TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro
The TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro gets a number of helpful upgrades, including an even better battery and upgraded performance.
Pros
- Excellent battery life
- Dual display system is cool
- Stylish, strong build
- Good performance
Cons
- Still no Google Assistant
| Buy From | List Price | Sale Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $349.99 | $349.99 | See It |
The world of Android-based smartwatches is in flux. There was once a time when it was hard to recommend Android smartwatches due to lagging performance and limited features. These days, however, they’ve gotten a lot better — thanks to a charge led by Google, Samsung, and, to a lesser extent, companies like Mobvoi. The TicWatch has been an Android wearable darling, and it’s back with an updated version of its much-loved TicWatch Pro 5 — called the Mobvoi TicWatch 5 Pro Enduro.
What does “Enduro” mean? Well, in this case, it seems to relate to the battery, as the device has received a meaningful battery life boost for this iteration. But the device represents a little more than a battery life bump — so much so, that perhaps a better name simply would have been “TicWatch 6.”
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro specs
| Dimensions | 50.15 x 48 x 11.95 mm |
| Weight | 44.7g |
| Water resistance | 5ATM |
| Display resolution | 466 x 466 pixels |
| Display size | 1.43 inches |
| Display type | OLED + ultra low power display |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor, SpO2 Sensor, Skin Temperature Sensor, Low Latency Off-Body Sensor, Barometer, Compass |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 |
| Memory | 2GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Battery size | 628mAh |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi |
| Colors | Obsidian |
| Price | $349.99 |
Sleek and stylish design
Of course, some things are more or less the same about the new device compared to the standard TicWatch 5 Pro. The most notable is design. The TicWatch 5 Pro Enduro keeps the circular design, and is more or less the same in terms of overall looks. It has a raised bezel, and a cool-looking red ring on the crown, and while it does look like a smartwatch, it looks like a premium.
The build quality is premium, too. The new device is built from 7000-series aluminum coupled with high-strength nylon and fiberglass. It feels strong and well-built. Unlike the previous generation, however, the watch has a sapphire crystal glass, which makes it more durable. Like the previous generation, it has a water-resistance rating of up to 5ATM, or 50 meters. That makes it a solid choice for swimmers who want an Android-based device.
On the right side of the device can be found the aforementioned crown and a power button. The two-button setup is easy to get used to — and we’ll get a little more into what those buttons do in the software section.
Overall, the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is well-built and well-designed. I quite like the look of the watch, and while some might find it a little chunky, that’s a good thing for many. There’s a reason the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is so popular.
Double displays
Last year’s TicWatch Pro 5 was famous for its dual-display approach, and I was happy to see that continue with the new TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro.
The concept is simple. When you’re actively using the watch, it’ll light up the energy-consuming bright OLED display, so you can get the full smartwatch experience. When you’re not actively looking at it, but still might want to be able to glance at it for things like the time or for workout information, it’ll make use of the so-called “ultra low power display,” which is an LCD display that consumes little energy and allows the watch to get a days-long battery life.
The ultra-low-power display is perfect for its use case. Is it super high resolution and bright? No, but it doesn’t need to be, and I found that I was still easily able to see information as needed. The OLED display is bright, vibrant, and very responsive. OLED gets a bad rap for not being bright enough, but most will find the OLED screen built into the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro to be more than bright enough, even in outdoor environments.
Surprisingly good performance
Under the hood, the watch features the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 + Gen 1 watch. It’s a mouthful of a name, but it also happens to be one of the most powerful wearable chipsets that Qualcomm makes.
It’s really nice to see powerful smartwatch chipsets on Android. There were years-long stints where it seemed like Android smartwatches were held back by lackluster performance and outdated chips. I’m hoping that time has passed, but for now, the TicWatch 5 Pro Enduro is a solid-performing watch that was able to keep up with everything I threw at it.
Of course, what you can throw at a smartwatch is limited, but regardless, the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro, with its Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 and 2GB of RAM, was able to keep up with switching between apps, working out, and so on.
A solid selection of health-tracking features
As with any modern smartwatch, fitness is front-and-center on the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro. Thankfully, the device is quite solid in that respect.
The watch has a slew of sensors built right into it, including things like a heart rate monitor, blood oxygen sensor, skin temperature sensor, and more. There are some missing sensors for a modern smartwatch — like an ECG sensor. Don’t expect to be able to track atrial fibrillation with this watch, unfortunately.
There are quite a few workout options on offer here, including some new ones this time around. Most of the new workouts are relatively niche, but regardless, there’s a solid selection of workout types for all different kinds of activities.
The information tracked by workouts on the watch seemed mostly accurate, at least compared to my Apple Watch Ultra 2. Sometimes, there were small variations in metrics tracked, but like with any smartwatch, data collected is better observed over time as trends.
Nice software that’s slightly dated
The TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro comes with Google’s Wear OS 3.5, and not the latest-and-greatest version, Wear OS 4.0. It’s a little unfortunate that it doesn’t have the latest version of the software, and there’s no word on when it might finally get the new release — so don’t hold your breath for it to come any time soon.
Despite the lack of the latest version of Wear OS, the watch is easy to navigate and full-featured. The software pretty much works the way you would expect it to. There’s the main screen, which is your watch face, and from there, you can access quick settings by swiping down, tiles by swiping left and right, and notifications by swiping up. It’s relatively intuitive, and most will get used to navigating the watch quickly.
There is one major software feature missing from the software — Google Assistant. This isn’t a surprise, as it was true on the TicWatch 5 Pro too. However, it’s frustrating to see it still missing from the latest-device. The lack of Assistant really does hamper the device for those plugged into the Google ecosystem, and as Assistant gets supercharged with AI, it’ll become even more powerful.
Part of the software experience of using this watch also relates to the smartphone app — and in this case that’s the Mobvoi Health app. The Mobvoi Health app is fine, and relatively easy to navigate. It has a home screen, where you can see an overview of health statistics and a “Device” tab that allows you to edit your watch faces, the tiles, and the device’s status.
Conclusions
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is a nice upgrade to the previous-generation device. While it mostly looks the same and has many of the same features, the better battery life, better performance, and stronger build make it a better choice for those interested in buying a new smartwatch. You should probably pass on this if you already have a TicWatch Pro 5, but everyone else who wants an Android-based smartwatch should put the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro near the top of their list.
The competition
The big competition in the Android smartwatch space comes from Google and Samsung. On the Google side, there’s the Pixel Watch 2, which is sleeker and more subtle, has a solid set of features, and integrates a little better with Google services. It doesn’t have anywhere near the battery life, but it does leverage Google’s Fitbit acquisition to offer some helpful fitness features.
Then there’s the Galaxy Watch 6, which is a little bulkier than the Pixel Watch 2, but not as bulky as the TicWatch. The Galaxy Watch 6 better integrates with Samsung phones, and has a solid set of fitness features. It also doesn’t have the battery life of the TicWatch.
Both the Pixel Watch 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 have a big feature the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro doesn’t — Google Assistant. If Assistant is a big part of your digital life, you should go for one of those watches instead.
Should I buy the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro?
Yes. It has excellent battery life and good performance — but you’ll have to be comfortable not having Google Assistant.
