Mobvoi’s Ticwatch series are among your best choices for an affordable smartwatch with basic fitness tracking features running Google’s Wear OS platform. But it doesn’t just offer budget models — the TicWatch Pro is notable for its sleek look, great price, and extremely long battery life. Now there’s a new TicWatch Pro in town, and it’s rocking a 4G/LTE connection — though the network access won’t be enabled until a month after launch.
Despite that hiccup, there’s a lot to explore here. Here’s everything you need to know about the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE, and check out our hands-on review for more in-depth impressions.
4G/LTE connection
The TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE’s biggest new feature is right there in the name — thanks to the ability to connect to 4G mobile networks, the new TicWatch is capable of functioning independently of a smartphone. Or rather, it’ll eventually have that ability. Unfortunately, the feature won’t be enabled on launch due to compliance issues with Verizon’s 4G network. Instead, it will be turned on a month after the phone launches, on August 10. Until then, you’ll still be able to use the watch on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
But after August 10, it’s clear the new TicWatch Pro will have an impressive swathe of 4G-enabled features. Using the watch’s 4G connection, you’ll be able to use Verizon’s NumberShare with your smartphone, make and receive voice calls, send and reply to text messages, and even access all your favorite messaging apps. It does this through Mobvoi’s Cloud Synchronization, which seamlessly mirrors notifications from your smartphone to the TicWatch Pro, without needing a Bluetooth connection.
There’s even a new safety feature tied to the TicWatch Pro’s 4G functionality. Activate the new “SOS” feature, and your watch will dial 911 and broadcast your location to a 911 call center — with a single button tap.
Design
Not much has changed in the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE’s overall design, and the new watch is still rocking a similar masculine design as last year’s TicWatch Pro. It’s made from a combination of polymer and glass fiber, with a stainless steel bezel and an aluminum back cover with a heart-rate sensor. There’s an IP68 rating for water and dust-resistance, and the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE is also suitable for pool swimming in chlorinated water.
The 22mm watch straps are made of silicone, and are interchangeable. The display is a 1.39-inch AMOLED display running a 400 x 400 pixel resolution, protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Like the older TicWatch Pro, there are actually two displays here, stacked on top of each other. The second display is a Film compensated Super Twisted Nematic LCD display, and it activates when the watch goes into ambient mode to save power. It’s also what the watch uses when it’s put into Essential Mode, when the battery life is extended to 30 days.
Specs & battery
There’s something of an unwelcome surprise inside the new TicWatch though — the aging Snapdragon 2100 chip. This is the same chip as the older TicWatch, and we found it slightly sluggish there. The newer Snapdragon 3100 would have been welcome. However, the RAM has been doubled to 1GB, which goes some way to improving performance. There’s also 4GB of storage and NFC for mobile payments via Google Pay.
There’s a 415 mAh battery, and in Essential Mode Mobvoi boasts the watch can manage up to 30 days, rather than 2 days on the watch’s OLED and FSTN LCD display.
Software
The TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE is running the latest version of Google’s Wear OS, and it can be connected to both Android and iOS devices. As it’s Wear OS, you’ll find all the features you’d expect from Google’s smartwatch OS, including the Google Assistant, Google Pay, and the new Tiles feature. You’ll also be able to customize your device with a large collection of watch faces and Wear OS apps.
Mobvoi is pushing hard into the personal fitness area though, and you’ll find a ton of fitness-oriented features on the new TicWatch Pro. TicPulse uses the improved heart-rate sensor to keep an eye on your health, offering a comprehensive and real-time history of your daily activity and your heart’s fitness, including an hour-by-hour breakdown. You won’t even need to go back to your phone to view them either, as you’ll be able to see your seven-day chart on the watch itself.
TicMotion 2.0 has also been introduced, and the fitness assistant can now recognize and automatically track a wide range of motions and activities, from fast walking to running. Swimming will also be introduced at a later date.
Price and availability
The TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE is now available from Amazon and Mobvoi, and prices start from $299. However, for the first month of sales from July 10 to August 10, you’ll be able to pick up the watch for just $279. This is partly to account for the Verizon 4G network access not being ready until August 10. 4G access will be available through Verizon only, though that could change in the future.
Updated on July 10, 2019: The TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE has been officially revealed.
