This is a great watch. Not perfect, but getting there.
Hardware: 5 stars.
I bought this watch (Onyx, the one with the metal bracelet) on Kickstarter specifically for the hardware. The build quality is quite high all around. The interface is intuitive and responsive, and there are enough faces that you will find a face that works for you. Many of them are too busy for me, and there's few faces that give a lot of information without a lot of unnecessary details.
I bought this specific smart watch because I really wanted to be able to go running without my phone, and the features I bought it for:
1. Listen to music through bluetooth. To get music onto the watch, you need to first have a physical copy of the file on your phone, then transfer it from your phone to your watch via bluetooth. It's quite annoying if you don't have the file but you do have a streaming service; it requires you to torrent the music or purchase it for download. If you do take your phone, you can stream it from your phone like normal, and control the tracks / volume from your watch, which is quite convenient!
2. Track my location / number of steps taken. It tracks location as well, but I have yet to test it out. The newest OTA update allows syncing with Strava, which I will test once I go running.
3. Monitor my pulse. The pulse monitoring works quite well from what I've experienced if the watch doesn't move around too much (i.e., the band is snug).
4. Battery life. Quite good! I haven't had it go below 50% after a whole day of use, but I imagine that when I go running, it will deplete more quickly.
5. Sapphire glass on the Onyx watch. I have no scratches, seems solid so far.
6. Voice pickup: excellent.
7. Volume: surprisingly loud, considering its size.
8. Aesthetics: No flat tire, no flashy features. Uses a magnetic stand to charge. The Onyx watch (steel frame) came with a steel bracelet and two silicone bracelets (I think it was just a Kickstarter deal), and I replaced the metal one with a silicone strap for comfort. If the metal bracelet is not snug enough, it tugs on my arm hairs and is annoying. I will probably use the silicone on a daily basis, and swap out for the metal when I go out or something.
9. The steel bracelet opens nice and wide (bi-directionally), which is very nice if you have big hands like me. Adding and removing links is a pain unless you're very dextrous and have good eyes. The tool the provide to adjust the bracelet is not very good, but it does the job if you take your time and are very careful.
10. The Onyx comes with the magnetic charger and a little silicone stand, since you can't lay it flat with the metal bracelet. All others come with just the magnetic charger. It works well, and holds the watch in place even at a 60º angle, which is impressive.
Software / firmware: 4.5 stars
There is a lot of functionality in this watch, but since it run on its own OS, they had to do everything from scratch. This is not an Android Wear watch, and is still marginally compatible (I say marginally because some people have managed to do it by installing some packages. I can't do it easily, since I have a Mac.) This means that all the apps that are developed for Android Wear don't work yet, but they are working on implementing compatibility. There are a few gestures/features which they advertise that I have mixed feelings about.
1. You can cover the screen with your palm to dim the screen. This works very well and I use it all the time.
2. You can slide your finger along the metal casing ("tickle") on the side to scroll. This does not work very well. Tickling downward (screen moves up) is not very sensitive, and it's easier to just scroll using the screen. Going the other direction works just fine, but as going down is more important, I simply stopped using this feature. I think this can be updated in the firmware to make it more useful.
3. The voice assistant works pretty well for basic tasks. You can set reminders, timers, and alarms, you can check the weather and calendar. I tried to text people from my contact list, but it didn't work. Replies work fine if you get an incoming message, but sending a text out from the voice assistant does not work. Hopefully they fix this feature, as it's quite nice to have.
4. The Mobvoi Store on the android app to control the watch is quite bad. There are no useful apps that I've found. This may change in the future. Thankfully, the watch already has a lot of functionality.
5. At first, you will get a lot of notifications on the watch. You can disable notifications on your watch for specific apps by long pressing the notification and touching the "cancel" icon, which is the circle with a slash through it. When you clear a notification on your watch, it clears on your phone as well. That's a nice feature.
