TicWatch Pro 5

4.0

$349.99

Quick Verdict: The TicWatch 5 Pro is one of the best smartwatches you can buy right now, and features a snappy Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and Google's Wear OS 3. It offers great performance, and outstanding battery life thanks to the innovative dual displays, making for a sensible smartwatch purchase.

Pros:

• Excellent multi-day battery life
• Solid selection of apps
• Powerful hardware
• Classy design

Cons:

• No Google Assistant
• Bottom shell scratches easily

Check Availability See at Amazon

KnowTechie is supported by its audience, so if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale.

The Apple Watch has a stronghold over the smartwatch market.

On the Android side of things, several manufacturers make some really nice smartwatches too, and Mobvoi’s TicWatch lineup is among them. The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 is the latest in the lineup and makes an exciting proposition.

At $349, it sits alongside the Google Pixel Watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series, and the Apple Watch Series 8. I tested a review unit sent by Mobvoi over a period of six weeks and am genuinely impressed with this watch.

However, in a saturated market, the TicWatch Pro 5 finds itself in a tough spot. The watch itself is excellent. However, a few concerns make me wonder about its place in the market.

The TicWatch Pro 5 is the first smartwatch I’ve worn after I stopped wearing automatic watches, and I was primarily impressed. In this review, we’ll go over some of the things I liked and some of the things I didn’t. Ready to dive in?

TicWatch Pro 5 Specifications

TicWatch Pro 5 Design: Simple yet effective

When it comes to smartwatch design, it isn’t easy to do something revolutionary. These watches don’t have the longevity or the price range of luxury watches, nor is there much room to deviate from the standard form factor and design.

The form is limiting, and improvements are mostly related to newer and shinier hardware rather than the housing itself.

That being said, the TicWatch Pro 5 isn’t exactly lacking in the design department. It has a typical design, with Mobvoi opting for a sportier feel.

The watch’s body is made up of 7000-series aluminum, which is strong and light. You get it in a single Obsidian colorway. The body’s finish is matte, while the bezel gets a gloss finish with a textured feel on the top. The buttons are firm and reflect the overall excellent build quality.

My only issue with the build was the base of the watch. The transparent panel sits over the heart rate sensors and is highly prone to scratches.

During my use, I found it gathered a whole lot of scratches, which isn’t great because it’s likely to affect the heart rate monitor over time. I recommend you hold on to the pre-installed protective film as long as possible or install a new one.

The watch comes with a bundled silicone strap, which is pretty minimalist. However, there are a ton of straps to choose from, with some bright-colored options for those that like it.

Additionally, you can use it with standard 24mm straps, which means there are many strap options. The black color of the watch body will go well with a ton of different colors, so customization isn’t going to be an issue.

The watch also sits comfortably on the wrist, which isn’t always a given with smartwatches. It’s light, and the overall size should look fine on most wrists.

TicWatch Pro 5 display: A standout dual display setup

The displays are the most interesting part of this watch. I say displays because while you see just one facade, there are two displays.

Underneath, you get a nice and vibrant AMOLED, the kind you can expect to see on the best smartwatches. Over that, you have an ultra-low-power display, a good old LCD like the ones found on older digital watches.

READ MORE: What’s the difference between an LCD and AMOLED mobile display?

So, you can use this like a normal smartwatch or one of those connected Casio G-Shocks. The advantage is two-fold: you get a solid battery life boost when using the low-power display and fewer distractions!

The low-power display also gets multiple color options for backlight, which really nails the experience.

My only issue with the displays is that adding a layer of LCD over the AMOLED has made the main display a bit hazy, removing some of that contrast and clarity.

It’s well within the acceptable limits, though, and I’m sure most users won’t even notice it. The trade-off is totally worth it, especially given the advantages.

TicWatch Pro 5 software: Wear OS 3 and Mobvoi’s apps work well together

The watch runs on Wear OS 3, which is a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because Wear OS is the closest we have to a standard operating system for smartwatches that Apple doesn’t make.

It’s a bad thing because Wear OS still isn’t all that great, especially on watches not made by Samsung or Google.

For example, the TicWatch Pro 5 doesn’t get Google Assistant. Mobvoi is working with Google to bring it to the Pro 5, but there’s really not much hope. You get a great selection of apps, which is often the advantage of all things Android.

