REASONS TO BUY
Very efficient battery management
Cool low power screen feature
Access to google play store
REASONS TO AVOID
Inaccurate HR sensor
Underwhelming display
Terrible online dashboard
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Review
This is a smartwatch with loads of potential but there are too many kinks for us to recommend it to others
Credit: Mobvoi
RELATED: Best Smartwatches of 2024
Our Verdict
Overall, the TicWatch Pro 5 is a decent smartwatch. It is based on the capable Wear OS, but lacks the more robust ecosystem of proprietary apps available with other manufacturers, and lacks some of the health and fitness tracking accuracy present in stronger performing models. This model also didn't have the most brilliant display when compared to the rest of our test lineup. While this model has a lot of potential, it lacks the refinements of more mature watches and is a step behind the performance of comparably priced models.
Compare to Similar Products
 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 $279.99 at Amazon | $429 List $409.93 at Amazon | $330 List $249.99 at Amazon | $279 List $219.00 at Amazon | $90 List $74.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| 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%) | |||||
| Specs | 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 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 | 46 mm | 44 mm | 46 mm |
| Sensors | - Accelerometer
|
- Electrical heart sensor and ECG app
|
-Accelerometer -Barometer -Gyro Sensor -Light Sensor -Optical Heart Rate Sensor |
- High and low heart rate notifications
|
- BioTracker™ PPG biometric sensor
|
| 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)
|
- Water resistance 50m (swim proof)
|
- Water resistance 50m (swim proof)
|
- Water resistance 50m (swim proof)
|
- Water resistance 1.5m (splash/snow proof)
|
| Safety Features | None | - Emergency SOS
|
Fall Detection | - Emergency SOS | None |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Good but not great. You'd be better off looking at more capable watches at a similar price point.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Smart Function
Our team assessed and rated the smart functionalities of the TicWatch Pro 5 in our most critical test metric, smart function, responsible for forty percent of each model's overall score, and it did not perform as well as the top models we tested. Our team paid particular attention to proprietary and third-party app collections and the quality of those apps available to the TicWatch Pro 5, its phone call and texting quality and features, and the quality of its on-watch GPS display.
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 for a lack of better words, 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 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.
A Wear OS watch that connects to the Google Play Store to access third-party apps.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Health
The TicWatch Pro 5 did not prove to be the best fitness tracker and health monitoring tool in our line up. It is limited to some pretty basic health metrics and lacks the robust workout selections and analytical data present on nearly every other smart watch. If you intend to monitor any sort of fitness with your smartwatch, the Pro 5's limitations would make it a dealbreaker.
Health monitoring could be more accurate with this model.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Battery Life
In our battery life testing, we measured the run time of the TicWatch Pro 5 with and without the GPS enabled, and we also measured the recharging rates. To our pleasant surprise 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.
The battery management on this watch is pretty good, meaning you'll get more time outside without stressing about the battery tapping out.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
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 glaring.
Our tests measured all the specs of each watch including the brightness of the display and scratch resistance.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Should you buy the TicWatch Pro 5?
The TicWatch Pro 5 is a capable smartwatch, based on the Wear OS. We felt that it is 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
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