Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS
Samsung would like everyone to think it has dibs on the best smartwatches for Android users. While theGalaxy Watch 5 Prois among thebest Android smartwatchesavailable, competitors are gunning for the same unofficial title. TheMobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPSranks among smartwatches right now, but it’s a bit in limbo waiting for Wear OS 3.
While both watches have unique charms, only one can grace your wrist — especially at these prices. So before you buy your next super-sized smartwatch, let’s take a closer look at what makes them tick.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS: How do they stack up on paper?
Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS
Black Titanium, Gray Titanium
Shadow Black
1.4-inch 450 x 450px Super AMOLED
1.4-inch 454 x 454px AMOLED, Hybrid FSTN display
Exynos W920
Snapdragon Wear 4100
Connectivity
NFC, GPS, LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
NFC, GPS, LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Water resistance
IP68 certified, MIL-STD-810H compliant
IP68 certified, MIL-STD-810G compliant
Wear OS 3.5 Powered by Samsung (One UI Watch 4.5)
Wear OS 2 by Google
Health sensors
Heart rate, ECG, SpO2, bioelectrical impedance, skin temperature
Heart rate, SpO2
Health platform
Samsung Health, Google Fit
Mobvoi, Google Fit
Samsung has the benefit of hindsight, given the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a 2022 smartwatch, whereas the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS came out in 2021. If this were a head-to-head with the Galaxy Watch 4 — Samsung’s 2021 model — it would be a more even matchup, save for theWear OS 3update yet to materialize for this particular TicWatch. That update has been a dangling carrot going back a year, yet it carries such importance because it theoretically could change how the watch functions.
For reference, Wear OS smartwatches eligible for the Wear OS 3 update need to run on the Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset. Samsung’s own Exynos W920 chip is just as qualified and already runs on the platform (albeit in a unique form retaining elements of Tizen, Samsung’s operating system from its previous wearables). The promise of Wear OS 3 is that it would allow watch manufacturers to overlay their own skins on top of the base platform like phone manufacturers already do with Android. That would also ostensibly make it easier for third-party apps to integrate and seamlessly work on smartwatches running Wear OS 3.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS: How do they differ?
Both of these watches are bigger than others generally are, so smaller wrists might find them thick and cumbersome to wear. But there is a reason for the additional heft, and it’s their respectively ruggedized builds. Samsung holds a slight edge because 810H military standard protection comes with more rigorous requirements for durability, although either one of these watches can sustain tough and sweaty workouts. In addition, Samsung’s sapphire glass will probably withstand tougher conditions relative to the Gorilla Glass protecting the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra’s display. Both are built to be resilient, but the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro gets the edge.
Within their bodies come a variety of sensors for fitness and health tracking. Some contrasts do apply, as in how the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has an FDA-approved ECG/EKG (electrocardiogram) to check for the heart’s electrical activity — while the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra has a heart monitor using algorithms that also check for irregular heartbeat and atrial fibrillation (AFib), but the monitor is not an ECG. Unfortunately, this useful functionality doesn’t work everywhere. If you’re in the U.K., for example, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra won’t be able to get you that information.
Samsung also equips its watch with a blood pressure monitor (BPM), except it hasn’t met with FDA approval in the U.S., so the BPM is a dormant feature until that happens. Mobvoi has never embedded a BPM in its smartwatches thus far.
You can monitor sleep and blood oxygen levels (SpO2), measure stress and track 100+ workouts. Mobvoi edges out Samsung on how many workouts it supports; Samsung has automatic tracking for a handful of workouts on its watch. With built-in GPS, you know the route and distance you covered outdoors, which is super helpful when using maps to navigate directly from your watch.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro takes things a step further as Samsung’s only smartwatch using GPX, or GPS Exchange Format, which contains visual information for routes, trails, tracks, and waypoints — saving them as GPX files you can access at a later time. The problem is they only work for cycling and hiking right now, along withother caveats that Samsung will need to addressgoing forward.
Despite that, both do many things in similar ways. Notifications roll through, and taking phone calls from either watch is fairly straightforward. Also, you’re able to pay for items with either one, access Google Assistant (or Bixby with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, if you’re so inclined), and use compatible third-party apps to listen to music stored on your watch while offline. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a finicky strap and magnetic clamping mechanism, yet it’s easy to find other straps for it. The same goes for the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS, where replacement straps are also available.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS: What about battery life?
Mobvoi tried to stretch battery life in various ways, like the option to drain all the color from the screen and go with a monochrome look instead. It’s what makes the TicWatch unique because it’s actually two displays layered on top of each other. A low-powered FSTN LCD sits below the AMOLED, only showing basic details in an old-school digital clock form. You can select from 18 different backlight colors, but it’s otherwise not something you can really customize.
The other power-saving choices are pretty familiar by smartwatch standards, be it turning GPS off or reducing what the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS is tracking. In Smart mode, it could go for three days, whereas Essential mode — which sticks to the FSTN display and pretty much cuts off all activity in the background — can push it to 45 days. Of course, these figures are entirely based on how you use it, so heavy usage and tracking will probably have you charging up again after 24-36 hours.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a larger battery than any other Samsung smartwatch, with the company rating it at up to 80 hours per charge. Of course, how long it stays charged will depend on how you use it, but mixed usage should let you reach three days — two days for sure — before you need to reach for the charger. The watch also charges pretty quickly, with a 10W charger in the box that could give you 20% extra power while you hop in the shower.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS: Which is the better buy?
Let’s first start with what they cost. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro comes in one size, two colors, and two variants. it’s possible to go with the Bluetooth model for $600 or the LTE version for $630. That $30 difference isn’t significant if you’re already willing to invest in a smartwatch of this caliber. By comparison, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS feels like a bargain at $300. No variants here, just one color and one version.
If you have a Samsung phone, or are pretty well integrated into the company’s product ecosystem, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will fit right in because it speaks the same language. The Galaxy Wearable smartphone app handles the handoff, enabling devices to connect without issue. Mobvoi doesn’t have that functionality, forcing you to make manual connections, but it’s not that big a deal (especially if you’re not using a Samsung phone).
You could always consider theGalaxy Watch 5as an alternative and seehow it compares to the Watch 5 Pro. Mobvoi has beenteasing its own upcoming TicWatch, said to drop in 2022 and equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip. If you’d rather not wait, the choice really comes down to your budget and expectations. The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS covers much of the same ground for half the price, while the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro runs the latest software and usually gets the most recent updates.
Samsung’s latest and greatest may set you back. However, you get what you pay for in quality build, the latest features, and different models to choose from.
The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra offers a similar experience to the Galaxy Watch for half the price. Users will get even more when the Wear OS 3 arrives. Still, it lacks variety and some features the Watch 5 Pro provides.
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