TicWatch’s suite of apps is also incredibly useful, almost making up for Google’s woes. There’s an app for every feature you could use on this watch, and TicWatch has done them very well.

Mobvoi has its fair share of issues as well, though. Delivering Wear OS 3 to its older watches has taken a long time, only opening up the beta last month.

That means the Pro 5 may not get an update to Wear OS 4 soon, either. It’s a toss-up, and even though I like this watch, if you want the latest software all the time, this may be a tough buy for you.

TicWatch Pro 5 performance: No stone left unturned

WearOS isn’t all that bad regarding performance, and the TicWatch Pro 5 has sufficient hardware power.

The Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 is one of the best wearable processors, and the watch has some of the best hardware you can get right now. That means the watch runs smoothly, and you won’t feel like it’s running out of steam at any given time.

Notifications are quick to arrive, apps open up speedily, and I didn’t see any lags during my usage. The highlight is the selection of fitness features you get, all tuned rather well.

I tried the heart rate and SpO2 measurements on this watch alongside an Apple Watch SE, and the results were pretty similar. Sleep tracking was also pretty accurate when I tried it, with only a few minutes of error.

If you want to get this fitness watch, it will serve you well. With the best hardware and acceptable software combined with a solid suite of apps from Mobvoi, the TicWatch Pro 5 performs as well as you expect.

TicWatch Pro 5 battery life: Truly multi-day battery

The battery life is a massive barrier for folks looking to get a smartwatch because it adds to the inconvenience of charging an additional device daily. That was one of the reasons I stopped wearing smartwatches, too.

However, the TicWatch Pro 5 makes some big strides in the right direction with battery life.

I’m a very light smartwatch user, but I put the TicWatch Pro 5 through its paces. With semi-regular use, including using the tracking features, reading notifications, and responding every now and then, the TicWatch Pro 5 lasted between three to four days consistently.

The real showstopper here is the Essential Mode.

This super-low-power mode will turn your watch into a regular digital watch when below a set battery percentage or by schedule. It increases the battery life significantly, and you get to have the watch stay on and useful while sipping power.

With my light usage, I’m sure I could push this watch to a week without a charge if I weren’t exerting it for this review. That’s a testament to how practical the Pro 5 is, which isn’t always guaranteed with smartwatches.

It feels like the first chapter of a new generation of smartwatches — one that won’t have a smartwatch be just another device you have to plug in daily.

Alternative options to consider

Product Image	Product Name / Primary Rating / Price	Primary Button
	Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 4.3 $399.99	Check Availability
	Google Pixel Watch 4.0 $299.99	Check Availability
	Apple Watch Series 8 4.2 $399.99	Check Availability

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

4.3

$399.99

Check Availability

Google Pixel Watch

4.0

$299.99

Check Availability

Apple Watch Series 8

4.2

$399.99

Check Availability

06/09/2023 06:25 am GMT

Should you buy the TicWatch Pro 5?

While I’ve been on the smartwatch fence for a while, the TicWatch Pro 5 has me considering daily driving one again. It’s a great smartwatch with a solid build, great hardware, solid performance, and extraordinary battery life.

It feels like a turning point for TicWatch as a brand, and I hope the company can follow through with Google Assistant support and timely software updates.

For now, Mobvoi hasn’t done enough to make me trust they will handle those two issues well, so I cannot give my full vote of confidence to this watch, despite liking it a lot.

However, if you’ve decided to buy a smartwatch and aren’t an Apple Watch fan, the TicWatch Pro 5 is definitely one to consider.

I wish there were more size and color options, and an LTE option would’ve been great. However, at $350, the TicWatch Pro 5 is a pretty great value.

As previously mentioned, the TicWatch Pro 5 starts at $350, and you can find it on the company’s website and various other retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Adorama, and more.

TicWatch Pro 5

4.0

$349.99

The TicWatch 5 Pro is a reliable and feature-rich smartwatch with exceptional performance and long battery life, thanks to its Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and Google's Wear OS 3.

Quick Verdict: The TicWatch 5 Pro is one of the best smartwatches you can buy right now, and features a snappy Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and Google's Wear OS 3. It offers great performance, and outstanding battery life thanks to the innovative dual displays, making for a sensible smartwatch purchase.

