REASONS TO BUY
Excellent battery
Nice fitness tracking
Large screen
REASONS TO AVOID
Bulky
Poor daytime display
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Review
Biggest of the bunch, this product brings a lot of screen space but maybe not the easiest to use
Credit: Mobvoi
RELATED: Best Smartwatch
Our Verdict
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 is not your average run-of-the-mill budget-friendly alternative to a smartwatch. Equipped with a powerful new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 Platform, the Pro 3 gives users improved performance without the cost of battery life. In fact, this wearable has the best battery life of our tested smartwatches. A great battery-saving feature is its dual-screen technology that enables the watch to shift from an AMOLED display to a basic LCD display when it is not being used. Although the TicWatch Series is making strides in the smartwatch space, we believe the lack of a crown scroll and sluggish responsiveness leaves much to be desired. Our article on the best smartwatches will show you how it fares versus competing products.
Editor's Note: We updated this review on June 12, 2023, to share info on the new TicWatch Pro 5.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Battery Life |  Best Overall Smartwatch for iPhones | Best Smartwatch for Samsung Phones | ||
| Price | $350 List $349.99 at Amazon | $430 List $489.00 at Amazon | $310 List $142.98 at Amazon | $280 List $243.00 at Amazon | $200 List $119.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A worthy choice if you are looking for a top-tier Android-compatible option, but definitely not the best model we have tested | This juggernaut of a smartwatch blew our testers away with the sheer performance of its smart and health features | Android users will not be disappointed with this product. Samsung improves upon previous models while maintaining what they have done well | Google's first smartwatch has a lot going for it but lacks a competitive edge | This wearable doesn't have much going for it, we recommend looking at other options |
| Rating Categories | Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 | Apple Watch Series 8 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 | Google Pixel Watch | Mobvoi Ticwatch E3 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Smart Function (30%) | |||||
| Display (15%) | |||||
| Health (20%) | |||||
| Battery (20%) | |||||
| Specs | Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 | Apple Watch Series 8 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 | Google Pixel Watch | Mobvoi Ticwatch E3 |
| Water Resistance | IP68 and pool swimming suitable | 5 ATM | 5 ATM | 5 ATM | IP68 and pool swimming suitable |
| NFC (contactless payment) | Google Pay | Apple Pay | Samsung Pay | Google Pay | Google Pay |
| GPS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Speaker | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display | Dual Display LCD over Retina AMOLED | Always-On Retina LTPO OLED | AMOLED | AMOLED with DCI-P3 color | HD 2.5D curved |
| Resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 396 x 484 pixels | 396 x 396 pixels | 450 x 450 pixels | 360 x 360 pixels |
| HR Monitor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Other Sensors | Accelerometer Gyroscope Blood Oxygen Low Latency Off-Body Sensor Barometer Ambient Light |
Blood Oxygen ECG Skin Temperature High-g accelerometer Gyroscope Compass Altimeter Ambient Light |
Accelerometer Gyroscope Barometer Ambient Light Compass ECG Blood Oxygen |
Compass Altimeter Blood Oxygen Multi purpose electrical ECG Accelerometer Gyroscope Ambient Light |
Accelerometer Gyroscope Blood Oxygen Low Latency Off-Body Sensor |
| Processor | Qualcomm® Snapdragon Wear™ 4100 Platform and Mobvoi dual processor system | S8 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor | Exynos W920 (Dualcore, 5nm) | Exynos 9110 SoC · Cortex M33 co-processor | Qualcomm® Snapdragon Wear™ 4100 Platform and Mobvoi dual processor system |
| Operating System | WearOS | watchOS | WearOS | WearOS | WearOS |
| Available Sizes | 48mm | 41 mm, 45mm | 40mm, 44mm | 41mm | 47mm |
| Size Tested | 48mm | 45mm | 40mm | 41mm | 47mm |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The TicWatch Pro 3 we tested (left) next to the new Pro 5 (right).
New Version Available — June 2023
Mobvoi released the TicWatch Pro 5 since our test period ended. This updated version has 32GB of storage (compared to the TicWatch Pro 3's 8GB), double the RAM, and an updated CPU. The battery life has been extended, and there is more robust waterproof rating, too. We haven't tested the Pro 5 yet, but we are linking to it in the review.
Mobvoi released the TicWatch Pro 5 since our test period ended. This updated version has 32GB of storage (compared to the TicWatch Pro 3's 8GB), double the RAM, and an updated CPU. The battery life has been extended, and there is more robust waterproof rating, too. We haven't tested the Pro 5 yet, but we are linking to it in the review.
This watch runs on Wear OS by Google and is one of our favored products that run on this operating system. This means that it has the Google Assistant built right in and offers an enormous number of options for customizing the watch face.
Performance Comparison
If you have an Android phone, the TicWatch Pro 3 is a great option.
Credit: Laura Casner
Smart Functions
A smartwatch that is not “smart” is not very useful. Therefore our testers weigh our smart functions metric the highest as this is the main selling point for any quality smartwatch. We looked at the library of compatible apps, cellular capabilities if the watch can be used as a payment method, music control, and phone calls. The TicWatch Pro 3 has the complete app functionality of any other smartwatch that uses Google's Wear OS.
As a WearOS smartwatch, the TicWatch Pro 3 has an identical app portfolio to other WearOS devices. Unfortunately, WearOS devices are lacking compared to the app selection of Apple products. Both Apple and WearOS have plenty of applications to choose from, but Apple's library is simply in another league.
This watch has all the same smart functions as other WearOS models.