6. The weather app is wildly inaccurate. I have no idea where they get their info, but I would love to see something better. Right now, it says 57º, with a range of 37º - 73º. Google says 66º with a range of 50º - 66º. That's a huge difference, and Google is much closer to the true temperature.
7. You can call from your watch using your phone, and it works well. You can even use a bluetooth headset / headphones and it works very well.
8. The stopwatch, alarm, and timer all work great.
9. The voice recorder is very nice, and is quite sensitive.
10. You can ping your phone if you can't find it. It needs to be in bluetooth range, but if you're not, the moment it connects, it will make a sound. Super useful if you're the forgetful type (I'm not).
That's it for now. I will update once I go trail running, which will likely be this weekend, and let you know how the bluetooth connection is, battery life under strain, GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, and syncing with Strava. Also, next time I use an Uber, I'll try using the watch. So far, so good!
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Reviews with images
So far, it's great!
This is a great watch. Not perfect, but getting there.Hardware: 5 stars.I bought this watch (Onyx, the one with the metal bracelet) on Kickstarter specifically for the hardware. The build quality is quite high all around. The interface is intuitive and responsive, and there are enough faces that you will find a face that works for you. Many of them are too busy for me, and there's few faces that give a lot of information without a lot of unnecessary details.I bought this specific smart watch because I really wanted to be able to go running without my phone, and the features I bought it for:1. Listen to music through bluetooth. To get music onto the watch, you need to first have a physical copy of the file on your phone, then transfer it from your phone to your watch via bluetooth. It's quite annoying if you don't have the file but you do have a streaming service; it requires you to torrent the music or purchase it for download. If you do take your phone, you can stream it from your phone like normal, and control the tracks / volume from your watch, which is quite convenient!2. Track my location / number of steps taken. It tracks location as well, but I have yet to test it out. The newest OTA update allows syncing with Strava, which I will test once I go running.3. Monitor my pulse. The pulse monitoring works quite well from what I've experienced if the watch doesn't move around too much (i.e., the band is snug).4. Battery life. Quite good! I haven't had it go below 50% after a whole day of use, but I imagine that when I go running, it will deplete more quickly.5. Sapphire glass on the Onyx watch. I have no scratches, seems solid so far.6. Voice pickup: excellent.7. Volume: surprisingly loud, considering its size.8. Aesthetics: No flat tire, no flashy features. Uses a magnetic stand to charge. The Onyx watch (steel frame) came with a steel bracelet and two silicone bracelets (I think it was just a Kickstarter deal), and I replaced the metal one with a silicone strap for comfort. If the metal bracelet is not snug enough, it tugs on my arm hairs and is annoying. I will probably use the silicone on a daily basis, and swap out for the metal when I go out or something.9. The steel bracelet opens nice and wide (bi-directionally), which is very nice if you have big hands like me. Adding and removing links is a pain unless you're very dextrous and have good eyes. The tool the provide to adjust the bracelet is not very good, but it does the job if you take your time and are very careful.10. The Onyx comes with the magnetic charger and a little silicone stand, since you can't lay it flat with the metal bracelet. All others come with just the magnetic charger. It works well, and holds the watch in place even at a 60º angle, which is impressive.Software / firmware: 4.5 starsThere is a lot of functionality in this watch, but since it run on its own OS, they had to do everything from scratch. This is not an Android Wear watch, and is still marginally compatible (I say marginally because some people have managed to do it by installing some packages. I can't do it easily, since I have a Mac.) This means that all the apps that are developed for Android Wear don't work yet, but they are working on implementing compatibility. There are a few gestures/features which they advertise that I have mixed feelings about.1. You can cover the screen with your palm to dim the screen. This works very well and I use it all the time.2. You can slide your finger along the metal casing ("tickle") on the side to scroll. This does not work very well. Tickling downward (screen moves up) is not very sensitive, and it's easier to just scroll using the screen. Going the other direction works just fine, but as going down is more important, I