Ticwatch E Review: THE Budget-Friendly Android Wear Smartwatch

There’s no doubt smartwatches are still popular, despite a gradual cooling of the market since 2017’s explosion. With the release of Android Wear 2.0, smartwatch maker Mobvoi is hoping to take the world by storm with the Ticwatch E – a budget-friendly Android Wear smartwatch packing some impressive features. Is it worth it? Keep reading my Ticwatch E review to find out.

What is the Ticwatch E?

The Ticwatch E is a budget-friendly smartwatch powered by Android Wear 2.0 – The latest version of Google’s wearable OS.

Shipping with an impressive array of sensors on board, including a heart rate monitor and GPS, the Ticwatch E is clearly targeting those who want a powerful smartwatch without spending hundreds of dollars.

Key Features

  • Android Wear 2.0
  • Round OLED capacitive touchscreen
  • Available in 3 colors: Black, White and Yellow

Where to Buy the Ticwatch E

The Ticwatch E is available from Mobvoi directly or Amazon.

Check Price at Amazon

Inside the Box

There’s just the basics inside the box, including:

  • The Ticwatch E unit
  • Ticwatch’s proprietary magnetic charging cable
  • An English User Manual

The whole thing comes packaged in a really nice tin that makes it feel more like a traditional watch than another gadget.

Ticwatch E Hardware

The Ticwatch E is a nice looking smartwatch, with a minimalist design reminiscent of Swatch watches. Its plastic case combines a colored core (in black, white or yellow) with a transparent overlay for a clean look. That said, the plastic does make it feel like a cheaper device which might be an issue for some.

Ticwatch E Review 03

There’s also comfortable silicone watch strap included which matches the watch. It can easily be swapped out for any 20mm band which is great if you want to pair the watch with a specific outfit.

Interacting with the watch is mainly done via the gorgeous 1.4 inch 400×400 pixel OLED capacitive touchscreen which looks fantastic. Colours pop and it’s bright enough for use in direct sunlight – exactly what you’d expect for a quality smartwatch display.

Ticwatch E Review Watchfaces 02

There’s also a single button on the left side used for bringing up the apps menu or holding it down to access the Google Assistant.

Ticwatch have managed to cram an impressive array of sensors into the Ticwatch E’s 44mm case. Inside, you get a heart-rate monitor, GPS, proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope and e-compass. That all translates to a host of functionality from monitoring your heart rate during exercising (I’m a little unfit!) to tracking your location.

Ticwatch E Review Fitness 01

What is missing however is NFC support so Android Pay is ruled out. It’s a disappointing omission but didn’t really pose a problem for me personally. More importantly, an ambient light sensor is also absent. This means you’ll need to either manually adjust the watch’s brightness as needed or sacrifice battery life as I often found myself just leaving it on max brightness to save headaches which is a real shame.

Speaking of battery life, I found the built-in 300mAh battery got me a day to a day and a half of usage depending on how many notifications I got which seems par for the course with Android Wear smartwatches. I would love to see Pebble-like battery life but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Ticwatch E Review Ticwatch Charging Cable

Ticwatch E Software/Android Wear 2.0

The Ticwatch E ships with Android Wear 2.0 – The latest version of Google’s smartwatch OS. Having switched from their own proprietary Ticwatch OS on the Ticwatch 2 smartwatch, Android Wear offers genuine benefits.

With the power of Google behind it, you’ll get access to heaps of Android Wear apps, including Google Maps, Uber, LIFX and more. This makes Android Wear arguably more useful than other smartwatch platforms as there’s so many things that can be done on the watch without taking out your smartphone.

Ticwatch E Review Fitness 02

This is in addition to placing phone calls, sending text messages or asking Google Assistant questions using the Ticwatch’s built-in microphone (which works surprisingly well).

All the apps can be accessed by pressing the button on the side to bring up a scrollable list of apps installed on the watch. Recently used apps are listed at the top and you can drag several apps to the top to mark them as favorites.

Ticwatch E Review Android Wear Menu

Ticwatch have included a number of homegrown apps to help you get the most out of watch right out of the box including an Apple-esque fitness app, step ranking app for competing against other Ticwatch users and more.

Ticwatch have also included a solid set of watch faces designed by Ticface themselves. There’s a fantastic selection available – from minimalistic designs to more opulent displays reminiscent of luxury watches. Many of the faces come complete with color schemes designed to match the watch itself and I found myself really enjoying most of them – often switching between several of my favorites depending on the situation.

Ticwatch E Review Ticwatch on Grass

Of course, you can also install the excellent WatchMaker app to get access to thousands of additional watch faces if none of the included ones tickle your fancy.

The Ticwatch E’s Mediatek chipset does an excellent job handling Google’s smartphone OS. When using the watch, everything feels fast and smooth without a hint of lag. It’s a great experience that feels super polished having used plenty of sub-par smartwatches in the past.

Ticwatch E Mobile App

You can’t have a wearable without a custom app and the Ticwatch E is no different. Whilst many things can be configured by the Android Wear app, Ticwatch’s own app adds some additional value into the mix.

The Ticwatch app is really focused on health, offering a “Health Center” that provides a summary of your day’s activity in addition to distance and calorie breakdowns. This data is all tracked historically too, so you’ll be able to identify trends and more.

The app itself is nice to use, but I found myself preferring to use Google Fit thanks to its comprehensive integration with other services.

Should You Buy the Ticwatch E?

Ticwatch E Review 04

The Ticwatch E is an excellent smartwatch – even if you ignore its budget price tag. For its $159 RRP asking price, you’re getting so many features that lets it compete with far more expensive smartwatches. There’s a lot to love here, from the vast array of sensors to the latest version of Android Wear.

Whilst not everyone will enjoy the Ticwatch E’s aesthetic and the lack of an ambient light sensor is disappointing, it easily earns the title of “best bang for your buck” smartwatch.

Anyone wanting a smartwatch should seriously consider buying the Ticwatch E.

Pros

  • Impressive array of features
  • Excellent value given its low price
  • Respectable battery life suitable for all-day use

Cons

  • Plastic case feels cheap and may not wear well
  • No NFC which means no Android Pay
  • No ambient light sensor to adjust brightness

Where to Buy the Ticwatch E

The Ticwatch E is available from Mobvoi directly or Amazon.

Check Price at Amazon

*Mobvoi provided a sample to provide an unbiased review. This did not influence our review in any way.

Ticwatch E Review 01
Ticwatch E
The Ticwatch E is an impressive Android Wear Smartwatch whose value exceeds its budget-friendly price tag. Easily the best budget smartwatch I've tested to date.
Pros
Impressive array of features
Excellent value given its low price
Respectable battery life suitable for all-day use
Cons
Plastic case feels cheap and may not wear well
No NFC which means no Android Pay
No ambient light sensor to adjust brightness
8.6

Michael

Michael is a technology expert with over 15 years of experience in IT, Home Theatre and Automation. Feel free to send Michael a message here.

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