Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS Review

We purchased the TicWatch Pro 3 GPS so our reviewer could put it to the test. Keep reading for the full product review.

Smartwatches excel by doing a little bit of everything, an apt description of the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS. This smartwatch delivers fitness tracking, contactless payment, and more. Plus, The signature dual display layers an efficient light-reflective screen over a vibrant AMOLED is a marquee feature worth gawking over. It's also practical for stretching battery life to the maximum 72-hour potential—and even longer in Essential Mode. 

This Wear OS device is friendly to both iPhone and Android users, though it's decidedly still more beneficial to the latter. Despite missing out on some key features best for Android phones and generally feeling like this was just a bit too much watch for my wrist, I came away from a few days of use impressed by the battery life and solid workout tracking.

Design: Sleek and sporty with a large display

If you enjoy a prominent display, the TicWatch Pro 3 offers that in spades, with a unique 1.4-inch two-fold design. The top layer is an always-on, low-light display that's usable in an extended battery-saving mode (Essential Mode). Underneath this efficient layer, you'll find a bright 454 x 454 Retina AMOLED display that adjusts automatically based on the amount of available light. Mobvoi also offers an extensive library of watch faces on the device itself or through the companion apps.

The all-black build and face design gives this watch a sporty feel, extended by the two large buttons that serve as handy controls for launching workouts or waking the display. This display is also touch-responsive, which I found functioned well generally. There were moments when taps and swipes didn't seem to register immediately. These incidents were infrequent and minor when compared to the general user-friendliness of the device. 

Comfort: Bulky for extended wear 

The TicWatch Pro 3 shed some weight from its previous iteration, making it slimmer and lighter overall, according to Mobvoi. Still, the stainless steel face isn't exactly light at 1.48 ounces. The display also measures nearly 1.9 inches across and about 0.5 inches deep. Those dimensions presented challenges for my 5.5-inch wrist.

I used the last two notches on the strap to find a close fit and wore it higher on my wrist, but I felt the burden of the weight there. When worn lower, it flopped around and hit my wrist bone when exercising. For those reasons, I'd recommend this watch to users with larger wrists who like large watch faces, as fit issues will be far less likely.

I did wear this for several nights of sleep since it offers sleep analysis, but the comfort experience didn't change. It wasn't uncomfortable to the point that I had to remove it, but I wanted the relief of taking this device off while sleeping because of the weight. 

One surprising and slightly disappointing aspect of the design is the watch's lack of durability. Though it's safe for swimming, I avoided showering with it after consulting the product documentation and forums. Contrary to the IP68 rating, Mobvoi doesn't recommend this for use in the shower or any contact with soapy water—and won't offer a replacement if you experience performance issues after doing so. 

Performance: A well-rounded wearable

The Ticwatch Pro 3 comes with a bundle of handy native features such as a flashlight, calculator, alarm clock, and hand-washing timer. Thoughtful extras include built-in Google Assistant, weather updates, calendar notifications, NFC pay via Google Pay, and wellness-oriented tools to track exercise and other essentials such as resting heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SPO2) levels, and sleep. 

As a fitness tracker, the TicWatch Pro 3 performs adequately. GPS capture was usually quite fast with some lags on cloudy days, and when compared to a Garmin smartwatch, it wasn't far off on distance, average page, and heart rate on running workouts.

Sleep data was a little inconsistent in terms of when the device detected sleep. Sometimes the sleep start times were a couple of hours off. Generally, I was pleased with the presentation of sleep and exercise data. It's easy enough to glance at results from the watch and entirely forego a companion app.

Software: Feature overlap creates some confusion 

While the TicWatch Pro 3 runs on Wear OS, there is a confusing redundancy with fitness tracking created by the inclusion of both Google Fit and Mobvoi TicWatch fitness widgets. It comes across as an attempt to fill in gaps and also enhance the user experience. For example, the TicOxygen app allows users to track SPO2 levels, which Google Fit lacks. And the TicSleep app uses heart rate and SPO2 readings to offer more detailed sleep data.

