Introducing the latest addition to the smartwatch market, the TicWatch Pro 5. This impressive timepiece joins an exclusive lineup of watches capable of running the advanced Wear OS 3, including the renowned Google Pixel Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and 5.
Not only does the TicWatch Pro 5 support Wear OS 3.5, but it also boasts remarkable battery life, ensuring extended usage without frequent charging. Its exceptional performance extends to the realm of sports and fitness, offering a multitude of features tailored for active individuals.
After conducting thorough testing over the past few weeks, I believe this smartwatch strikes a perfect balance between the functionality of a Pixel Watch and the versatility of a Samsung Watch.
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In this Ticwatch Pro 5 review, I will deep dive into the impressive features of the new TicWatch Pro 5. We’ll explore its upgraded hardware, performance as a smartwatch with Wear OS 3 and the advanced Snapdragon W5 Plus chipset, and its real-world battery life.
Additionally, I’ll provide an in-depth analysis of its Sports and Fitness capabilities, including GPS accuracy, hardware precision, and altimeter accuracy. Furthermore, I’ll cover essential training feedback such as recovery time and VO2 max.
It’s worth noting that there was no TicWatch Pro 4, similar to Garmin’s decision to skip the Fenix 4, due to the negative connotation associated with the number four in Chinese culture. This cultural belief has led some companies to avoid using the number, as they aim to steer clear of any unfavorable associations.
Design Built And Display:
The new TicWatch Pro 5 retains the classic design of its predecessor, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, making it difficult to spot the differences at first glance. However, the notable upgrade in the TicWatch Pro 5 is the addition of a rotating dial, similar to the Pixel Watch. This dial serves as a central button, allowing access to apps, while the upper right-hand button provides access to recent apps. Additionally, the watch features a touchscreen for intuitive navigation.
The construction of the TicWatch Pro 5 combines a 7000 series aluminum alloy case, steel components, and some resin or plastic elements. This blend results in a solid and well-built watch, exuding a refined look. It boasts a 5 ATM water-resistant rating, further enhancing its durability and practicality. Overall, the TicWatch Pro 5 stands as an impressive piece of hardware.
The Pro 5 has a watch case that measures slightly over 50 millimeters in width, including the rotating dial, and a little over 48 millimeters without the dial. It has a thickness of just over 14 millimeters, including the heart rate sensor. With a weight of approximately 63.5 grams (including the band), it offers a comfortable fit for wrists with a circumference of 185 millimeters.
The watch features a 1.43-inch diameter display, with a faux lead panel for the main interactive display. Additionally, it includes an ultra-low-power display that serves as an always-on display when not in use.
This secondary display conserves energy and showcases various information such as steps, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and calories. During workouts, the OLED display is utilized for interaction, while the low-power display shows workout metrics like pace, heart rate, and distance.
The display has the capability to change colors, particularly during workouts, based on heart rate zones, which adds an interesting visual aspect. The displays are protected by Gorilla Glass for durability.
Operating System
The TicWatch Pro 5 operates on Wear OS 3.5, providing compatibility with Android phones and offering features like Google Wallet, Google Maps, Spotify support, Strava app, and YouTube Music.
However, it currently lacks support for Google Assistant and the Fitbit app, though future updates may address this. It doesn’t have a cellular or LTE version, but it can still handle calls when connected to a nearby phone and includes an onboard speaker and microphone.
Microphone And Storage:
The microphone on the TicWatch Pro 5 delivers satisfactory sound quality for voice interactions. The watch provides robust notifications, ensuring that you receive all app notifications. For text-based notifications, you have the option to reply using an on-screen keyboard, voice dictation, or emojis.
The watch also includes haptic vibrations for alerts, although some may find them slightly subtle and prefer stronger vibrations. It offers Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi connectivity, along with 2 gigabytes of RAM and 32 gigabytes of storage.
Battery Life And Durability:
Battery life is a standout feature of the TicWatch Pro 5. It houses a 628 milliamp-hour battery with a rated capacity of around 611 milliamp-hours. With typical usage, you can expect up to 80 hours of smartwatch functionality, which aligns with real-world experiences of around three days of usage, including an hour of outdoor activities per day. Of course, battery life will vary based on individual interaction and activity levels.
