Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Review
Our Verdict
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 This Product
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Apple Smartwatch | Best Overall Android Smartwatch |  Best Buy in Smartwatches | Best Buy Under $100 | |
| Price | $350 List Check Price at Amazon | $429 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $330 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $279 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $90 List Check Amazon (on sale!) |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A good model but not great enough to recommend | The only thing this model is missing is support for Android phones | This capable and beautiful model will please most, and is great for Android phone users | The most affordable model in Apple's lineup, but compromises very little | If you have reasonable expectations, you won't be disappointed by this affordable model |
| Rating Categories | Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 | Apple Watch Series 9 | Samsung Galaxy Watch6 | Apple Watch SE | Amazfit BIP 5 |
| Smart Function (40%) | |||||
| Health (30%) | |||||
| Battery Life (20%) | |||||
| Display (10%) | |||||
| Specifications | Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 | Apple Watch Series 9 | Samsung Galaxy Watch6 | Apple Watch SE | Amazfit BIP 5 |
| Charge Time | 70 min | 61 min | 83 min | 125 min | 110 min |
| Battery Life - Regular Use | 83.3 hr | 55.6 hr | 62.5 hr | 27.8 hr | 33.3 hr |
| Battery Life - GPS | 9.1 hr | 11.1 hr | 9.1 hr | 12.5 hr | 6.3 hr |
| Measured Weight | 1.58 oz | 1.36 oz | 1.17 oz | 1.18 oz | 0.93 oz |
| Measured Body Dimensions | 1.88" x 1.88" x 0.56" | 1.78" x 1.50" x 0.52" | 1.69" x 1.75" x 0.51" | 1.75" x 1.50" x 0.52" | 1.81" x 1.50" x 0.50" |
| Measured Display Hardness | 7 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 |
| Model Tested | 50 mm | 45 mm | 44 mm | 44 mm | 46 mm |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Gyro Sensor HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor SpO2 Sensor Skin Temperature Sensor Low Latency Off-Body Sensor Barometer, Compass |
Electrical heart sensor and ECG app Third-generation optical heart sensor High and low heart rate notifications Irregular rhythm notifications Sleep stages Temperature sensing Compass with waypoints and backtrack Always-on altimeter High-g accelerometer Ambient light sensor |
Accelerometer Barometer Gyro Sensor Light Sensor Optical Heart Rate Sensor |
High and low heart rate notifications Irregular rhythm notifications |
BioTracker PPG biometric sensor 3-axis acceleration sensor Satellite positioning systems |
| Battery Size | 628 mAh | 308 mAh | 425 mAh | 296 mAh | 125 mAh |
| NFC | Google Pay | Apple Pay | Samsung Wallet | None | None |
| Splash, Dust, and Water | Water resistance 50m (swim proof) Dust resistance (not specified) |
Water resistance 50m (swim proof) Dust resistance IP6X |
Water resistance 50m (swim proof) Dust resistance (not specified) |
Water resistance 50m (swim proof) Dust resistance IP6X |
Water resistance 1.5m (splash/snow proof) IP68 |
| Safety Features | None | Emergency SOS International emergency calling Crash Detection Fall Detection |
Fall Detection | Emergency SOS | None |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Smart Function
The TicWatch Pro 5 did not perform as well as the top watches we tested. Mobvoi has proprietary apps like Mobvoi Health running on the TicWatch Pro 5, which aren't bad in and of themselves. However, we felt that the online dashboard for the proprietary apps was rough. The proprietary ecosystem for the Pro 5 really pales in comparison to the refinements present in products from Apple and Samsung. Fortunately, the underlying Wear OS means it is compatible with apps available in the Google Play store.
With regard to phone call making, receiving, quality, and the ability to text, the TicWatch Pro 5 exhibited a mixed performance. Sound quality isn't nearly as good as many other smartwatches we tested, and it is unclear if the microphone is of a lower quality, as the text-to-speech feature often required that we repeat words to get it right. However, it does have a tiny but surprisingly accurate keyboard that makes texting pretty easy.
Our team also found the on-watch GPS display to be quite good, and due in large part to the fifty-millimeter display, easier to use than many other Wear OS watches.
Health
The TicWatch Pro 5 is limited to some pretty basic health metrics and lacks the robust workout selections and analytical data present on nearly every other smartwatch. If you intend to monitor any sort of fitness with your smartwatch, the Pro 5's limitations would make it a dealbreaker.
Battery Life
In our battery life testing, this watch exhibited some great performances across tests. With the GPS enabled, it will operate for a little over nine hours, but with the GPS disabled, you can achieve runtimes of over eighty-three hours.
The TicWatch Pro 5 will also achieve a fifty percent charge in twenty-five minutes before the charge rate slows down. A complete charge only takes seventy minutes, meaning you'll spend less time charging your smartwatch and more time using it.
Display
Unfortunately, the TicWatch Pro 5's AMOLED screen is not as impressive as other great smartwatches. Perhaps it's a function or side effect of its power saving capabilities, but the display is a few very noticeable steps back from some of the really great models we tested. Overall, the display isn't very bright, and the protective glass tends to produce some glare.
Should you buy the TicWatch Pro 5?
The TicWatch Pro 5 is a capable smartwatch, based on the Wear OS. We felt that it was a watch with a lot of potential, but a few too many kinks kept us from being able to recommend it over other, more capable and impressive models at the same price point.
What other Smartwatches should you consider?
At this price point, it makes greater sense to look at a product like the much more impressive Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 or the budget-minded version of Apple's watches, the Apple Watch SE gen 2 if you are interested in stepping into the Apple ecosystem instead of the world of Android OS compatible models.
—Benjamin Hickok
