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Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS review: An update away from excellence
The latest TicWatch justifies its existence, and Wear OS 3 might make it even better
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Mobvoi has more competition in Wear OS this year, but it’s not changing its approach just yet. Incremental changes are the name of the game with the launch of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS, though the continued lack of Wear OS 3.0 is a notable pain point. While Mobvoi's newest smartwatch is expected to receive an update to Wear OS 3.0 sometime in 2022, this certainly puts Mobvoi at a disadvantage compared to Samsung and its Galaxy Watch 4. Still, Mobvoi is a known name in the Wear arena for a reason, and that reason is that it continually releases capable smartwatches year after year at satisfactory price points.
What the heck is going on with the chip powering the latest TicWatch?
Store listings indicate a silent upgrade, but nothing is lining up
Before the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Watch4, Mobvoi's TicWatches were truly the only wearables worth recommending for Android users. Equipped with a Snapdragon Wear 4100, the TicWatch Pro 3 and E3 are two of the only devices you can find with that specific processor, even more than a year out from the former's launch. At least, that's the chip both watches were initially marketed with, but if you try to buy one today, you might be surprised to see an unannounced performance upgrade listed in the specs sheet.According to listings on Mobvoi's official website and Amazon, both of the company's current watches are powered by a Snapdragon Wear 4100+ — not the original 4100 chip as originally marketed (via 9to5Google). This change is rather curious, considering there's been no announcement about a potential upgrade for either watch. While the Pro 3 is well over a year old now, the TicWatch E3 only went up for sale in June. It'd be an odd move to upgrade the processor of a watch that's just three months old.
The TicWatch E3 could be the Wear 4100 smartwatch you've been waiting for
All the essentials from the TicWatch Pro 3 for less moolah
Mobvoi has been in many ways responsible for keeping the Wear OS platform even vaguely relevant in recent years. Its TicWatches continue to represent the best of a bad bunch in terms of Google-powered smartwatches. The TicWatch Pro 3 was the first to launch with Qualcomm's improved Wear 4100 chipset, but now that's being followed up by a sleek new model, the TicWatch E3.
We could finally be getting the Wear OS Apple Watch clone we truly deserve
The Oppo Watch 2 is reportedly on the way
While Google is mostly to blame for the state of Android smartwatches — before hopefully breathing new life into Wear with Samsung — the lack of compelling silicon from chipmakers hasn't helped. Even after Qualcomm announced a new chipset last year, only one smartwatch really made use of it. However, the choice may not be as limited this year because Oppo seems set to announce a Snapdragon Wear 4100-powered watch later this year.
The TicWatch Pro 3 with LTE is now available in the UK, Spain, and Germany
As part of an exclusive partnership with Vodafone
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Qualcomm revealed two new wearable chipsets back in June, the Snapdragon Wear 4100 and 4100+. The new chips are a significant upgrade over Qualcomm's previous designs, with up to 85% faster performance and improved battery optimization, but there hasn't been a Wear OS smartwatch yet that utilizes the newer chipsets. That's finally changing, as Mobvoi has announced the first Wear OS watch with the Wear 4100.The TicWatch Pro 3 is a significant upgrade over the original model from 2018 and the minor refresh from earlier this year. The previous model was one of the largest Wear OS watches available, and not everyone is a fan of bulkier watches, so Mobvoi has trimmed it down a bit with the Pro 3. The new model is slightly smaller and thinner, but still packs a larger battery — from 415 to 577mAh. Mobvoi says the TicWatch Pro 3 can last up to 72 hours of use with Wear OS (with some features off, most likely). Just like the original model, there's an Essential Mode that shuts off Wear OS and switches to an analog display, which extends battery life to 45 days.
Qualcomm's new Snapdragon Wear 4100 series is the hardware boost Wear OS desperately needs
It's up to 85% faster than existing smartwatch processors
Google's Wear OS platform for smartwatches has been in a rough patch for a while, partially because the only viable option for processors has been Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 2100 and 3100 chips. Those processors are vastly out of date, but now Qualcomm is introducing a massive upgrade — the Wear 4100 series.