If you’ve never heard of TicWatch or Mobvoi, I don’t blame you. Mobvoi is often overshadowed by Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit when it comes to smartwatches. All you need to know is that Mobvoi is a Chinese tech company launched in 2012 and they make the TicWatch smartwatch lineup that uses Google’s Wear OS, among other devices.
Mobvoi just came out with an upgraded version of the TicWatch Pro 3 called the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS, and I’ll give you the quick rundown of the smartwatch.
Design and hardware
The Pro 3 Ultra looks quite similar to the Pro 3, definitely on the chunkier side compared to the average smartwatch. It has that ‘regular watch’ design that doesn’t look too much like a tech wearable, reminding me of G-shock watches. It even has small numbers printed on the bezels which would make sense if you use an analog clock face, but doesn’t make much sense if you’re using the digital number display instead.
It’s quite interesting display-wise because it has a ‘dual display’ which refers to the main 1.4-inch AMOLED screen and a monochrome digital LED screen for when you go into low-power mode. The second screen is invisible and is stacked on top of the display.
On the side, you will find two buttons for OS navigation, but there is no digital crown like in the Apple Watch. To charge up the watch, there is a proprietary pin charger on the back, just like Mobvoi’s other wearables.
Specs and features
Powering the watch is a Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor, which is the top Qualcomm chipset out right now. The Pro 3 Ultra also has 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM.
You can reportedly expect three days of battery life in Smart Mode and 45 days in Essential Mode with limited app usage. I’m guessing the AMOLED screen would be turned off and the device would function as a simple digital LED watch.
It’s rated for IP68 water and dust resistance, which is the same rating as the Galaxy Watch 4. The Pro 3 Ultra also has a blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensor, but it’s missing the ECG that the latest Samsung and Apple watches already include.
The smartwatch currently runs on Google’s Wear OS 2.33, which is not the latest Wear OS. This is probably due to Google’s exclusivity with Samsung for Wear OS 3, but we should see the Pro 3 Ultra get an update next year. It comes with the regular Wear OS things, but they also included all-day heart rate monitoring, irregular heartbeat detection, and mental fatigue assessments. These statistics are delivered through the built-in TicHealth app and on the Mobvoi mobile app.
Mobvoi is also offering over 20 workout modes with real-time stats and workout summaries. As the name suggests, the Pro 3 Ultra GPS has built-in GPS, so you can track workouts without your phone.
Pricing and availability
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is now available on Lazada for RM1,399. This is definitely on the higher side in terms of price, but it seems like a solid smartwatch if you’re into Wear OS.
The main product comparison you would make is with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, which is priced at RM1,399 as well. Spec-wise, there doesn’t seem to be that many differences, except for the Pro 3 Ultra’s 72 hours of battery life compared to Samsung’s 40 hours. However, Samsung does make a cheaper base model of the Galaxy Watch 4 that goes for RM899 if you want a cheaper smartwatch.
Personally, if I had to choose between the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, I would go with the Samsung watch just because it has more options when it comes to sizes and pricing, it already has Wear OS 3, and it has the ECG feature whereas the Pro 3 Ultra does not. The Galaxy Watch 4 also has Samsung integrated features like Samsung Pay, which lets you make contactless payments directly from your wrist.
