Google has promised big improvements for its Wear OS wearable platform later this year, but in the meantime Mobvoi has launched a new device that could be the best value smartwatch on the market right now: the TicWatch E3.
The star of the show is the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor powering the smartwatch, the best wearable CPU that you can get outside of an Apple Watch at the moment. That should ensure snappy performance and decent battery life, which Mobvoi says is going to last you a day between charges at least, most of the time.
Rounding out the key specs, we’ve got a 1.3-inch display, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage here – price-wise this is a budget smartwatch, but it brings some very respectable hardware components along with it. We’ve been impressed with previous TicWatch models, and this looks like another promising smartwatch from Mobvoi.
Health and fitness are also priorities for the TicWatch E3, with a raft of sensors and apps for measuring blood oxygen levels, heart rate and heart rate variability, VO2 max (oxygen consumption), sleep quality, breathing rate, stress levels and even environmental noise. There are more than 20 workout modes to choose between as well.
In terms of tracking your location without a connected smartphone, the wearable combines GPS, GLONASS and Beidou technologies for route tracking that’s as accurate as possible. There’s also NFC on board so you can use Google Pay from the watch.
The latest version of Wear OS will be running on the TicWatch E3, complete with Google Assistant integration and the customizable Tiles that let you choose what information you want on your watch face and when. Wear OS can work with iPhones to a limited extent, though as you would expect the integration is much tighter with Android.
While the design isn’t particularly eye-catching, the TicWatch E3 is waterproof and dustproof, with an IP68 rating. It comes with a Panther Black silicone rubber strap, but for a little extra you can get a Neon Yellow or Ashy Blue strap as well.
Speaking of the price, it’s one of the most appealing parts of the package: the TicWatch E3 is available now for US$199.99, and you’ll struggle to find such a well-equipped smartwatch for any less. As for whether or not the device will get the big Wear OS update that’s on the wayfrom Google, that remains to be seen.
The budget TicWatch E3 shows off Wear OS at its best [New Atlas]