simply stopped using this feature. I think this can be updated in the firmware to make it more useful.3. The voice assistant works pretty well for basic tasks. You can set reminders, timers, and alarms, you can check the weather and calendar. I tried to text people from my contact list, but it didn't work. Replies work fine if you get an incoming message, but sending a text out from the voice assistant does not work. Hopefully they fix this feature, as it's quite nice to have.4. The Mobvoi Store on the android app to control the watch is quite bad. There are no useful apps that I've found. This may change in the future. Thankfully, the watch already has a lot of functionality.5. At first, you will get a lot of notifications on the watch. You can disable notifications on your watch for specific apps by long pressing the notification and touching the "cancel" icon, which is the circle with a slash through it. When you clear a notification on your watch, it clears on your phone as well. That's a nice feature.6. The weather app is wildly inaccurate. I have no idea where they get their info, but I would love to see something better. Right now, it says 57º, with a range of 37º - 73º. Google says 66º with a range of 50º - 66º. That's a huge difference, and Google is much closer to the true temperature.7. You can call from your watch using your phone, and it works well. You can even use a bluetooth headset / headphones and it works very well.8. The stopwatch, alarm, and timer all work great.9. The voice recorder is very nice, and is quite sensitive.10. You can ping your phone if you can't find it. It needs to be in bluetooth range, but if you're not, the moment it connects, it will make a sound. Super useful if you're the forgetful type (I'm not).That's it for now. I will update once I go trail running, which will likely be this weekend, and let you know how the bluetooth connection is, battery life under strain, GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, and syncing with Strava. Also, next time I use an Uber, I'll try using the watch. So far, so good!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2016
This is a great watch. Not perfect, but getting there.
Hardware: 5 stars.
I bought this watch (Onyx, the one with the metal bracelet) on Kickstarter specifically for the hardware. The build quality is quite high all around. The interface is intuitive and responsive, and there are enough faces that you will find a face that works for you. Many of them are too busy for me, and there's few faces that give a lot of information without a lot of unnecessary details.
I bought this specific smart watch because I really wanted to be able to go running without my phone, and the features I bought it for:
1. Listen to music through bluetooth. To get music onto the watch, you need to first have a physical copy of the file on your phone, then transfer it from your phone to your watch via bluetooth. It's quite annoying if you don't have the file but you do have a streaming service; it requires you to torrent the music or purchase it for download. If you do take your phone, you can stream it from your phone like normal, and control the tracks / volume from your watch, which is quite convenient!
2. Track my location / number of steps taken. It tracks location as well, but I have yet to test it out. The newest OTA update allows syncing with Strava, which I will test once I go running.
3. Monitor my pulse. The pulse monitoring works quite well from what I've experienced if the watch doesn't move around too much (i.e., the band is snug).
4. Battery life. Quite good! I haven't had it go below 50% after a whole day of use, but I imagine that when I go running, it will deplete more quickly.
5. Sapphire glass on the Onyx watch. I have no scratches, seems solid so far.
6. Voice pickup: excellent.
7. Volume: surprisingly loud, considering its size.
8. Aesthetics: No flat tire, no flashy features. Uses a magnetic stand to charge. The Onyx watch (steel frame) came with a steel bracelet and two silicone bracelets (I think it was just a Kickstarter deal), and I replaced the metal one with a silicone strap for comfort. If the metal bracelet is not snug enough, it tugs on my arm hairs and is annoying. I will probably use the silicone on a daily basis, and swap out for the metal when I go out or something.
9. The steel bracelet opens nice and wide (bi-directionally), which is very nice if you have big hands like me. Adding and removing links is a pain unless you're very dextrous and have good eyes. The tool the provide to adjust the bracelet is not very good, but it does the job if you take your time and are very careful.
10. The Onyx comes with the magnetic charger and a little silicone stand, since you can't lay it flat with the metal bracelet. All others come with just the magnetic charger. It works well, and holds the watch in place even at a 60º angle, which is impressive.