Credit: Laura Casner
The TicWatch Pro 3 is able to text and call as well as any other smartwatch. Assuming your phone is nearby and connected via Bluetooth since this watch does not have an LTE option. We found the audio quality was somewhat finicky, but it does not detract from its overall utility. A great shortcut to making a call is asking the built-in Google assistant by holding down the top button.
With music control, this watch allows users to sync headphones and play great hits on the go. Standard features like find my phone and Google Play are included as well.
This watch has all the basic smart applications you will need.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Health
In today's smartwatch landscape, it is necessary to have smartwatches double as fitness trackers. Many smartwatch consumers are those who desire to be more health-conscious in an increasingly sedentary world. Accordingly, we thoroughly test the various health features such as step counting, workout tracking, HR monitoring, safety features, and additional health features.
To compare and score the step count accuracy of the TicWatch Pro 3, we took it on three separate one-mile walks where we counted our steps with a mechanical tally counter and then compared the results. This smartwatch was an average of 44 steps off of the true count after the three trials — considerably more than the top trackers, which managed to keep their average error in the single digits.
The touchscreen on the TicWatch is very responsive and easy to use.
Credit: Laura Casner
This device includes multiple sensors, enabling the user to access blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and sleep data. Our HR monitor test produced mediocre results, delivering a mix of readings that were not up to par. However, we found other health features like TicZen helpful. TicZen measures stress levels and provides breathing exercises to help manage it. Data collected by the TicWatch Pro 3 can be displayed in the TicHealth or Google Fit app. Unfortunately, there is no safety feature like SOS or fall detection, somewhat hurting the overall score.
The HR monitor on the TicWatch Pro 3 was not very impressive
Credit: Abriah Wofford
This watch can track an array of different activities, such as an outdoor run, outdoor walk, indoor run, cycling, indoor cycling, freestyle, pool swimming, rowing machine, elliptical machine, body mechanics, trail running, mountaineering, or yoga. Data collected depends on the activity, but we noticed the data collected wasn't quite as comprehensive as what is collected by some top-tier products.
There are a lot of workout tracking options with the TicWatch Pro 3.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Battery
Our next metric evaluated the battery life, quick charge, and total charge of this wearable. Given its higher-end capabilities, it is remarkable how well the TicWatch Pro 3 performed.
Battery life is absolutely astounding, considering this watch's smart capabilities. This is mostly due to the Snapdragon 4100 Chipset that gives the TicWatch Pro 3 better processing capabilities without significantly sacrificing battery life. Our tests found that on a full charge, this watch can last up to 36 hours. Quick charge and total charge time were not inspiring. It takes about 2 hours to charge this device, and it only reaches 25% after 23 minutes. Considering these criticisms, we think this is worth the price, considering how battery durable this smartwatch is.
There is no better battery life for a higher-end watch than the TicWatch Pro 3.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Use
For our next metric, we analyzed the TicWatch Pro 3 performance in screen responsiveness, crown scroll, charging setup, and water resistance.
Navigating the various applications did not make any lasting impressions. Accessing the various apps via scrolling and selection is what you expect from any touch screen. Scrolling could sometimes get finicky, making it necessary to repeat inputs. This would not be a problem if there were a physical crown scroll. Most smartwatch manufacturers include a crown scroll for their products, and it is not entirely clear why TicWatch does not do the same. There should be an option to accommodate those who dislike using the touch screen. Instead, there are two buttons on the side of the frame. The top button can either open the clock face or the app launcher, and the bottom is a shortcut key.
Unfortunately the TicWatch Pro 3 does not have a crown scroll.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The charging dock diverges from the traditional circular adapter of most smartwatches to a smaller banana shape adapter. To charge, simply insert the magnetic connector at the bottom of the watch. According to the manual, the water resistance rating is IP68, so pool swimming is suitable.
Compared to other models, the TicWatch Pro 3 is not super water resistant.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Display
Next, we scored the screen and image quality of the TicWatch Pro 3 against the other smartwatches in the group. We looked at the display resolution and ease of reading for the bulk of the score, along with the different backlight settings. This product delivered a decent result, but it is far from the spectacular screens on top watches.
The 31mm screen display is quite large for a smartwatch and may appear to some as too bulky. Despite its large appearance, the Pro 3 is remarkably light and fits nicely along the wrist. Its 454 x 454 pixels AMOLED display is suitable for the price but slightly inferior to the juggernauts from Samsung or Apple. The basic design of the home screen is pleasant and can be customized depending on your taste.
The display can be somewhat hard to read in direct light.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Most notably, the TicWatch Pro 3 features a dual display where the watch can alternate between an AMOLED and a digital LCD display. In AMOLED mode, the auto-brightness adjusts accordingly, although we felt it could become hazy in lighter environments. The LCD mode displays all the necessary information but is more difficult to read in light. However, there is a wrist wake feature that makes the LCD display brighter.
A great battery-saving feature of the Pro 3 is its ability to shift from an AMOLED display to a basic LCD display.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Should you buy the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3?
The main selling point of the TicWatch Pro 3 is its excellent battery life. Functionally this watch does just fine but is not competitive compared to other Android and Apple smartwatches. It is too expensive to be a budget option and only stands out due to the battery life. Unless you specifically want a battery-durable smartwatch, there are better options to choose from.
What other Smartwatches should you consider?
If you are considering the TicWatch Pro 3, you might lean toward Android devices. The best Android alternative would be the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 due to its well-rounded nature. If you prefer the WearOS UI, check out the Google Pixel Watch. However, if you are an iPhone user, our Apple Watch Series 8 review is a must-read.
—
Jessica Riconscente
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