Following TicWatch Pro 3, Mobvoi announced the TicWatch Pro S, a smartwatch that carries some of the remarkable features of TicWatch, such as a “dual display” that covers an LCD always on on an AMOLED screen for longer battery life, and some personalized ones health apps, for a slightly more affordable price of $ 259.99. But the older internal parts of the device may not make it as appetizing.
The TicWatch Pro S costs $ 40 less than the Pro 3, but that price has big payoffs. First, an old processor. As we highlighted in our review, the more expensive TicWatch Pro 3 has a new Snapdragon 4100 that brings more processing power and battery efficiency to solve some old Wear OS problems. But the TicWatch Pro S settles for an old Snapdragon 2100, a processor that has been in use on Wear OS devices since at least 2016.
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And while the TicWatch Pro S is actually slightly thicker than the Pro 3 (12.6 mm x 12.2 mm) and only slightly narrower (45 mm wide x 47 mm), it also comes with a smaller battery. Compared to the Pro 3’s 577mAh battery, the Pro S has only 415mAh to spare. In another circumstance, it can be an insignificant difference, but when battery life was an area that needed to be improved for most Wear OS watches, it shouldn’t be ignored.
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The slight change in size also doesn’t look like it would make a big difference to anyone who would find the TicWatch Pro 3 too big.
The TicWatch Pro S’s always-on display option is nice and can provide more battery power than a regular Wear OS device, but if the interior of a previous five-year Wear OS watch is feeding it, it may be worth pausing and reconsidering how much those extra $ 40 are worth to you.
The TicWatch Pro S is available today in the US, UK and Europe for $ 259.99 on the Mobvoi website and on Amazon.