Software / firmware: 4.5 stars
There is a lot of functionality in this watch, but since it run on its own OS, they had to do everything from scratch. This is not an Android Wear watch, and is still marginally compatible (I say marginally because some people have managed to do it by installing some packages. I can't do it easily, since I have a Mac.) This means that all the apps that are developed for Android Wear don't work yet, but they are working on implementing compatibility. There are a few gestures/features which they advertise that I have mixed feelings about.
1. You can cover the screen with your palm to dim the screen. This works very well and I use it all the time.
2. You can slide your finger along the metal casing ("tickle") on the side to scroll. This does not work very well. Tickling downward (screen moves up) is not very sensitive, and it's easier to just scroll using the screen. Going the other direction works just fine, but as going down is more important, I simply stopped using this feature. I think this can be updated in the firmware to make it more useful.
3. The voice assistant works pretty well for basic tasks. You can set reminders, timers, and alarms, you can check the weather and calendar. I tried to text people from my contact list, but it didn't work. Replies work fine if you get an incoming message, but sending a text out from the voice assistant does not work. Hopefully they fix this feature, as it's quite nice to have.
4. The Mobvoi Store on the android app to control the watch is quite bad. There are no useful apps that I've found. This may change in the future. Thankfully, the watch already has a lot of functionality.
5. At first, you will get a lot of notifications on the watch. You can disable notifications on your watch for specific apps by long pressing the notification and touching the "cancel" icon, which is the circle with a slash through it. When you clear a notification on your watch, it clears on your phone as well. That's a nice feature.
6. The weather app is wildly inaccurate. I have no idea where they get their info, but I would love to see something better. Right now, it says 57º, with a range of 37º - 73º. Google says 66º with a range of 50º - 66º. That's a huge difference, and Google is much closer to the true temperature.
7. You can call from your watch using your phone, and it works well. You can even use a bluetooth headset / headphones and it works very well.
8. The stopwatch, alarm, and timer all work great.
9. The voice recorder is very nice, and is quite sensitive.
10. You can ping your phone if you can't find it. It needs to be in bluetooth range, but if you're not, the moment it connects, it will make a sound. Super useful if you're the forgetful type (I'm not).
That's it for now. I will update once I go trail running, which will likely be this weekend, and let you know how the bluetooth connection is, battery life under strain, GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, and syncing with Strava. Also, next time I use an Uber, I'll try using the watch. So far, so good!
Hardware: 5 stars.
I bought this watch (Onyx, the one with the metal bracelet) on Kickstarter specifically for the hardware. The build quality is quite high all around. The interface is intuitive and responsive, and there are enough faces that you will find a face that works for you. Many of them are too busy for me, and there's few faces that give a lot of information without a lot of unnecessary details.
I bought this specific smart watch because I really wanted to be able to go running without my phone, and the features I bought it for:
1. Listen to music through bluetooth. To get music onto the watch, you need to first have a physical copy of the file on your phone, then transfer it from your phone to your watch via bluetooth. It's quite annoying if you don't have the file but you do have a streaming service; it requires you to torrent the music or purchase it for download. If you do take your phone, you can stream it from your phone like normal, and control the tracks / volume from your watch, which is quite convenient!
2. Track my location / number of steps taken. It tracks location as well, but I have yet to test it out. The newest OTA update allows syncing with Strava, which I will test once I go running.
3. Monitor my pulse. The pulse monitoring works quite well from what I've experienced if the watch doesn't move around too much (i.e., the band is snug).
4. Battery life. Quite good! I haven't had it go below 50% after a whole day of use, but I imagine that when I go running, it will deplete more quickly.
5. Sapphire glass on the Onyx watch. I have no scratches, seems solid so far.
6. Voice pickup: excellent.
7. Volume: surprisingly loud, considering its size.
8. Aesthetics: No flat tire, no flashy features. Uses a magnetic stand to charge. The Onyx watch (steel frame) came with a steel bracelet and two silicone bracelets (I think it was just a Kickstarter deal), and I replaced the metal one with a silicone strap for comfort. If the metal bracelet is not snug enough, it tugs on my arm hairs and is annoying. I will probably use the silicone on a daily basis, and swap out for the metal when I go out or something.