Unsurprisingly, Mobvoi pushes its fitness widgets, but the overlap creates some confusion initially. Additionally, if you like Google Fit and want access to SPO2 data, you'll need to grant Mobvoi access and download the accompanying app. 

The other downside is that you'll likely download at least two mobile apps (and perhaps three) to use with one device: Wear OS to set it up, maintain updates, and tweak some settings, Google Fit if you'll be using those tracking tools, and the Mobvoi app to sync wellness data and integrate this device into your smart home setup if that's your preferred app for that.

You have options for catering the experience to you, which is appealing, but this watch does present a bit of an identity crisis between Wear OS and Mobvoi rather than a seamless partnership.

This wearable offers the most functionality to Android users as a Wear OS device. Despite not having access to some of the smart features that entice smartwatch shoppers, I was impressed by the relative ease of use with an iPhone.

Setup was seamless, and so were notifications. While I couldn't respond to texts or receive calls from the watch, I could use it to answer or decline calls to my phone. And though I didn't download Spotify from the Google Play store, the default media player made controlling playback from Spotify or my chosen smartphone podcast app very simple. 

The TicWatch Pro 3 does have 8GB of onboard storage, which makes this watch attractive for Android smartphone users who want to use it for onboard music storage. Apps like NavMusic make this easy. Android users also have easier control over and access to third-party fitness, productivity, and other useful apps from the Google Play store than iOS users—who will likely find this a bit clunky to manage. 

Battery: Solid 72-hour longevity

Mobvoi touts the 72-hour battery life of the TicWatch Pro 3 in smart mode, and it delivers. I used the TicWatch Pro 3 exclusively in this highly connected mode, including a workout a day, and this watch was still chugging along by day three. Of course, battery performance always varies depending on usage. I didn't run any extra apps, store and play music, or leave the display to the always-on setting, which all helped me reach the three-day mark. 

One thing that the TicWatch Pro 3 does exceptionally well is tell time, always. Most smartwatches cease to function when the battery is low or dead, but not this one. I appreciated that at about 5 percent, the device automatically switched to Essential Mode on its own. I didn't lose the basic time-telling functionality.

And I was happy to take advantage of other handy battery-saving features, such as Theater Mode, which turns the display off entirely. You won't have to wait around long for this device to recharge when the time comes. I clocked an average charge time of 100 minutes. 

Price: A bit costly for those missing a few premium features

The TicWatch Pro 3 retails for nearly $300, a considerable investment on par with some smartphones. It's also steep considering that, unlike some premium wearables, this watch lacks an ECG monitor or other wellness bells and whistles. Fit personalization isn't as generous as some wearables, either.

Though the strap is replaceable, the size of the display could be prohibitively unwieldy. But for an Android smartphone user who can find a great fit, this watch promises well-rounded connectivity and fitness tracking.  

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch3 

Another timepiece-inspired smartwatch to consider is the Samsung Galaxy Watch3. Size-wise, it's smaller, with 1.2-inch and 1.4-inch case options. Instead of Wear OS, the Watch3 runs on Tizen OS, which is really friendliest to Samsung Galaxy phones—but is widely compatible with Android and iOS mobile devices. The fitness/wellness suite also surpasses the TicWatch Pro 3 with advanced metrics such as built-in SPO2, VO2 max, and ECG monitoring. The Watch3 also takes the lead where durability is concerned with military-grade toughness against drops, dust, and water. 

While the Watch3 is physically smaller, both the titanium and stainless steel versions are heavier than the TicWatch Pro 3. It's also about $100 more expensive. You can't rely on longer than 24 hours from the Watch3 either, unlike the TicWatch Pro's 3-day or potential maximum 45-day battery life in Essential Mode. Both of these high-end wearables bring sophistication and tech-savvy to your wrist. Still, operating system preferences, battery life, and fitness extras are significant factors to weigh when determining the better fit.

Similar Products We've Reviewed:

• Apple Watch SE
• Garmin Vivomove HR
• Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 4G LTE