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Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
Mobvoi’s new TicWatch Pro 5 is the first smartwatch to feature the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 Wearable Platform. Along with improved power, it also lends longer battery life to the king of battery for Wear OS 3 devices. New health features and functions on the secondary display make this a very impressive smartwatch.
Pros
- Best battery life on a Wear OS smartwatch
- Useful secondary display
- Fast performance
Cons
- No Google Assistant at launch
- Available in just one size
- Fitness-centric design isn’t for everyone
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Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition
The Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition is a smartwatch that provides critical data without being intrusive. It retains the look of a traditional watch, while still providing Wear OS 3 functionality and key fitness tracking features. Plus, there are plenty of watch faces available for customization.
Pros
- Unobtrusive design
- Plenty of fitness and health sensors
- Works with iOS and Android
Cons
- Single-day battery life
- No cellular connectivity
- Limited onboard storage
A lot of people are looking to smartwatches to provide them with important data right on their wrist, but there are levels to these devices. Some are basically smartphones on your wrists, while others are low-key devices that give you the same data in a more traditional form factor. That is the choice between Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 5 and Fossil’s Gen 6 Wellness Edition. The former is one of the best smartwatches around packing a slew of smart features, while the latter is a similar Wear OS smartwatch that looks like a traditional watch. The question of which one to buy, in this case, largely depends on what you’re looking for out of a smartwatch.
TicWatch Pro 5 vs. Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition: Price, specs and availability
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 debuted on May 24, 2023, and became available for purchase that same day. It costs $350 and is available in just one configuration offering 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage in an Obsidian black case. There are different bands to choose from, with three silicone bands and two leather bands available. The silicone bands are available in Jungle Green, Bonfire Orange, and Twilight Blue, while the leather bands are offered in Tuxedo Black or Smart Casual Blue colorways. The smartwatch can either be purchased directly through Mobvoi or from Amazon.
Fossil’s Gen 6 Wellness Edition smartwatch was revealed in December 2022, and became available for purchase soon after. It’s available for purchase from Fossil and Amazon with a retail price of $300. There is one model of the smartwatch, with a 44mm size and the same internal components. However, you can get the Gen 6 Wellness Edition in multiple colors. There are Black, Blush, and Navy versions available, all made out of stainless steel.
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Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition Brand Mobvoi Fossil Heart Rate Monitor Yes Yes Operating System Wear OS 3.5 Wear OS 3 Onboard GPS GPS+Beidou+Glonass+Galileo+QZSS Use Customizable Strap Yes, 24mm Yes Case Material Metal, 7000-series Aluminum and High-strength Nylon with Fiberglass Stainless Steel Display 1.43-inch 466×466 326ppi, Always On Display OLED + Ultra-low-power Display 1.28″ Color AMOLED / 416 x 416 / 326ppi RAM 2GB 1GB Storage 32GB 8GB Connectivity Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, NFC Bluetooth 5.0 LE, GPS, NFC SE, WiFi Health sensors HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor, SpO2 Sensor, Skin Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Altimeter, Ambient Light, Compass, Gyroscope, Off-body IR, PPG Heart Rate, SPO2 Strap 24mm Solid Silicone 20MM, Interchangeable Audio Speaker Loudspeaker, Microphone, Vibration
TicWatch Pro 5 vs. Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition: Design and durability
The TicWatch Pro 5 and the Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition couldn’t look more different, and that’s by design. The TicWatch Pro 5 has a design that looks like most other circular smartwatches, with a large internal display taking up most of the watch face. It uses a touchscreen complimented by a crown-like button and another button to control the smartwatch. The Gen 6 Wellness Edition, on the other hand, features a design that isn’t intended to look like a smartwatch.
So, what does that mean for daily use? Essentially, it means that the Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition is going to look a lot like a traditional watch. If that’s the look you’re going for, you won’t be disappointed by the Gen 6 Wellness Edition. But the stainless steel design isn’t as rugged as the TicWatch Pro 5, so keep that in mind.
Unsurprisingly, the TicWatch Pro 5 is more durable than the Gen 6 Wellness Edition, boasting a MIL-STD-810H certification. That certification tests a product against nearly 30 situations, including extreme temperature, dust, and shock. The TicWatch Pro 5 beats out the Wellness Edition in terms of water resistance, too. The Gen 6 Wellness Edition has a water resistance rating of 3 ATM, while the TicWatch Pro 5 has a water resistance rating of 5 ATM.