9. The steel bracelet opens nice and wide (bi-directionally), which is very nice if you have big hands like me. Adding and removing links is a pain unless you're very dextrous and have good eyes. The tool the provide to adjust the bracelet is not very good, but it does the job if you take your time and are very careful.
10. The Onyx comes with the magnetic charger and a little silicone stand, since you can't lay it flat with the metal bracelet. All others come with just the magnetic charger. It works well, and holds the watch in place even at a 60º angle, which is impressive.
Software / firmware: 4.5 stars
There is a lot of functionality in this watch, but since it run on its own OS, they had to do everything from scratch. This is not an Android Wear watch, and is still marginally compatible (I say marginally because some people have managed to do it by installing some packages. I can't do it easily, since I have a Mac.) This means that all the apps that are developed for Android Wear don't work yet, but they are working on implementing compatibility. There are a few gestures/features which they advertise that I have mixed feelings about.
1. You can cover the screen with your palm to dim the screen. This works very well and I use it all the time.
2. You can slide your finger along the metal casing ("tickle") on the side to scroll. This does not work very well. Tickling downward (screen moves up) is not very sensitive, and it's easier to just scroll using the screen. Going the other direction works just fine, but as going down is more important, I simply stopped using this feature. I think this can be updated in the firmware to make it more useful.
3. The voice assistant works pretty well for basic tasks. You can set reminders, timers, and alarms, you can check the weather and calendar. I tried to text people from my contact list, but it didn't work. Replies work fine if you get an incoming message, but sending a text out from the voice assistant does not work. Hopefully they fix this feature, as it's quite nice to have.
4. The Mobvoi Store on the android app to control the watch is quite bad. There are no useful apps that I've found. This may change in the future. Thankfully, the watch already has a lot of functionality.
5. At first, you will get a lot of notifications on the watch. You can disable notifications on your watch for specific apps by long pressing the notification and touching the "cancel" icon, which is the circle with a slash through it. When you clear a notification on your watch, it clears on your phone as well. That's a nice feature.
6. The weather app is wildly inaccurate. I have no idea where they get their info, but I would love to see something better. Right now, it says 57º, with a range of 37º - 73º. Google says 66º with a range of 50º - 66º. That's a huge difference, and Google is much closer to the true temperature.
7. You can call from your watch using your phone, and it works well. You can even use a bluetooth headset / headphones and it works very well.
8. The stopwatch, alarm, and timer all work great.
9. The voice recorder is very nice, and is quite sensitive.
10. You can ping your phone if you can't find it. It needs to be in bluetooth range, but if you're not, the moment it connects, it will make a sound. Super useful if you're the forgetful type (I'm not).
That's it for now. I will update once I go trail running, which will likely be this weekend, and let you know how the bluetooth connection is, battery life under strain, GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, and syncing with Strava. Also, next time I use an Uber, I'll try using the watch. So far, so good!
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
This is a big watch - bigger than any other smartwatch I own. The thickness is especially obvious - even the heavy old Sony SW2 is only two thirds as thick. The included leather strap is pretty horrible - cheap leather which feels nasty and uncomfortable. Thankfully the free silicone strap I received as a kickstarter backer is much more comfortable. Replacement 20mm straps are easy enough to come by. The black plastic back of the watch is disappointing considering the smart looking stainless steel construction of the front, although with the black strap it looks attractive enough. Overall the watch is much lighter than it looks, but the size still makes it a little awkward on the wrist.
Setup was fairly easy. Annoyingly I had to log in with my Google account, it wasn't possible to register using a different email address, since the verification code email never came through (Mobvoi are looking into this). Once signed up there is a short tutorial which shows the most important aspects of the OS. I've set the watch up with my Sony Xperia Z3. Notifications for email, SMS and facebook messenger come through fine, a little vibration and a chime, and they are readable on the screen.
