Review | TicWatch Pro LTE full review: best smartwatch for Android users – shame it’s only carried by Verizon as yet

In the smartwatch space, there’s the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Apple Watch and then there’s everything else – products which have received so-so reviews and have a market share so small they cannot be classified as anything but a niche product. Beijing-headquartered Mobvoi is trying to change that with its new release, the TicWatch Pro LTE, a do-it-all smartwatch that ticks almost all the boxes. Design and hardware As its name implies, the TicWatch Pro LTE supports 4G connectivity via eSIM and thus can receive messages and make phone calls without being tethered to a smartphone. So far TicWatch has only announced a deal with US carrier Verizon, so I was unable to test the 4G connectivity myself in Hong Kong. However, TicWatch reps say the Watch will be sold in Europe and Asia, with carrier eSIM support to come. The watch resembles other Android smartwatches, such as Samsung’s Galaxy Watch and Huawei’s GT, in that it is designed to resemble a traditional wristwatch, with a circular face and a crown in contrast to the angular shape of the Apple Watch and Fitbit Versa. About 12.6mm thick and with a 1.3-inch diameter circular screen, the TicWatch Pro LTE is not as chunky as Samsung’s and Huawei’s wearables, but is still a bit larger than Apple’s sleeker device. I tried on a suit jacket and the sleeves only barely made it over the TicWatch Pro LTE. The straps it comes with are silicon and feel rather cheap, but they can be swapped for any 22mm watch strap. A unique feature of the watch is that its circular display houses two display panels. There’s an OLED screen underneath and a monochrome LCD panel on top. The monochrome screen is always on and displays basic information such as time, date and step count; the vibrant OLED screen shows other feature options and only lights up when needed. The TicWatch has two buttons disguised as crowns; the back houses a heart rate sensor. The entire watch is rated IP68 for water resistance, so it can be used underwater for basic swimming (not deep sea diving). Software and features The watch runs on Google’s WearOS, Android’s smartwatch platform that is a bit hit and miss. On one hand, it features native support for Google Assistant and Google Maps, but for a platform that has been around for five years, WearOS’ app ecosystem is anaemic compared to what’s available on Apple’s WatchOS. Still, the TicWatch Pro LTE does all the things a smartwatch should do, including keeping track of your heart rate and steps, receiving messages from chat apps and allowing users to respond using on-screen keyboard or voice dictation. This may sound like the bare minimum, but I’ve had significant trouble getting WhatsApp notifications on Fitbit’s Ionic or the Samsung Gear S3 when testing those wearables. The TicWatch Pro LTE can automatically track workouts, but it failed to pick up one of my runs even after five minutes of continuous jogging. Manually setting up fitness tracking is easy and only requires a couple of taps, however. There’s also a secondary Mobvoi app that the watch can connect to, but other than showing slightly more detailed health data, it does not do much. Performance and battery life Overall performance is good. The TicWatch Pro LTE’s user interface is easy to use and navigate, using a system of swipes and taps and the occasional button press. But the chipset inside the watch, the Snapdragon 2100, is over two years old and shows its age. There is a noticeable delay anytime Google Assistant is triggered, and voice recognition is annoyingly slow compared to what the Apple Watch is capable of. It’s still a lot better than Samsung’s TizenOS, which struggles to understand my voice most times. The Ticwatch Pro LTE has a built-in speaker for voice calls, but the overall volume is weak. It also has NFC support for Google Pay. There’s a 415 mAh battery inside, which is enough to power the watch for two days using its full capabilities, and 30 days as a “dumb” watch with just the LCD screen in action. Charging is done via a proprietary pogo pin cable; it would have been better if the watch charged via USB-C or even Micro-USB. Conclusion Priced at US$300, the TicWatch Pro LTE is a bit on the expensive side, and this is without factoring in the potential extra monthly cost of using 4G data too, though the watch works just fine without it. Anyone with an iPhone should opt for the superior Apple Watch instead. But if you use an Android phone and want a smartwatch that can actually handle notifications, NFC payments, and provide a good voice assistant, then the TicWatch Pro LTE is perhaps the best option for now. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch is slightly cheaper, but offers the vastly inferior Bixby voice assistant and does not support WhatsApp notifications.

Review | TicWatch Pro LTE full review: best smartwatch for Android users – shame it’s only carried by Verizon as yet

4G connectivity via eSIM is a given, its circular display houses two panels, it tracks your heart rate and steps, and lets you use chat apps Easy to use and navigate, its battery generates enough power for two days’ use, but at US$300 it is on the expensive side

4G connectivity via eSIM is a given, its circular display houses two panels, it tracks your heart rate and steps, and lets you use chat apps

Easy to use and navigate, its battery generates enough power for two days’ use, but at US$300 it is on the expensive side