TicWatch Pro 5 vs. Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition: Displays that are similar, yet different
At first glance, the displays on the TicWatch Pro 5 and the Gen 6 Wellness Edition might look very similar. The TicWatch Pro 5 has a 1.43-inch OLED display, which stacks up nicely against the Gen 6 Wellness Edition’s 1.28-inch AMOLED display. The TicWatch Pro 5 is definitely bigger, but that might not be a good thing, depending on whether you prefer a larger or smaller watch. But though the two smartwatches seem very similar in terms of their displays, the TicWatch Pro 5 has a key advantage in this area.
You might not know it by looking at it, but the TicWatch Pro 5 has a secondary low-power display. It’s located above the main OLED display, and can show key information without consuming a lot of battery life. It actually doesn’t emit any light, and instead uses ambient lighting from your environment to illuminate the display. Now, the secondary display has more functionality, like using tiles on Wear OS 3. It’s the TicWatch Pro 5’s calling card, and there’s nothing quite like it on the Gen 6 Wellness Edition.
TicWatch Pro 5 vs. Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition: A big gap in performance and battery life
The TicWatch Pro 5 is on the bigger side, and that allowed Mobvoi to include a lot of great components. That shows in performance and battery life, where the TicWatch Pro 5 pulls away from Fossil’s Gen 6 Wellness Edition. The TicWatch Pro 5 is the first smartwatch to include Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 Wearable Platform, and it’s a big step-up over its predecessor’s Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chip. Coincidentally, that older chip is found in Fossil’s Gen 6 Wellness Edition. For that reason alone, the TicWatch Pro 5 will beat out the Gen 6 Wellness Edition in performance every single time.
Battery life isn’t really a competition, either. The secondary display can conserve a lot of battery life, but the TicWatch Pro 5 also simply has a bigger battery than the Gen 6 Wellness Edition. Mobvoi says that you can get up to 80 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is a lot more than Fossil’s 24-hour battery life. Fossil does say that you can extend the battery life with low power modes, but those usually surrender key features in order to save power. Unless you are comfortable charging your smartwatch every night, you should definitely spring for the TicWatch Pro 5.
TicWatch Pro 5 vs. Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition: The same Wear OS 3 software
Both the TicWatch Pro 5 and the Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition ship with Wear OS 3, but the TicWatch Pro 5 comes with the updated version of Wear OS 3.5. The Gen 6 Wellness Edition was already under development when Google announced Wear OS 3, so Fossil had to rush to include the software on the smartwatch. Mobvoi has had more time to optimize the TicWatch Pro 5 for Wear OS 3, and that does show. However, the two smartwatches will have the same feature set — for the most part — as they both run Wear OS 3.
TicWatch Pro 5 vs. Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition: Which is right for you?
The TicWatch Pro 5 has great performance and battery life, and it is up there with the best Wear OS smartwatches around today. The look might not be for everyone, as it features a sporty and modern design. That is subjective, but the TicWatch Pro 5’s impressive performance isn’t. It’s a powerful smartwatch that has exclusive features you can’t find anywhere else, and buyers who choose Mobvoi’s latest smartwatch won’t be disappointed.
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
Editor’s choice
Mobvoi’s new TicWatch Pro 5 is the first smartwatch to feature the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 Wearable Platform. Along with improved power, it also lends longer battery life to the king of battery for Wear OS 3 devices. New health features and functions on the secondary display make this a very impressive smartwatch.
But although the TicWatch Pro 5 beats out the Gen 6 Wellness Edition in terms of specs, it can’t beat Fossil’s smartwatch in terms of looks. The Gen 6 Wellness Edition has a great design that looks like a traditional smartwatch, and there’s a market for that. It’s one of the best-looking smartwatches out there, and undercuts the TicWatch Pro 5 in price by $50. If you’re not looking for the best performance or battery life, the Gen 6 Wellness Edition can impress you in other ways.
Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition
Stylish pick
The Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition is a smartwatch that provides critical data without being intrusive. It retains the look of a traditional watch, while still providing Wear OS 3 functionality and key fitness tracking features. Plus, there are plenty of watch faces available for customization.