The screen is fantastic - bright and clear with amazing viewing angles, everything I could hope for. The OS is fast and responsive, although a few times my swipes (especially left to right) haven't been recognised. The touch sensitive tickle strip running down the side is also a little temperamental. All functions seem to work well - heart rate sensor, step counter, voice recorder and playback.
Music was easy to load on (although there's only room for maybe 100 tracks), and playback through the watch speaker is very loud and of surprising good quality. It was easy enough to pair with a Bluetooth speaker as well, and Bluetooth range seems good. The watch does seem to be able to connect to a phone and speaker or headphones at the same time.
The calendar app only appears to show today’s entries – I’ve not figured out whether it’s possible to see further into the future.
I've not used the watch to make a phone call yet, but judging by the quality and volume of the speaker and the quality of voice recordings, I think it will be fine. I might look a bit stupid talking to my wrist though!
If you enable it, it’s possible to use the built in voice assistant – I found I had to get the watch close to my mouth before saying the “OK Tico” hot word - also manually starting with a swipe and asking a question works well. Questions like "what's the weather in London" and "what's 2+4" gave useful answers, and commands like "set a timer for three minutes" work. Recognition is fast and accurate. Some questions ("what's 200 pounds in kilograms") were recognised but not answered, and occasionally I’d get a “voice search not ready” message.
Fitness will have to wait until I go for a run, although I've successfully paired the watch with Google Fit and Runkeeper. Step tracking and heart rate sensor seem to work fine. Likewise Uber will have to wait until I need one, although that seems to have been paired up as well. The process for all the above is simple, requiring you to log in again to the service you want to pair.
Getting the Mobvoi store onto my phone meant downloading and installation of an APK file - the app lead me through the process, but still a little unnerving given the Android warning messages. The store also seems to want access to things I'm uncomfortable with - my photos, my phone calls etc and won’t continue without the permissions. Once on the phone, the store is pretty pointless, since there's not many apps on there at the moment – hopefully that will improve over time.
Long term, battery may be an issue for me - the watch arrived fully charged, and after installation and a few hours of playing around was 35%. At the end of yesterday it still had about 5% after six hours of heavy use, and charged up very quickly. I'll wait to see how it lasts during a proper day, but I imagine you’d be able to get 12 hours of normal use out of it. This certainly won't be a whole-week watch like the Pebbles though. The charging puck seems nice, although even after only a few minutes on it the watch feels warm.
In summary, so far I think this is a very nice device. The OS is excellent and everything works well. The current lack of apps is disappointing but that will hopefully change. Ultimately I think the size and battery life are going to be the deciding factors for me as to whether I can use this watch daily. Future versions need to be thinner - ideally half as thick.
Four out of five stars at this early stage.
Some comparison pictures below showing Ticwatch 2 next to other smartwatches (Pebble, Sony SW2, Pebble 2). On-wrist comparison with Pebble 2 showing thickness and heart rate sensor relative accuracy.
Ticwatch 2 Oak first impressions - a nice solid device that is waiting on a few more apps to be great
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
My Oak Ticwatch 2 arrived yesterday. Nicely packaged, in fact it took me some effort to break through the plastic shrink-wrap!Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
This is a big watch - bigger than any other smartwatch I own. The thickness is especially obvious - even the heavy old Sony SW2 is only two thirds as thick. The included leather strap is pretty horrible - cheap leather which feels nasty and uncomfortable. Thankfully the free silicone strap I received as a kickstarter backer is much more comfortable. Replacement 20mm straps are easy enough to come by. The black plastic back of the watch is disappointing considering the smart looking stainless steel construction of the front, although with the black strap it looks attractive enough. Overall the watch is much lighter than it looks, but the size still makes it a little awkward on the wrist.
Setup was fairly easy. Annoyingly I had to log in with my Google account, it wasn't possible to register using a different email address, since the verification code email never came through (Mobvoi are looking into this). Once signed up there is a short tutorial which shows the most important aspects of the OS. I've set the watch up with my Sony Xperia Z3. Notifications for email, SMS and facebook messenger come through fine, a little vibration and a chime, and they are readable on the screen.
