In this review of TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS, Mobvoi's top proposal for Android smartwatches, I'll explain why I think it's a best buy
The market of smartwatches for Android smartphones has been experiencing fluctuating periods for several years now, alternating moments in which most of the products on the market do not have particular appeal with moments characterized by ruthless competition between devices candidates to be theanti-Apple Watch. The only certainty, in all these years, has been the presence of the devices TicWatch among the best products in the category. I start from a personal assumption: whenever I am asked for advice on buying a smartwatch to be used in conjunction with an Android smartphone, I do not think of anything other than products based on Wear OS operating system, for a number of features that we will also analyze in the course of this review. And Mobvoi's TicWatch range lives a perfect symbiosis with Wear OS, offering the right combination of hardware and functionality.
Technical sheet | TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Review
- Display: 1,4 ″ AMOLED 454 × 454, 326ppi + FSTN. Corning Gorilla Glass
- Materials: high strength stainless steel and nylon with glass fiber, 22mm plastic strap
- Operating System: Wear OS
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 + Mobvoi Dual Processor System
- Memory: 1/8GB (RAM/interna)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS, NFC, microfono, speaker
- Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, HD PPG sensor, SpO2, Low Latency Off Body, barometer, compass
- Battery: 577mAh
- Certification: IP68, MIL-STD-810G
- Dimensions and weight: 47x48x12,3mm, 41g
TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS comes within one minimal packaging but not without all the information necessary to start the device in the best way. Also present is the cable with (unfortunately) proprietary connection for charging. Too bad it is not yet possible to switch to a more widespread standard.
Top quality and design | TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Review
The build quality of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra turns out impressive from the first glance. With a design that winks at more traditional chronographs, the use of materials such asstainless steel and nylon with di vetro fiber for the construction of the case they give a sensation of first-class robustness (although they contribute to reach a not negligible thickness of 12mm and a weight of 41g), to the point of not regretting a construction, typically more massive and resistant, of a classic watch. The only one "sore" point of Mobvoi's offer, at least from an aesthetic point of view, is the 22mm plastic strap. Overall, it actually seems to be a choice in line with the style of the product but we would have certainly preferred the presence of a leather strap (as on the previous model) that could give a pinch of extra elegance for certain situations.
La MIL-STD-810G military protection is that IP68 (water and dust) certify the real resistance beyond the aesthetic sensations. The “chronograph” buttons find real use in navigating the menus, while, on the case, the highly appreciated combination of speaker + microphone is housed, therefore complete hardware equipment that dramatically extends the functionality of the product.
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Why only one display when you can have two? | TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Review
TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is equipped with a 1,4 ″ AMOLED main display and 454 × 454 resolution. The quality of the panel is such that you never have to complain about it, even under direct sunlight. If I wanted to be picky, I would have preferred perhaps that the reproduced colors were equipped with greater depth and intensity, but I realize that it is not a prerogative of a display of this type.
What is certain is that the very deep blacks are a beautiful sight on this smartwatch and the touch response is absolutely perfect, never a problem in this sense. The feature that places TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra in a position of uniqueness in front of its competitors concerns the presence of a secondary display, a panel Monochrome FSTN with very low energy consumption. This display will grant you access to the basic information of the smartwatch (time, date, steps) when it is in stand-by or when the battery is low and not sufficient to power the main display, thus extending the duration and avoiding sudden shutdowns.
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Lightning in all | TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Review
The beating heart of this TicWatch is Snapdragon Wear 4100, combined with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (which at the time of purchase correspond to about half due to the presence of the Mobvoi monitoring apps). And here we are to tell the umpteenth point in favor of this product and of detachment from the rest of the offer on the market: there is a double processor, or rather, a co-processor to support the main in its operations and at the same time able to optimize the battery life in a very interesting way, which we will talk about later.
