The new TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS smartwatch offers several welcome improvements over its predecessors. As well as a secure and more durable case with advanced health-tracking capabilities.
Unfortunately, the promised revolution with the release of the new Wear OS did not happen – by the end of 2021, the collaboration between Google and Samsung gave the smartwatch market a little. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 showed the full potential of Wear OS 3. But, on models from other manufacturers, the new version of the OS will appear only in 2022, and the exact dates are still unknown.
The recently released Fossil Gen 6 turned out to be a minor cosmetic update to the previous model. The same goes for the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra – the watch still works on Wear OS 2. Are a few new features enough to close your eyes to all the problems of the old version of the operating system?
Design and Appearance
The TicWatch Pro series has always been recognizable by the large frame and dial around the display, so the overall design of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra has remained about the same.
However, there are a few changes that make the new model seem the most stylish of all TicWatch. There are no longer huge bezels at the top and bottom, which makes the Pro 3 Ultra look, not like a traditional watch, but like a smartwatch. The ring around the dial has a textured surface, and it looks beautiful.
The biggest changes were made to the strap. Instead of orange stitching, we now have a rubber coating with a texture reminiscent of an enlarged fingerprint. It seems that these are trifles, but the strap here is one of the most comfortable among all smartwatches. It is ideal for sports.
The watch case also has military-grade protection MIL-STD-810G with IP68. Therefore, they are not afraid of blows, falls and immersion in water. For most buyers, this is not so important, but if you like hiking and outdoor activities, reliable protection will definitely not hurt.
Advantages
- Autonomous battery
- Stylish and durable design
- Great collection of watch faces
- TicExercise Informative Panel
- The most comfortable strap among smart watches
Clock Display
The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS has a dual display, which we have already seen on other smartwatches in this line.
Below is a 1.4-inch AMOLED screen, above it is a low-power FSTN monochrome screen. Thanks to it, you can always see the current time, and battery power is spent much less than with the traditional always-on mode.
The FSTN screen has a backlight, here you can even change its color, there are 18 shades to choose from.
System and GPS
A huge number of watch faces are available to the user of Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS, although not as many as on Apple Watch 7 .
You will see all the useful information, and the screen will not seem overloaded. Like many Mobvoi smartwatches, the Pro 3 Ultra GPS comes with a lot of apps from the company itself.
TicZen and TicBreathe allow you to monitor your stress levels. TicSleep provides feedback on sleep quality and recommendations for improvement. And thanks to these apps, Wear OS 2 doesn’t feel so bad.
But the work of GPS is not implemented in the best way. Sometimes it takes a whole minute to establish a connection and sometimes you have to go for a run without any location tracking. The good news is that after the system finds satellites, the location and route will be determined quite accurately. Mobvoi needs to address this issue in the next updates.
Processor Performance
The TicWatch Pro 3 was one of the first smartwatches to feature the Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor.
More than a year has passed since the release of this model, and Mobvoi is not going to move on. The Pro 3 Ultra GPS runs on the same Wear 4100, though the recent Fossil Gen 6s have switched to the more powerful 4100+ version. Of course, the difference in performance is small – the watch instantly performs all tasks and opens applications, although the solution is still illogical.
However, the gadget still runs Wear OS 2. Like the Fossil Gen 6 and TicWatch E3 , the Pro 3 Ultra will only receive a Wear OS 3 update in the second half of 2022. Because of this, the Galaxy Watch 4 looks like a much more attractive option to buy at the moment.
Workout and Sleep Tracking
By the end of 2021, it’s hard to say anything new about Wear OS and its sports features, so everything is familiar and standard in the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS.
Google Fit remains a good service, but little has changed in recent years. Therefore, manufacturers of smart watches have to solve this problem themselves. Mobvoi has developed a couple of its own apps: TicHealth and TicExercise.
Training data is stored in TicExercise, and in TicHealth they are presented in a more convenient form. Here you can see how active you were during the day, whether you reached your daily goal, and how many steps you completed. If 24-hour body monitoring is enabled, the application will display the overall energy level of the body and the degree of fatigue.
Together with sleep data from TicSleep, the TicHealth app gives you a comprehensive overview of your current state. Of course, it’s still far from Garmin, but here Pro 3 Ultra is much better than all other Wear OS 2 watches. True, I often have to switch between TicExercise and Google Fit, because there is a lot missing in both applications. Google doesn’t have swimming, and you can’t find barbell exercises on TicExercise.
Autonomy TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS
The previous Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 was one of the best smartwatches in terms of battery life and became the benchmark for all Wear OS models.
However, the new Pro 3 Ultra GPS lasts even longer with a 570 mAh battery. If you enable round-the-clock body monitoring, you will have to charge the watch every day. But, without tracking, you can count on three or more days of use on a single charge.
Charging is not fast – more than an hour and a half, although this is not so important if you charge the watch every three days. If you need maximum autonomy, turn on Essential mode – all optional functions will turn off, and Pro 3 Ultra will work for up to 45 days. It is unlikely that you will use this function all the time, but sometimes it helps out.
Outcome
Itās hard for me to criticize the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS watch for something: it has excellent battery life, a convenient dual display and a huge selection of watch faces. There are no performance issues either, thanks to the powerful Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor.
Unfortunately, all these advantages are negated by the lack of Wear OS 3. A new version of Google’s wearable operating system should be expected only in the second half of 2022. In addition, GPS does not work well, so this watch is not yet quite suitable for outdoor training.
Is it worth buying
In many ways, TicWatch’s Pro 3 Ultra is a great smartwatch thanks to its fast speed, excellent FSTN secondary display, and three-day battery life. But, while it is difficult for me to recommend them for purchase to everyone, without exception.
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