Despite the increasing competition in the smartwatch sector, TicWatch faces the launches of its new products with the usual determination, and this Pro 3 Ultra is a prime example.
TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra represents a further step forward for the company in the world of fitness trackers: Mobvoi services have improved, and is preparing to receive the update to WearOS 3.0.
TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra review
Design and Display
I start from the strap which, perhaps, represents a slight step back from the previous model; here in fact the strap is in black rubber from 22 mm while last year it was in leather, with contrasting stitching. The usual type of attachment remains present, therefore the straps are easily replaceable and interchangeable; in any case, the rubber strap used here is of quality, and is perceived when it is worn on the wrist where it slips easily and does not friction with the skin (which often happens, for example, when you buy straps for a few euros on Aliexpress).
TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is certainly not one of those products that go unnoticed on the wrist; And 12.3mm thick and weighs about 40 grams, so it's pretty sturdy. It is not at all annoying to wear it on the wrist given the size, but it certainly may not be suitable for everyone, it must be said.
The case is made of stainless steel rather dark gray color, and the back is made of glass-reinforced nylon which is an improvement over the last generation. Maintains resistance to dust and water with IP68 certification and in addition the new military certification is also added MIL-STD-810G, dedicated to products that pass the most arduous "mistreatment" tests.
It remains present on the left side of the watch speaker, while on the right side the two navigation keys (the upper one allows you to move in the Wear OS apps, while the lower one in the Mobvoi fitness apps) and the main microphone. The ring with the minute count is always fixed, as well as the side button that does not allow scrolling in the various pages of the watch.
Charging takes place via the four magnetic pins along the bottom of the device via the TicWatch proprietary charger.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is the presence of a "dual display" from 1.4 ", 454 x 454 pixels; ok, surely you are wondering the meaning of this sentence, now I'll explain. TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra has a monochrome FSTN panel and a display AMOLED in color as a "surface" layer; the FSTN screen it is practically activated when the smartwatch is almost discharged, or at night when the "real" color display is not needed, as long as you have activated it in the settings.
I found it comfortable, especially outdoors in the sunlight where he proved to be a faithful helper; personally I have always kept it active, and in some ways I preferred it to the always-on mode, which requires more energy and in the sunlight it does not have the same performance as the LCD panel.
Sure, the picture quality is not remotely comparable, but it ultimately shows the values with a reduced and essential graphics and during a workout, for example, there is nothing more useful.
Hardware and Performance
At the hardware level TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra owns one Snapdragon Wear 4100, 1GB RAM memory and 8GB of internal storage; plus compatible with Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n and various GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo and QZSS. The novelty introduced by TicWatch is the dual processor present, which manages to offer superior performance to other smartwatches with Android Wear but above all a better battery life, and this is another of the flagship features.
The excellent hardware equipment, therefore, allows the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra to obtain excellent performance, without losing hits, without suffering blockages in the interface or lag of any kind, aspects that seem obvious but that on Android Wear, in reality, are not so much.
As for the internal memory, however, they are really only available poco more than 4GB for installing apps or transferring music directly to the watch; most of the space appears to be occupied by the Mobvoi fitness apps, which still play an important role on this smartwatch.
Software and monitoring
The version of Android Wear featured on the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is 2.26, not really recent but in a few months the update to WearOS 3, which will bring many new features to these smartwatches. At present, however, the performances are good, the result of the excellent optimization and the good hardware-software combination.
The smartwatch is full of Mobvoi apps, specifically there are TicSleep for sleep tracking, TicPulse for the heartbeat, TicOxygen for blood oxygen saturation, but also TicBreathe, Tic Hearing, TicCare, and TicExercise: Mobvoi has practically provided an application for every value to be monitored, whether it is heart rate or breath this TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra can do it, without difficulty.
Activity tracking is accurate; the sensors used by Mobvoi are confirmed once again to be reliable and accurate in measurements. The only slightly uncertain aspect is the measurement of oxygen saturation in the blood, which often reported very different values, thus falsifying the measurements.
As the smartwatch is gifted also of NFC payments can also be made via Google Pay, if your bank is compatible; the only detail is that for each payment it is always necessary to enter the PIN, a bit annoying.
Thanks to the presence of A that from this point of view it is a guarantee, you can respond to messages directly from the watch but above all also to voice calls; in addition, in the internal memory you can save music in MP3 format, or alternatively use Spotify or other music streaming apps.
Autonomy
The second coolest aspect of this TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is undoubtedly the battery life; I'm 577mAh available and the actual duration in the field is roughly equal to two-three days of use. Two days if you do sporting activity at least once a day, while the values rise to three days when you use it as a traditional smartwatch, without stressing it on a sporting level.
In addition, thanks to the presence of the monochrome screen, the battery can last about 5-6 days if always used in this mode; perhaps this is not the case, but know that it is possible.
Price and Considerations
TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra it is a smartwatch that has made itself loved, I admit it: his official selling price is 299 € and you can buy it directly on Amazon. Does it make sense or not? Of course yes, especially if we consider that it will receive the update to ad in the coming months Android Wear 3.0 and that he has all the credentials not to become "old" before his time.
If we add the great work done by Mobvoi as for hardware optimization, both with the "double processor" and with the "double display", then we are faced with one of the most interesting products in the smartwatch market with Android Wear on board. But pay attention to the size, if you have a medium-small wrist, think about something else: it's a piece of advice!