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The smartwatch is always fast, fluid, it's really a pleasure to have it on your wrist and use it constantly, thanks as much to the hardware as to the optimization of Wear OS. Speaking of hardware, microphone and speaker system allow access to numerous extra functions such as the ability to make voice calls and interface with the Google assistant without necessarily going through the display. The quality certainly cannot be at very high levels but, if on the one hand the speaker suffers from necessarily reduced dimensions, all the interlocutors with whom I made calls have confirmed the excellent quality of the microphone. Small mention of excellence for GPS, a perfect sensor, with very fast coupling and constantly updated for absolute precision, thanks to the GP Multi-GNSS, or the possibility of connecting to 5 different systems. Many should learn from Mobvoi because such a small hardware foresight allows, in this case, to have much more accurate metrics.
Wear OS is a guarantee, Mobvoi adds the rest | TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Review
I said it at the beginning of the review, Wear OS this is what you should expect when you buy a “do-it-all” smartwatch (therefore not valid for the various Fitbit and GARMIN that find their strong point in their ecosystem) and now I'll explain why. First of all because through the Play Store you can download any type of application you want, just like on smartphones. In addition, you have the possibility to take full advantage of the integration with all applications, which allows you, for example, to view full WhatsApp notifications (including photos) and respond to messages, even through a (not at all uncomfortable) virtual keyboard, as well as vocally. All this extends, in my opinion, the potential of a smartwatch to infinity and, in this specific case, everything happens without any hitch or problem.
However Mobvoi has not been on the sidelines and has included the fruit of all these years at the top of sales in this product, through its applications for complete health monitoring. In particular we are talking about: TicSalute, TicMotion, TicOssigeno, TicHealth, TicExercise (equipped with many training programs), TicZen, TicSonno e TicBreathe that make use of the device sensors (Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 802.11 b / g / n, GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS, NFC) for a complete health analysis. In particular, I point out the possibility of carrying out an in-depth heart rate analysis over 24 hours or activating different sensors but at measurement intervals so as to have a more complete picture not only on the cardiac point of view but also of other values such as the saturation of the oxygen.
The possibilities are endless and I can assure you that all sensors (although clearly not to be taken into full consideration in the medical field) are very accurate and will allow you to monitor all your workouts, but not only, with maximum effectiveness. Having the excellent GPS and the excellent sensors for analyzing the state of health, it almost makes you want to go out to train! The only uncertainty concerns the sensor used for measuring oxygen in the blood which I would recommend using more in absolute value (therefore to monitor actual increases or decreases) rather than relying on the real number, which is still fairly accurate, but not always. By taking advantage of the NFC connection, it is then possible to use Google Pay for payments.
Can such a powerful smartwatch last a long time? | TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Review
The answer is soon said, yes! TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is equipped with a battery 577mAh and, thanks to all the optimizations we talked about, it allowed me to achieve the three days of autonomy with each charge cycle. Definitely impressive result considering that I used it to its full potential, with all sensors and notifications activated. An even more impressive result are the beyond 30 days of autonomy taking advantage of the mode Essential of the smartwatch, which activates the monochrome display with therefore limited functionality but does not disable the sensors for calculating steps and heart rate.
It's time to take stock
TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS is not one of the best smartwatches for Android, it is undoubtedly the best! This does not mean that it is free of defects, on the contrary, certainly a more incisive display and a better sensor for detecting oxygen in the blood would have been appreciated, however it is undeniable that the Mobvoi smartwatch, to a price around 300 €, is the most complete on the market.
Ticwatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Smartwatch Qualcomm SDW4100 Smart Watch and Mobvoi Dual Processor System Wear OS Smart Watch for Men Blood Oxygen IHB AFiB Detection Fatigue Assessment - Long battery life. Dual layer 2 display technology keeps the Ticwatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS smartwatch up to 72 hours in Smart mode and 45 days in Essential mode. the new customizable backlight offers a better visual enjoyment, makes the screen comfortable to read in any condition, especially in the dark
Points in favor
- Excellent build quality
- Bel display AMOLED
- Top performance
- Wear OS and App Mobvoi
- Incredible autonomy
Points against
- Questionable strap
- Saturation sensor not level
- Speaker only sufficient