Pros:

• Excellent multi-day battery life
• Solid selection of apps
• Powerful hardware
• Classy design

Cons:

• No Google Assistant
• Bottom shell scratches easily

Check Availability See at Amazon

KnowTechie is supported by its audience, so if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: Audeze LCD-XC – are these $1,300 headphones worth it?
• Review: Flexispot E7 Premium Standing Desk
• The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 case (2023)
• Review: HP Sprocket Studio Plus WiFi Photo Printer

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more. A review unit was provided for this review.

The post Review: TicWatch Pro 5 – an almost perfect smartwatch appeared first on KnowTechie.

The latest entrant is Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 5, which brings top-tier hardware running on Google’s Wear OS.

The TicWatch Pro 5 is the latest in the line of popular smartwatches that don’t come from Apple, Samsung, or Garmin and comes with some solid hardware specs. It’s a follow-up to the excellent TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra.

Quick Verdict

Ticwatch Pro 5 Android Smartwatch

$349.99

The TicWatch 5 Pro is one of the best smartwatches you can buy right now, and features a snappy Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and Google's Wear OS 3. It offers great performance, and outstanding battery life thanks to the innovative dual displays, making for a sensible smartwatch purchase.

$349.99 at Amazon See at Mobvoi

KnowTechie is supported by its audience, so if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale.

05/30/2023 03:36 pm GMT

You get the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 Wearable Platform powering the watch. The display is AMOLED, with a layer of Ultra-low-power screen on top.

The watch switches to this low-power screen when on standby, which has a very Casio-like digital watch look and makes for some impressive battery life on. Mobvoi says users can expect 80 hours of battery life.

The dual-layer display isn’t the only impressive thing about this watch

Other features include a digital rotating crown for navigation, a bunch of sensors, including a heart rate sensor and blood oxygen monitoring, stress management, and a host of Mobvoi-based apps around fitness and activity.

The main takeaway is that it’s running WearOS 3, making it the first TicWatch to do so.

The TicWatch Pro 5 has a rather sporty look. You get a rugged build with a light-but-strong aluminum build (which is aerospace-grade, according to Mobvoi). There’s also MIL-STD-810H certification, as well as 5ATM water resistance.

What this means is that you can use it for your workouts. That includes swimming, as well as outdoor activities that may involve moisture. You get a swappable silicone strap as default, which goes well with the black finish.

Mobvoi also provides the option to pick from silicone bands in Jungle Green, Bonfire Orange, and Twilight Blue. There are also genuine leather band options in Tuxedo Black and Smart Casual Blue.

Mobvoi is now selling the TicWatch Pro 5 via Mobvoi.com and Amazon for $349.99. We have a review unit on hand, so stay tuned for our review, which is dropping soon!

Quick Verdict

Ticwatch Pro 5 Android Smartwatch

$349.99

The TicWatch 5 Pro is one of the best smartwatches you can buy right now, and features a snappy Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and Google's Wear OS 3. It offers great performance, and outstanding battery life thanks to the innovative dual displays, making for a sensible smartwatch purchase.

$349.99 at Amazon See at Mobvoi

KnowTechie is supported by its audience, so if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale.

05/30/2023 03:36 pm GMT

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: G-Shock Move Pro smartwatch – Wear OS toughens up
• Review: TicWatch Pro smartwatch – A solid Wear OS option
• Fitbit reveals new smartwatches focused on health and lifestyle
• Fitbit finally adds a ‘Find Phone’ feature to its Charge 5 smartwatch

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 brings longer battery life with Wear OS appeared first on KnowTechie.

	Best Overall
IronVest (previously Blur)	NordPass	Dashlane
4.0	4.5	4.0
Why we like it: IronVest (previously Blur) — Another feature-rich password manager focusing on digital anonymity and privacy.	Why we like it: NordPass is our go-to choice for password management, it's sleek, user-friendly, and packs a punch with security features.	Why we like it: Dashlane is a sleek and feature-packed password manager that offers a great balance of security and convenience.
Learn More	Learn More	Learn More

IronVest (previously Blur)

4.0

Why we like it:

IronVest (previously Blur) — Another feature-rich password manager focusing on digital anonymity and privacy.

Learn More

Best Overall

NordPass

4.5

Why we like it:

NordPass is our go-to choice for password management, it's sleek, user-friendly, and packs a punch with security features.

Learn More

Dashlane

4.0

Why we like it:

Dashlane is a sleek and feature-packed password manager that offers a great balance of security and convenience.

Learn More

Choosing a password manager can be overwhelming, with so many options on the market. And how do you know which will work best for you without trying them all? 