The watch also includes an essential mode, which turns off the OLED display and smart functions while still tracking steps and sleep. In this mode, you can enjoy up to 45 days of use. Additionally, the TicWatch Pro 5 supports fast charging, allowing for a 65% charge in just 30 minutes. Notably, during charging, it displays the charge percentage in precise detail, down to the hundredths of a percent.
Battery Life:
In terms of battery life during outdoor activity tracking, the TicWatch Pro 5 offers two modes: a high-performance mode and a normal mode. The difference lies in the frequency of GPS point recording, with the normal mode capturing points every three seconds and the high-performance mode capturing points every second, which consumes more power. However, there doesn’t seem to be a significant difference in battery life between the two modes during testing, although there is a variation in GPS accuracy.
Overall, the battery life of the TicWatch Pro 5 for day-to-day use is impressive, comparable to or even better than the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro, and significantly more than the Pixel Watch. The watch also includes an essential mode as a backup for low battery situations.
Health And Activity Tracking:
Activity tracking: the TicWatch Pro 5 offers comprehensive features. It can track heart rate, blood oxygen saturation levels, stress levels, breathing rate, steps, floors climbed, and calories burned.
It also tracks sleep duration, bedtime, wake-up time, sleep stages, and sleep score. While the accuracy of sleep stages can’t be confirmed without medical-grade devices, the watch generally performs well in this aspect.
For sports tracking, the watch offers over 100 sports profiles, including running (indoor and outdoor), cycling (indoor and outdoor), gym workouts, pool swimming, and open-water swimming. Some profiles even cater to specific exercises within weightlifting routines. However, extensive interaction with the watch may be required to track each individual exercise within a workout.
The TicWatch Pro 5 offers excellent battery life, making it suitable for daily use and outdoor activities, surpassing the Galaxy Watch 5, Watch 5 Pro, and Pixel Watch. It includes an essential mode as a backup for low-battery situations.
Health and activity tracking: the TicWatch Pro 5 excels in various aspects. It monitors heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, stress levels, breathing rate, steps, floors climbed, and calories burned. Sleep tracking provides insights into sleep duration, bedtime, wake-up time, and sleep stages, with decent accuracy.
With over 100 sports profiles, the watch covers a wide range of activities, including running, cycling, gym workouts, and swimming. It even tracks individual exercises within weightlifting routines. Built-in GPS eliminates the need for a phone, and multi-GNSS technology ensures quick signal acquisition.
The TicExercise app offers high-performance and normal modes for GPS tracking. While power consumption is similar in both modes, the high-performance mode provides smoother and more accurate tracks.
Heart rate accuracy varies during different activities, performing well in steady-state workouts but occasionally experiencing blips or dropouts during intense intervals or vibrations from mountain biking. It falls slightly short compared to top-tier devices but outperforms Samsung and Google watches.
The watch provides training feedback such as recovery time and attempts to estimate VO2 max, although caution is advised when interpreting the values. Integration with third-party platforms like Strava and Google Fit is available, and the manufacturer is developing a web platform for data analysis.
It doesn’t currently support external heart rate monitors or sensors but may add support in the future. The manufacturer plans to update the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra with Wear OS 3, with the timing yet to be announced.
Conclusion:
The TicWatch Pro 5 is a compelling alternative to the Pixel Watch, offering longer battery life and a larger display. It outperforms the Samsung Galaxy Watch series in sports functionality. With impressive battery life, extensive health tracking, and a wide range of sport profiles, it caters to fitness enthusiasts and everyday users.
However, the reliance on Wear OS may be a drawback due to performance issues and limited app options compared to other platforms like watchOS. The larger size and less brightness of the display may not suit everyone’s preferences, and advanced swim tracking features are lacking. Customer support experiences have been mixed.
In summary, the TicWatch Pro 5 excels in battery life, health tracking, and sport profiles. Consider the limitations of Wear OS, design and brightness, swim tracking, and customer support. Evaluate your needs to determine if it aligns with your requirements.
Alternative options include the Apple Watch Series 7 for seamless integration with iOS, the Garmin Fenix 6 for robust fitness tracking, and the Fossil Gen 5 for style. Consider factors like OS compatibility, design, battery life, fitness tracking, and user experience before deciding. Research and read reviews to make an informed choice.
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