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One of the best Android watches I've tested is not made by Google or Samsung
ZDNET's key takeaways
- The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is available in Obsidian black for $349.99.
- This Google Wear OS smartwatch offers long battery life, dual-display technology, and a sapphire glass display.
- The watch currently runs Wear OS 3.5 and is available in one larger size.
For the past couple of years, I've been switching between various Google and Samsung Galaxy Watch models to pair with my Android, as Google's Wear OS is the best wearable experience, in my opinion. One feature I've come to really appreciate in a smartwatch is a long-lasting battery, and one of the best in that category is the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro.
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I've been running, rowing, biking, and sleeping with the new TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro smartwatch for the past couple of weeks and its marathon battery life solves my biggest issue with Wear OS smartwatches.
Its massive 628mAh battery has a unique dual display design for low-power standby use. That equates to an advertised 90 hours -- nearly four days -- of battery life in smart mode, and up to 45 days in Essential Mode. Even better yet, just 30 minutes of fast charging provides up to two days of battery life.
View at AmazonWhen I run outside, I use the outdoor running mode with GPS tracking enabled and my consumption calculations indicate that the Pro 5 Enduro should provide up to 15 hours of GPS tracking. I typically run a couple of times per week (for 30-45 minutes each time) and row on the Hydrow a couple of times per week while wearing the watch to track my 24/7 activity and sleep. With this usage pattern, I've been charging the watch once per week so the four days and 90 hours of typical usage seems accurate.
For comparison, the Google Pixel Watch 2 dies on me during the second day, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will get me into the third day before running out of juice. The TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is the clear winner for battery life, and if a long-lasting battery is your primary need, I couldn't recommend this $349.99 watch more.
The Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 Wearable Platform contributes to the impressive battery life, and will support a future upgrade to Wear OS 4, despite it currently running on Wear OS 3.5. This caveat is one thing to note, as unfortunately Mobvoi hasn't displayed a track record of timely updates. Given that Wear OS was released in the fall of 2023, this new model should have launched with Wear OS 4 out of the box.
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Beyond battery life, the dual-display technology with interactive and customizable ultra-low power display options is exceedingly useful. You can choose from 18 background colors to highlight the always-on display, and that display on the top layer of the watch will show you key metrics such as number of steps taken, heart rate, battery life, time, and date. Spinning the large rotating crown button brings up a full display heart rate reading, blood oxygen level, and compass heading in this dual display mode.
While working out, this ultra-low power display layer will light up in six colors that reflect your current heart rate zone. This feature is super useful to check which zone you're in at a quick glance, without having to focus on small numbers in the middle of a workout. This mode also pairs with third parties, such as Strava and Nike Run Club, with data like heart rate, pace, and elevation with the ultra-low power display.
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The TicExercise app offers more than 100 workout types with various metrics such as recovery time, GPS track, speed, and VO2 Max. Unfortunately, you can't customize the data screens for the various workouts, though. This may be fine for casual athletes, but I would prefer to see some basic customization so that I can prioritize the most important data. Thankfully, since this is a Wear OS watch, you can download third party services like Strava to optimize your experience.
Once your workout is complete, the TicHealth application provides an exhaustive amount of data about your performance and health metrics such as daily and weekly goals, sleep details, heart rate history, and a whole lot more. TicHealth is one of the significant updates in this watch over the TicWatch Pro 5 model released in late 2023.
Other improvements found in the Enduro model over that Pro 5 model is the redesigned rotary knob, use of sapphire crystal glass on the display instead of Gorilla Glass, a larger and clearer user interface display, and further third-party integration with the ultra-low power display.
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In addition, there are more than 7,000 watch faces available for the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro, and if you use the TimeShow app then you can have the face change on a daily basis. All of the Wear OS apps are well supported on the large 1.43-inch display, including Google Maps, Messages, Wallet, Keep Notes, and much more. Phone calls and messaging work well through a connected phone and the voice-to-text performs flawlessly, too.
The Pro 5 Enduro measures 50.15 x 48 x 11.95 mm and weighs just 44.7 grams with its 7000 series aluminum and fiberglass nylon case. The sapphire crystal display is resistant to scratches and the 24mm watch band is very comfortable with handy quick-release pins. The watch is also quite durable with a 5 ATM rating and MIL-STD-810H certification.
The device's global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is included for accurate tracking with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2, providing easy connectivity to your phone and network, but the watch itself does not have cellular capability.
ZDNET's buying advice
If you're looking for a Google Wear OS smartwatch with long battery life, the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is your best option. The dual display provides some interesting use cases for the ultra-low power mode, and the watch's app provides a comprehensive amount of data.
It is a more traditional watch form factor compared to the small and sleek Google Pixel Watch 2, seemingly built for more rugged experiences, but a good-looking watch with tons of customizable options.