14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re looking for a smartwatch running Wear OS, there’s no doubt that you bumped into TicWatch, a series of devices that may not tell much at first glance, but which is golden to connoisseurs.
As I said before on several occasions, TicWatch is the creation of Mobvoi, a company that has grown a lot lately to build not just a single smartwatch, but a completely new brand of products that offers an almost unrivaled mix of decent price and high-end features.
This year at the CES show, Mobvoi introduced the TicWatch E2 and the TicWatch S2, two models that provide a nearly identical feature lineup, but which come with several goodies of their own as well.
While today we’re going to review the TicWatch E2, we’ll discuss about the S2 several times throughout the review, mostly because the two are very similar in certain regards. However, we decided to review them separately in order to concentrate more on technical stuff for the E2 and on the actual smartwatch experience for the S2.
You can read our in-depth review of TicWatch S2 here.
First and foremost, both the TicWatch E2 and the TicWatch S2 are aimed at customers with an active lifestyle, though between the two, the latter sports a more rugged appearance. The E2 has a price tag of £145.99 / €159.99 / US$159.99.
I like the E2 a little bit more because it has a classic look which I think matches my daily outfits better. The S2 just seems a bit more appropriate for people who enjoy wearing sports clothes or exercise much more than I do.
After recently reviewing the TicWatch C2, the first difference I noticed when unboxing the TicWatch E2 is that the device is substantially bigger.
I’m not typically a fan of large smartwatches given that I have smaller hands, but I think the TicWatch E2 looks cool on my wrist and it’s actually the first time I don’t mind wearing such a big device. The device measures 46.9 x 52.2 x 12.9 mm, so it’s not really the smallest smartwatches of them all.
However, instead of going for more complex materials, Mobvoi picked polycarbonate for the watch case, and this has several benefits. First, the watch feels really light both when held in hand for closer inspection, but more importantly, on the wrist. For me, this is critical, as wearing a watch all day long can become tiresome, especially because I work on a laptop more than 10 hours a day, so a heavy device on my wrist can get less comfortable after a while.
Then, polycarbonate isn’t only light, but also cheap, which always Mobvoi to keep the price of the TicWatch E2 and S2 as low as possible. In fact, this is a defining aspect for Mobvoi, as the Chinese company has created affordable smartwatches typically offering very good value for the money.
The design of the watch looks good, and the TicWatch E2 is only available in black, with no other colors planned for now.
The downside of using this material is that it doesn’t look as exquisite as others, so if you’re particularly interested in having a head turner on your wrist, this isn’t your best option. If you just want a smartwatch that looks good without shining like a diamond, then the TicWatch E2 is worth your attention.
While the TicWatch C2 used 20mm straps, the E2 and S2 have both been upgraded to 22mm, especially because the cases themselves are bigger too. Both come with silicon straps, but you can replace them with your own as well, as standard watch lugs are being used.
There is just a single button on the E2 and S2, and it allows you to wake the device, reach apps, and go back to the home screen. For anything else, you have to use the touch input.
The 1.39-inch AMOLED display has a resolution of 400x400 pixels, so it’s not really the most advanced smartwatch screen on the market, but just like in the case of the C2, it really serves its purpose very well.
The display is optimized for low power usage, but on the other hand, you can actually see the pixels on certain faces that use a great amount of white. If this doesn’t mind you, both the TicWatch E2 and the S2 are great options, as I find the display the biggest setback in comparison with other more prominent smartwatches on the market.
And speaking of hardware, Mobvoi has decided to stick with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip, which again, isn’t the top option right now, but it’s just what you need on this kind of device. As I said when I reviewed the C2, this chip offers a good balance between power efficiency and performance, and while the device might feel a bit slower at random times, everything is running smoothly in 90 percent of the time.
Just like their predecessors, the TicWatch E2 and S2 are very capable smartwatches that come with a compelling feature package.
First and foremost, they feature both Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi support, and the latter comes in particularly handy because you can download apps, watch faces, and updates directly, without getting them through the phone. This means the Bluetooth connection won’t be used, so the whole process is significantly faster.
In terms of smartwatch sensors, you get nearly the full package, including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a heart-rate sensor, and a low-latency off body sensor. GPS support is also included, which is essential for those who want to work out without a phone in their pocket, and you get GPS + GLONASS + Beidou, which means you’ll get perfect performance in all regions.
I was asked by one of our readers if the GPS signal is typically locked faster or rather slower, and the way the E2 and S2 work is very similar to their predecessors: it doesn’t take more than 10 seconds, maybe one minute in areas where the signal may be blocked. However, keep in mind that tall buildings make it harder for the device to get GPS signal, so if you are running in a park or anything like that, everything should work smoothly.
One of the highlights of both the E2 and the S2 is… drum roll… the water resistance. Because yes, beginning with these two models, the TicWatch is swim and surf-ready, and it can work up to 5 ATM deep. This means you can swim, take a shower or a bath, surf, or simply run in the run with the TichWatch because it will survive just fine.
This is quite an upgrade for me as water resistance has become a critical feature, especially because I use smartwatches to remain connected 24/7. I typically take off my smartwatch while taking a shower, during which I recharge it, but other than that I use it all day long, even when going for a swim.
And speaking of swimming, the E2 and S2 come with a dedicated swimming mode called Pool Swim, which lets you track your workout and take advantage of the waterproof rating. You’ll get essential stats like burned calories and duration of the workout, and then sync the data with your phone.
As in the case of other TicWatch models, both come with Mobvoi suite of fitness apps, but you can use Google Fit as well if you prefer relying on this solution.
However, I recommend you to at least try the TicWatch fitness apps because this series of smartwatches have evolved substantially lately in this regard. And only sky appears to be the limit, as Mobvoi is now working on features that you typically find on more advanced devices, like the Apple Watch. One of them is fall detection, which detects whether you’ve fallen and offers to alert emergency contacts or services for you if any accidents happened.
Like the previous models, the TicWatch E2 and S2 both run Wear OS, and this is both good and bad.
First of all, the level of customization available on Wear OS is insane, and you can choose from a million faces out there. As I said before, my favorite app is Facer, though, for some reason, it makes the watch feel slow at times, especially when using more complex faces with animations.
Second of all, Wear OS still appears an unrefined platform. Compared to Apple's watchOS, there's still a lot of work to be done on Wear OS so that it's easy to use and navigate. While I understand that this OS aligns with the concepts behind Android, I think that an operating system powering a device with a small screen that stays on your wrist should be more straightforward.
Plus, I feel that a watch with the specs of the E2 and S2 should be capable of offering much better battery life, and I think that more optimizations in the software department would be great.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The TicWatch E2 and S2 are both great devices that come with a compelling feature package which is pretty hard to find at this price point in the Wear OS ecosystem.
If there's anything I'd like to see improved on the new lineup is the battery life, which I think should be substantially better, especially on a device with the specs of these devices. Plus, an NFC sensor for wireless payments would come in handy to some, though that this isn't a problem for me.
I'd also love to see Mobvoi focusing more on the quality of its displays, as screens with higher resolutions would push the TicWatch brand even closer to the premium market.
I also noticed some inconsistencies in terms of activity tracking. Some faces report a different step count than the TicWatch TicHealth app, which is somewhat unexpected given that both read data from the same sensors. This can obviously be improved with refinements in future software updates, but until then I recommend having this in mind, especially if you are particularly interested in activity tracking.
On the other hand, I think Mobvoi's increased focus on making the TicWatch a more advanced device shows the future of the brand is in good hands. I think that both the E2 and the S2 are just key parts of this ambitious path forward, and at some point, the TicWatch could become of the top products in the wearable market.
