of TicWatch? I will give it a solid 7 out of 10, because Mobvoi could easily turn this watch into a point of attraction without adding too much to the cost. In terms of software experience, the TicWatch Pro 3 GPS receives 8.5 out of 10 from me. If you ask me, this watch is the bar that other Wear OS manufacturers should be looking for when it comes to a pleasant, easy-to-use smart watch experience. This is exactly why TicWatch made me the Gear of the Year list and why it is my number one choice for the best global Wear OS watch you can buy right now. Here is a summary of the key specifications and where you can find the TicWatch Pro 3 GPS.

GPS TicWatch Pro 3

GPS TicWatch Pro 3 from Mobvoi

Watches in the video

TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, TicWatch Pro 4G, Morphic 92 Red / Black. I buy my watches from various stores, but I have a WatchGang subscription and I strongly recommend it to someone who wants to get their feet wet with new watches at a very reasonable price. You can check here.