- [Michael Fisher] The dual screen trend.
On a laptop, it seems like a usability nightmare.
On a smartphone, it's uncomfortable and awkward.
But on a smartwatch, it makes all the sense in the world.
I'm Michael Fisher, and this is
theMrMobile review of the TicWatch Pro.
(upbeat electronic music)
If you're thinking, what second screen?
Well, get this, you're actually already looking at it.
You just need to wait for the primary screen to turn off.
That's when the top layer clicks to life,
a segmented LCD that resembles
the Timex or Casio wristwatches of the '90's.
Speaking of Casio, they actually beat this one to the punch.
Those big Pro Trek watches I've reviewed
for the past couple of summers
have had a very similar layered display.
The TicWatch's implementation works just as well.
The whole idea is that this high contrast display
is much easier to read out in the sunlight,
and a lot more energy efficient, too.
I think I said this in one of the Casio Pro Trek reviews:
every smartwatch should use this dual screen design.
That power efficiency is the reason
Mobvoi, the TicWatch Pro's maker,
can claim 30 days of life on a single charge,
but that's only if you disable the smartwatch features
of Wear OS and basically use it as a dumb watch.
This is called a central mode,
and even in this mode, though,
there is a nice touch: it continues to monitor
your heart rate and step count.
The Casio Pro Trek doesn't even have
a heart rate monitor at all, so one point for the TicWatch.
Underneath that fancy display,
well, it's a pretty typical Wear OS smartwatch.
That product line has sort of languished for the past year,
so that's why I'm kind of meh, but there are positives.
The app ecosystem is huge.
There are many watch faces to choose from,
and the basics, like notifications
and health tracking, those are handled well.
Mobvoi also ships the watch with its own app
for custom health tracking, but there's not much reason
to use it, unless you want a clone
of Apple's Health tracking interface.
There's also support for Mobvoi's Smart Home products,
if you own any of those.
This watch doesn't have a rotating side crown, sad,
but it does have two buttons,
which means you can program one of them
to a shortcut of your choice, while the other
either opens the App Drawer or Google Assistant.
This is also one of the watches with a speaker,
so you can talk directly to Assistant,
or even do a call over Bluetooth,
though it's kind of tinny and quiet.
Under the hood, the silicon running the show
is two years old, and while that's not a problem
on some smartwatches, I feel like this one
has just a bit more lag than I'm used to.
And, I gotta be honest, the design does nothing for me.
I can get behind a big watch, obviously,
but the glossy bezel with its superfluous numerals
clashes with the matte casing.
And then there's the watch band that comes with it.
Leather on the outside, but synthetic within.
I get it, it's supposed to look nice
while letting your skin breathe,
but this watch obviously wasn't
meant to be worn with a suit.
I mean it's got IP68 dust and water resistance,
and a display meant to be read outdoors.
Why even bother with the leather?
Why not just embrace the chunky sportiness of it all?
I don't know, maybe I'm pickin' nits.
At the end of the day, I just don't know
who this watch's hardware was designed for.
Let's wrap it up with battery life.
In normal operation this time.
The TicWatch Pro is probably the most
consistent smartwatch I've used.
For me, it lasts exactly three days,
72 hours between charges.
Not quite Fitbit territory, but it gets a lot closer
than most other Wear OS watches, which I find I usually need
to charge every night or every other night on the outside.
And it's nice to know Essential Mode is there,
if you find yourself backed into a corner.
The TicWatch Pro comes in two color ways for 249 dollars,
and if you ask me, that's kind of a tough sell.
Mobvoi's own TikWatch S and E are between
50 and 100 dollars less and so's the Fitbit Versa.
There are other watches with higher price tags,
but many of those are trading
on the names of their designer labels,
and with Wear OS rumored to get a huge renovation
later this year, I just can't give
an unqualified thumbs-up to any Wear OS device right now.
I'd say you should only consider it
if you want a great outdoor smartwatch for the summertime,
and you want the heart rate monitor and the lower profile
that the Casio competition lacks,
as well as the lower price tag.
If that sounds like you, the TicWatch Pro
will be exclusively offered to
Amazon Prime members through August 15th.
That's an interesting sales model for a smartwatch.
I don't think I've seen that before.
If you wanna keep the sharpest eye out for deals
on this smartwatch and others,
be sure to pay a visit to thrifter.com.
They're not just my sponsor, they've been
saving me money for over a year,
and they've got big tips for Amazon Prime Day.
And on that subject, be sure you're subscribed
to theMrMobile on YouTube, so you don't miss
my big Prime Day video when it drops on Monday, July 16th.
Until next time, thanks for watching,
and stay mobile my friends.
(upbeat electronic music)