TicWatch Pro 5 review – review with opinion and features

We have tested the TicWatch Pro 5. Probably the Wear OS smartwatch with the best autonomy in history.

mobvoy For several years now it has been one of the few companies that continue taking seriously Google’s platform aimed at smart watches, Wear OS. Models like the TicWatch Pro S or the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra They are some of the most interesting models that the firm has launched on the market in recent years, and with each generation, it proves to be more than capable of being one of the reference marks in the smart watch market.

In 2023, the company has launched the new TicWatch Pro 5the new generation of its flagship model, which once again bets on the latest Qualcomm processor, a double screen and reinforcements in the field of autonomy. All this is combined in an already known formula, but no less interesting for that.

In fact, today we can say that the TicWatch Pro 5 it is one of the best smartwatches an android user can buy. We have been able to test it over the last few weeks, and in this analysis we are going to tell you everything you need to know about it.

TicWatch Pro 5 price and where to buy it

The TicWatch Pro 5 is available in a single version, in black and with a silicone strap. It can only be purchased in one size, with a 44-mm diameter case and a 1.43-inch screen.

Its price is €359.99and you can buy both in the official online store of the brandlike on Amazon.

Data sheet of characteristics

Design and screen

The TicWatch Pro 5 screen has a diagonal of 1.43 inches / Image: Christian Collado

Mobvoi watches have never been characterized by having a style premium like the one we can see on the Google Pixel Watch or the Apple Watch. Instead, the brand is committed to a more “utilitarian” design which will probably attract a large audience, especially those who are looking for a watch with which to carry out activities that could jeopardize the integrity of the device.

On this occasion, we are before a clock built in aluminum and stainless steel that combines matte and glossy finishes throughout its case, with a bezel that protrudes slightly over the screen to protect the glass Gorilla Glass 5. It is a big watchsince it exceeds 48 millimeters in diameter, but fortunately it is the light enough so as not to be annoying even when wearing it to practice sports.

The strap is silicone and it uses the typical mechanism that we can find in the vast majority of watches on the market. It is interchangeable with any other with a width of 24 millimeters, so that the TicWatch Pro 5 is not supported with the 22-millimeter straps that the brand had been using in previous generations.

The main novelty this year is located on the right of the screen: finally, Mobvoi has decided to follow in the footsteps of the rest of the industry and incorporate a rotating crown that allows you to interact with the clock interface without having to touch the screen. It’s a most useful convenience addition, which integrates seamlessly with the vast majority of applications. In addition, it has a red accent color that gives the watch design an extra personality.

The rotating crown is located on the side of the watch, next to the physical button that allows access to recent applications / Image: Christian Collado

Once again, the best kept secret of the latest TicWatch watch lies behind the glass panel covering your screen. Or rather, their screens.

In addition to a 1.43-inch full color OLED panel With a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels, the TicWatch Pro 5 has a low consumption secondary screen that can display relevant information such as time, date, battery level or heart rate, among other things. This year, in addition, new functions have been added such as the possibility to show the training time when starting an activity, or the option to vary the color of the backlight dynamically according to the heart rate when performing an activity.

For all this, and for its ability to reduce energy consumption of the watch, this addition remains one of our favorite features of the brand’s watches.

Although the fact of having this second screen brings certain drawbacks. Since the panel is superimposed on the OLED screen, it affects the visibility of the OLED screen slightly. Not as sharp or colorful a screen like that of other watches with a single screen, and the maximum brightness seems somewhat low when the watch is under direct sunlight.

The exterior screen has customizable backlighting / Image: Christian Collado

hardware and performance

Another feature to highlight of this product is the brain that gives it life. The TicWatch Pro 5 is the first smrtwatch on the market to equip a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processorthe latest and most powerful chip created by the company.

This new processor, associated with the 2 GB of RAM included in the clock, offers a excellent performance in all situations, and we found no excessive lag or load times when opening or switching between apps.

Although within this section, the best of all is the autonomy of the watch. I am very afraid that we are before the Wear OS smartwatch with the longest battery life on the marketbeing able to resist more than three days on a single charge if the necessary settings are used.

The TicWatch Pro 5 processor is the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 / Image: Christian Collado

In my case, I have used the watch with “essential mode” activated at night (it can be programmed to turn on and off automatically), “always on display” activated in ultra low power display mode, and the gesture tilt to activate deactivated. In this way, the clock has consumed between 20 and 25% of battery every day, or something else during the training sessions in which I have used it to record activity.

Currently, there is no other Wear OS smartwatch capable of offering a battery life comparable to that of the Ticwatch Pro 5. And as if that were not enough, charging is also one of the fastestbeing able to reach 50% in just over 20 minutes connected to the charger.

Software and experience

Thanks to the secondary screen, the autonomy of the watch can be extended to several days of use through the “Essential Mode” / Image: Christian Collado

The TicWatch Pro 5 is the The company’s first smartwatch to feature Wear OS 3. While the users of the previous models continue to wait like rain for the update, those who decide to buy the brand’s new watch will be able to enjoy the experience with the latest version Google’s operating system for smart watches.

The interface is clean, very similar to what we might find on a Google Pixel Watch. Everything runs fast and smooth, and both the classic navigation gestures such as shortcuts through buttons.

However, Mobvoi continues to strive to boost your service ecosystem focused on activity and health, and ends up clutter up pre-installed app software. The vast majority of applications are useful, and allow you to take advantage of the functions of the watch, but others, such as the app to control the Mobvoi treadmill, they probably won’t be particularly useful to most watch buyers. Besides, some of the pre-installed apps cannot be removed from the watch.

To make the connection with the smartphone, it’s time to forget about the classic Wear OS application and resort to Mobvoi Healtha new app that allows you to associate the watch, modify some parameters and view the recorded health data.

The application It works well and has a clear interface. It allows you to quickly consult the activity and exercise data, sleep, heart rate and the rest of the parameters recorded by the smartwatch. It is also possible to explore the different watch faces available, or get new ones from the Mobvoi spheres store (although the most recommended in this case will be to go directly to the Google Play Store).

As for the health and sports functions, the watch it comes well loaded of tools aimed at evaluating our sporting abilities or monitoring health, and the accuracy of the clock when recording activities is correct, although it tends to slightly underestimate data regarding other watches that have made their reliability clear, such as the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro.

What worries most about the clock software today is brand support. Seeing the way in which the company has put aside its previous products when bringing the update to Wear OS 3, we cannot guarantee that this model will not follow the same path with the future update to Wear OS 4 that Google has already announced.

Best alternatives to TicWatch Pro 5

For its price, the TicWatch Pro 5 lands on the market to compete face to face with the main exponents of the Wear OS watch market. series models Samsung Galaxy Watch5 are, today, its main rival, especially the pro model which has a design more focused on physical activity in the same way as the Mobvoi watch.

He Galaxy Watch5 Pro is a great alternative for all those who are looking for a product with a slightly more refined look and not so sporty and a slightly higher reliability when measuring activities and parameters related to health. But above all, it is a more recommended product for all those people who are already immersed in the Samsung ecosystem.

Conclusion

The TicWatch Pro 5 is a very complete and balanced watch, which stands out from the rest for its long autonomy / Image: Christian Collado

The TicWatch Pro 5 is based on the firm’s previous models, and add interesting details such as a rotating crown, a more powerful processor, more functions on the secondary screen and, above all, record autonomy.

For all this, it becomes one of the most recommended watches with Wear OS on the market at present, and an excellent alternative to the models of the Galaxy Watch 5 series for all those people who do not want to delve into the Samsung ecosystem.