While Android, iOS, and web browsers have their own password managers (which are free), third-party password managers offer better alternatives with great features. 

1Password is one of the better password managers out there, but you have to pay to use it. 

So, is it worth your hard-earned money? I tested out 1Password to see if you should be paying for it and switching away from native free options.

1Password

4.5

Starts at $2.99 per month

1Password is one of the best free password managers available, offering a robust set of features, including multi-factor authentication, password sharing, and a secure password generator.

Quick Verdict: 1Password is an excellent password manager with a great user experience across its apps and browser extensions. It’s fast, smart, and secure, and worth the asking price.

Pros:

• Intuitive user interface and experience
• Seamless across different platforms
• A lot of great features

Cons:

• No free tier
• Pricing may be a little steep for light users

Who is this good for?: If you’re someone who juggles a lot of passwords across multiple devices, and aren’t happy with the free options, 1Password is definitely the password manager for you.

Who is this not good for?: Who is it not for? If you don’t feel the need to have a dedicated password manager or are paranoid about third parties having your data, 1Password is not for you.

Learn More Try 14 Days FREE

KnowTechie is supported by its audience, so if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale.

How much would you pay for a password manager?

1Password is a paid app with no free tiers, unfortunately. However, you do get a 14-day free trial, but post that, you’re on the hook for one of its paid subscription plans. 

Here’s what those plans look like: 

• Individual — $2.99 per month, no device or item limit, 1GB secure storage
• Families — $4.99 per month, five family members, expert support
• Teams Starter Pack — $19.95 per month, 10 team members, risk detection, selective sharing, expert support
• Business — $7.99 per month per user, integrations, reporting, admin controls, advanced protection
• Enterprise — custom pricing, dedicated account manager and onboarding engineer, custom setup training

The Individual or Families plans should be more than enough for most people. 

For this review, I signed up using an Individual plan. The Families plan works similarly, except with the option of having up to five family members, each of which can save and use their own passwords, separate from the other users.

Whatever plan you go with, you do get a ton of impressive features. In addition to account management, password autofill, apps, and browser extensions, here are some notable 1Password features:

• Smarter encryption — 1Password will let you know if your login can use a more secure connection
•  Two-factor authentication — no need to use additional authenticator apps
•  Watchtower — keep track of your overall online security and get suggestions on how to improve it
•  Multiple vaults — Categorize your login details into multiple vaults
•  Travel mode — Select which vaults to keep and remove when traveling

Switching to 1Password

I’ve been a longtime user of the in-built password manager that Chrome, which Google recently revamped.

Additionally, when I switch to an iPhone occasionally, I use Apple Keychain in addition to the Gboard‘s autofill. That means my password management was all over the place.

Switching to 1Password is a bit of a process, but it’s not as elaborate as I thought.

In my testing, to get up and going with 1Password, I had to export my saved passwords from the Google Password Manager in Chrome and import them using the 1Password Chrome extension.

It’s the same thing with Apple Keychain, except I couldn’t do it through the website since it only lets you export your password data from an Apple device.

But overall, the switch was relatively smooth, and 1Password was up and running with all my passwords immediately.

As far as the anxiety of switching to a third-party password manager goes, 1Password seems to have the basics right.

You get full end-to-end encryption covering all information transfer and 256-bit AES-GCM-256 authenticated encryption protecting your stored passwords.

1Password also uses secure random numbers and PBKDF2 key strengthening to deter password guessing. However, 1Password claims that a strong password could take decades to crack with these technologies deployed.

Using 1Password across different platforms

On the whole, my experience using 1Password was pretty sweet. There were a few hiccups, but they have to do more with the existing auto-fill services getting in the way rather than 1Password itself.

Logging into 1Password is more elaborate than most logins since it requires multiple layers of security. For example, I had to not only add in my username and password combination for 1Password but also the security key.

However, there’s a workaround to that, which is the emergency kit PDF. It’s a document you can export when signing up for 1Password, which can be used for logins and, in case of an emergency, when you don’t have your password and security key handy.

1Password on web browsers

When testing 1Password on a web browser, Google Chrome was the browser of choice, and 1Password was absolutely seamless there.

1Password showed up with the autofill every time I was on a login screen. What surprised me was that the password manager also worked flawlessly on my online banking sites. This is an issue I have with other password managers.

After adding the details manually the first time to 1Password, the process proceeded flawlessly afterward.