The screen is fantastic - bright and clear with amazing viewing angles, everything I could hope for. The OS is fast and responsive, although a few times my swipes (especially left to right) haven't been recognised. The touch sensitive tickle strip running down the side is also a little temperamental. All functions seem to work well - heart rate sensor, step counter, voice recorder and playback.
Music was easy to load on (although there's only room for maybe 100 tracks), and playback through the watch speaker is very loud and of surprising good quality. It was easy enough to pair with a Bluetooth speaker as well, and Bluetooth range seems good. The watch does seem to be able to connect to a phone and speaker or headphones at the same time.
The calendar app only appears to show today’s entries – I’ve not figured out whether it’s possible to see further into the future.
I've not used the watch to make a phone call yet, but judging by the quality and volume of the speaker and the quality of voice recordings, I think it will be fine. I might look a bit stupid talking to my wrist though!
If you enable it, it’s possible to use the built in voice assistant – I found I had to get the watch close to my mouth before saying the “OK Tico” hot word - also manually starting with a swipe and asking a question works well. Questions like "what's the weather in London" and "what's 2+4" gave useful answers, and commands like "set a timer for three minutes" work. Recognition is fast and accurate. Some questions ("what's 200 pounds in kilograms") were recognised but not answered, and occasionally I’d get a “voice search not ready” message.
Fitness will have to wait until I go for a run, although I've successfully paired the watch with Google Fit and Runkeeper. Step tracking and heart rate sensor seem to work fine. Likewise Uber will have to wait until I need one, although that seems to have been paired up as well. The process for all the above is simple, requiring you to log in again to the service you want to pair.
Getting the Mobvoi store onto my phone meant downloading and installation of an APK file - the app lead me through the process, but still a little unnerving given the Android warning messages. The store also seems to want access to things I'm uncomfortable with - my photos, my phone calls etc and won’t continue without the permissions. Once on the phone, the store is pretty pointless, since there's not many apps on there at the moment – hopefully that will improve over time.
Long term, battery may be an issue for me - the watch arrived fully charged, and after installation and a few hours of playing around was 35%. At the end of yesterday it still had about 5% after six hours of heavy use, and charged up very quickly. I'll wait to see how it lasts during a proper day, but I imagine you’d be able to get 12 hours of normal use out of it. This certainly won't be a whole-week watch like the Pebbles though. The charging puck seems nice, although even after only a few minutes on it the watch feels warm.
In summary, so far I think this is a very nice device. The OS is excellent and everything works well. The current lack of apps is disappointing but that will hopefully change. Ultimately I think the size and battery life are going to be the deciding factors for me as to whether I can use this watch daily. Future versions need to be thinner - ideally half as thick.
Four out of five stars at this early stage.
Some comparison pictures below showing Ticwatch 2 next to other smartwatches (Pebble, Sony SW2, Pebble 2). On-wrist comparison with Pebble 2 showing thickness and heart rate sensor relative accuracy.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
sam
Good first wearable tech watch
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2017
Manish
2016 launch but still beats out the most of its competition.
Reviewed in India on July 4, 2018
Manish
Reviewed in India on July 4, 2018
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$and!p🎧❣️
Worst battery life, Please don’t waste your money
Reviewed in India on July 10, 2020
$and!p🎧❣️
Reviewed in India on July 10, 2020
I have been using this device since 2017. Not regularly because of this reason that it’s battery life is not good. It hardly gives 3-4 Hrs backup time after full charge and Bluetooth on paired with mobile phone. And with WiFi on and without pairing with mobile it will last for about 6 hrs roughly. Overall I am very disappointed with this product. Not value for money. Step tracker is so dum that even if you are sitting at one place and if you move(like normal motion as it happens when we walk normally) your hands then also it shows step count.
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Pavan
Pathetic Sync with Iphone
Reviewed in India on December 28, 2017
Pavan
Reviewed in India on December 28, 2017
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