- This video is sponsored by Surfshark VPN.
I asked, you answered.
Of the three specialty smart watches
I covered a few weeks back, Mobvoi's TicWatch Pro 4G LTE,
won the poll for the watch you'd most like to see reviewed.
So it's time to give the people what they want,
even though in my view this smartwatch
does a lot of the opposite.
(upbeat music)
Let me justify that pessimistic lead in by recapping
some of my complaints from the last video.
Style is crucially important to a smartwatch,
more so than a smartphone
that most people will put in a case.
And the TicWatch Pro 4G LTE just kind of feels
like it has a split personality there.
It has this fine textured knurling
and minimal bezel markings like a dressy watch,
but a block plastic and metal casing
and generic rubber wristband more suited to fitness tracker.
And man, Mobvoi's refusal to include a rotating side button
really twists my hair spring.
A rotating crown makes a huge difference
in how easy Wear OS is to use,
and on a TicWatch it's an especially big shame to miss it.
Because remember, this is the company
that back in 2017 brought us the Tickle Strip.
One of the most interesting wearable interfaces ever.
I'd of loved it Mobvoi used those close Google contacts,
it's always talking about, to figure out a way
to make this work with Wear OS.
But instead, we just get two buttons and a touch screen,
it's just kinda weak.
Okay, let's talk about somethings this watch gets right,
'cause there are quite a few.
I feel like I've talked this dual layer display to death,
so long time subscribers please forgive me,
but I'll never get tired of saying what a great idea it is.
When other smartwatches wanna give you an always on display,
they have to it using minimal power.
So it's usually a dim or low contrast watch face
that's tough to see in sunlight.
A display like this, with the LCD places atop the OLED,
gives the TicWatch Pro the most readable,
outdoor watch face you can get.
Unless you want a huge Casio or a pricey Garmin.
And when the watch's battery dies, which is does often,
stay tuned for that, that LCD is economical on power
that it keep telling you the time,
your heart rate and step count for up to a month.
The speaker is new and it's nice and loud,
so talking to Google Assistant on your wrist
is easier then on wearables
- [Google Assistant] The time in New York, USA,
is 6:17 a.m..
- [Michael] And alarms have a real alarm,
to go along with the vibration.
(watch jingles)
MIL-STD-810G and IP68 water and dust resistance
mean you probably don't need to
worry about hurting this thing,
unless you're climbing up a volcano or something.
And while the watch is build around the old
Snapdragon 2100 platform, instead of the newer 3100,
you barely notice it.
All you really need to make Wear OS
seems to be a gig of ram,
which is present and accounted for here.
Also keep in mind most of the 3100's improvements
are designed for watches running an always on display.
TicWatch sidesteps this,
thanks to its dual layer watch face.
The real claim to fame here
is to the suffix on the brand name,
this is one of the only Wear OS watches you can buy
with its own 4G LTE radio.
I've been using it on Verizon, the exclusive carrier
in the United States for about 12 days
and, you know, it does what you'd expect.
You can make and take phone calls,
send and get text messages and get notifications
when you wanna leave you phone at home.
When the speaker isn't loud enough for you,
as it wasn't when I was tryna take
this conference call out in public,
you can pair a Bluetooth headset to watch
and that works well too.
Mostly this functionality is useful on runs or walks,
and the Tic exercise sweet is pretty handy for those too.
I enjoyed mapping my cross-town treks
using the built in GPS, which locked on quickly
and seemed accurate.
Careful though, that kind of exercise
will burn more than calories.
I found that used the GPS in concert with the LTE
ate about 20% battery per hour.
And you know, even if you never touch the exercise stuff,
the TicWatch Pro 4G has worse battery life
than it's predecessor in my testing.
Last year's model reliably got me three days per charge,
this one is almost always down to 50%
by the end of the first day.
Mobvoi likes to advertise this as one of the longest lasting
Wear OS devices, but that's only if you switch it
to the Essential mode I called out before,
which takes all the smart out of this watch.
It's kinda like saying
you have the longest lasting electric car,
but you're not allowed to drive it,
you're allowed to turn on the radio.
In reality, it's just another one to two day smartwatch
and that's a shame.
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My principle beef with the TicWatch Pro 4G LTE,
it solves the wrong problem.
Most of us weren't asking for a Wear OS device
we could use without our phone, we wanted a watch
that would fix the problems with Wear OS.
Like that short battery life
or the inconsistent responsiveness
or the abundance of forgettable hardware designs.
You might say that most of that lies with Google,
and you're right, but you only need to look as far
as my Fossil Gen 5 video to see a company
that's actively working on its
own solutions to platforms short comings,
while bringing much more attractive hardware
that's built on the latest silicon.
Wear OS continues to be my preferred wearable platform,
despite its flaws and I think we'll soon get to the point
where a Wear OS watch that costs $300,
plus an extra $10 a month for 4G, will actually be worth it.
But this hypothetical, future smartwatch,
it isn't the TicWatch Pro 4G LTE.
Folks, there's a ton of smartwatch news due at IFA 2019
in Berlin starting in early September.
Follow me on Instagram so you can see that news
as soon as it drops.
This video made possible by a review sample by Mobvoi
and a media account from Verizon.
No compensation or copy approval was provided,
Mobvoi is seeing this video at the same time you are.
Please subscribe on YouTube, if that's the kind of review
you'd like to see more of.
Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile my friends.
(upbeat music)