There’s also a native Windows app that works really well.

1Password on Android

The 1Password app on Android is solid, and it worked fine during my testing after an initial hiccup. The app has an option for autofill, which you have to enable via a prompt in the app that takes you to the Android settings.

Unfortunately, on my Pixel 7 Pro, Google’s autofill kept interfering even after I had enabled 1Password as the autofill default, but 1Password wouldn’t show up on the Google Keyboard anytime I was on a login screen.

However, as I discovered, I only needed to restart my phone, and 1Password was good to go. “Did you try turning it off and on again?” to the rescue!

1Password on iOS

iOS has a similar autofill option, and 1Password integrates it well. First, I had to set up 1Password, log in, and enable autofill in iOS settings. Following that, I could sign in using 1Password using Face ID authentication.

The experience on iOS is so well integrated that it almost feels like 1Password was built right into iOS by Apple itself. 

The experience on macOS is similar.

Verdict: Should you use 1Password?

If you need a reliable password manager for daily use, 1Password is one of the best options. 

There have been some security concerns about password managers, especially with the LastPass hack. As a result of the breach, hackers obtained customers’ encrypted password vaults.

And 1Password had a recent scare of its own, but that turned out to be an accidental notification, not an actual leak. 

However, for now, 1Password has you safe, and you don’t have to worry about data leaks.

1Password alternatives

	Best Overall
IronVest (previously Blur)	NordPass	Dashlane
4.0	4.5	4.0
Why we like it: IronVest (previously Blur) — Another feature-rich password manager focusing on digital anonymity and privacy.	Why we like it: NordPass is our go-to choice for password management, it's sleek, user-friendly, and packs a punch with security features.	Why we like it: Dashlane is a sleek and feature-packed password manager that offers a great balance of security and convenience.
Learn More	Learn More	Learn More

IronVest (previously Blur)

4.0

Why we like it:

IronVest (previously Blur) — Another feature-rich password manager focusing on digital anonymity and privacy.

Learn More

Best Overall

NordPass

4.5

Why we like it:

NordPass is our go-to choice for password management, it's sleek, user-friendly, and packs a punch with security features.

Learn More

Dashlane

4.0

Why we like it:

Dashlane is a sleek and feature-packed password manager that offers a great balance of security and convenience.

Learn More

If you’re looking at alternatives to 1Password, there are a few to consider. 

NordPass

NordPass is one of the best password managers you can get and for a good reason. Compared to 1Password, it holds up rather well, with both password managers having many common features, with some unique to each.

Of course, both are priced similarly, but NordPass comes out a bit above 1Password with its features. Plus, it also offers a free plan.

NordPass

4.5

NordPass is our go-to choice for password management, it's sleek, user-friendly, and packs a punch when it comes to security. Sure, it's on the pricey side, but the peace of mind it brings is totally worth it.

Learn More at NordPass Best Current Offer

KnowTechie is supported by its audience, so if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale.

Dashlane — A free alternative that also has paid plans for those willing to pay more for features

Dashlane is another great password manager that has a great free plan. However, if you want to go for the paid plans, you get slightly higher pricing than 1Password, while features stay on par. 

A unique Dashlane feature is a one-click simultaneous password change for all your passwords, but it doesn’t have 1Password features like Travel Mode.

Dashlane

4.0

Dashlane is a sleek and feature-packed password manager that offers a great balance of security and convenience. With a clean and user-friendly interface, it makes managing your password a breeze.

Learn More at Dashlane Best Current Offer

KnowTechie is supported by its audience, so if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale.

IronVest (previously Blur) — Another feature-rich password manager focusing on digital anonymity and privacy.

IronVest is rich in benefits and comes with a feature-loaded free plan too. While the paid plans differ from (and are costlier than) 1Password, it packs some unique features.

As a result, it’s great for businesses and professionals, with features like credit card and email masking, among other perks that make it more than just a password manager.

IronVest (previously Blur)

4.0

IronVest password manager offers decentralized infrastructure, biometric authentication, and goes beyond traditional password management to protect accounts and secure personal information.

Learn More at IronVest Best Current Offer

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Grab 10% off LogMeOn’s password manager in this limited time offer
• How to turn your WiFi password into a QR code
• How to export LastPass data and switch password managers
• How to find saved WiFi passwords in Windows 11

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post Review: 1Password appeared first on KnowTechie.