Which pro should you pick?

• 

  Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro

  The big spender’s Pro experience

  Great smartwatch with limited fitness options

  $380 $500 Save $120

  Samsung hits it out of the park with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, its first “Pro” smartwatch. Not only is it an amazing showcase of what is possible with Wear OS 3, but it features great battery life and workout features to help you make the most of your workout time.

  Pros

  • Amazing durability
  • Multiple days on a single charge
  • Premium feeling no matter how you use it

  Cons

  • Fitness tracking could be better
  • Chunky design doesn’t fit everyone

• 

  Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5

  Middle ground champ

  Solid fitness smartwatch missing important Android features

  The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 comes with fantastic battery life, offering several days on a single charge. While it doesn’t have access to Google Assistant just yet, the great performance and access to basic fundamentals make it hard not to recommend this smartwatch for those who want the latest Wear OS experience on a device that won’t slow down or demand constant charging.

  Pros

  • Great battery life
  • Latest Snapdragon hardware
  • Delightful dual layer screen

  Cons

  • No Google Assistant
  • Health app leaves a bit to be desired

Summary

• The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 are both excellent Android smartwatches that offer a range of features and capabilities.
• The TicWatch Pro 5 has a slight advantage in terms of health and fitness features, with more accurate GPS and 100 exercise modes.
• Both smartwatches have impressive battery life, with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro lasting up to five days on a single charge and the TicWatch Pro 5 lasting up to 80 hours.

Finding an exceptional Android smartwatch has become increasingly challenging, even with the latest version of Wear OS. Nonetheless, over the past few months, some outstanding contenders have emerged, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Despite Samsung’s dominance in the smartwatch industry, Mobvoi is not backing down, and the TicWatch Pro 5 is a fierce competitor. However, how does it stack up against the big brother of one of the best Android smartwatches on the market? Let’s find out!

Price, specs, and availability

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and the TicWatch Pro 5 are readily available from their manufacturers and from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro isn’t Samsung’s newest smartwatch anymore, but the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic isn’t exactly a replacement for the Watch 5 Pro; however, the release of the series 6 has helped lower the price of the Watch 5 Pro. Amazon will let you grab it grab one typically for under $400 these days, sometimes even closer to $300.

On the other hand, the TicWatch Pro 5 hasn’t really changed its pricing much, with the smartwatch still retailing for $350 at normal pricing. Of course, we have seen them on sale before during the big sales throughout the year like Prime Day and Black Friday.

Here’s how the two devices compare side-by-side:

• 	Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro	Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
  Battery Life	Up to 5 days	Rated for 80 hours
  Operating System	One UI Watch (Wear OS 3 powered by Samsung)	Wear OS 3.5
  Onboard GPS	Yes	GPS + Beidou + Glonass + Galileo + QZSS
  Display	1.36″ AMOLED	1.43″ (466 x 466) 60Hz OLED + Ultra-low-power display
  CPU	Exynos W920	Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+
  RAM	1.5GB	2 GB
  Storage	16GB	32 GB
  Connectivity	GPS, NFC	Bluetooth 5.2; 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
  Durability	MIL-STD-810H	Waterproof 5ATM, MIL-STD-810H compliant
  Health sensors	Heart Rate Monitor, BIA, Continuous SpO2	PPG heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor, skin temperature sensor
  Price	$450	$350
  Weight	46.5g	44.35g
  Workout detection	Yes	Yes
  Exercise modes	Yes	100+

Design

The design of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and the TicWatch Pro 5 aren’t all that different. Although the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is much clunkier, both are similar in weight and size — but one of the biggest differences you’ll see when looking at the two side by side is the band size. While the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro works with standard bands (making it easy to change them), the TicWatch Pro 5 sports a 24mm band, which could make it difficult to find other band options for it.

The TicWatch Pro 5 also sports a new design to Mobvoi’s lineup, a rotating crown, which allows you to control key parts of the smartwatch’s system. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro doesn’t sport any similar design, with no crown button or rotating bezel as seen in previous iterations of the company’s smartwatches.

Overall, neither smartwatch looks especially different from other smartwatches out there, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re both beautiful to look at. And their displays, similar in resolution and size, are both crisp and easy to see.

Software

Software is a place where you’re going to see differences. While both use the same basic Wear OS version, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has OneUI built on top, offering some of Samsung’s own tweaks and changes to the Android smartwatch experience. Those changes aren’t bad, and both the TicWatch Pro 5 and Watch 5 Pro run Wear OS exceptionally well and offer plenty of features to take advantage of.

One big thing you’ll find missing from the TicWatch Pro 5 is Google Assistant. Mobvoi has yet to offer any timeframe of when this iconic Android feature will arrive on the new TicWatch, so those who use the assistant a lot will want to keep that in mind. Still, both smartwatches sport the same apps found in the Google Play Store.

Health and fitness

People often turn to smartwatches due to their health and fitness options. While the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro provides some health and fitness features, the TicWatch Pro 5 leans into things a lot heavier, with more accurate GPS and 100 exercise modes, such as swimming, biking, and running. On the other hand, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a bit lacking in its health features, with the smartwatch missing out on run tracking and some other features that would truly make it a competitor to more fitness-focused smartwatches like Garmin’s lineup.

This doesn’t make it a bad choice, but if you’re looking for more in-depth health and fitness features, the TicWatch Pro 5 is probably a stronger option. The only downside there is that Mobvoi’s fitness app isn’t as detailed or in-depth as some other fitness apps, so you may want to look into third-party options.

Battery life

Both smartwatches are kings when it comes to battery life, with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro reporting up to five days on a single charge and the TicWatch Pro 5 claiming up to 80 hours before needing a recharge. Even though they aren’t quite reaching up to those claims, the Watch 5 Pro and TicWatch Pro 5 still give you plenty of juice to keep things running smoothly for a few days between charges. That’s important, especially if you want to take advantage of various features like sleep tracking, which you’d normally miss out on while charging your device.

Which should you pick?

Choosing between the TicWatch Pro 5 and the Watch 5 Pro isn’t exactly easy. For the most part, it’s a really close call. Both smartwatches have a lot to offer the user, though there are key places where each one comes out in front of the other.

If you’re looking to use your smartwatch with Samsung’s various integrated apps or want to take advantage of Google Assistant on your wrist, then the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a great choice, at least until the TicWatch Pro 5 starts supporting the assistant.

That doesn’t mean you should write off the TicWatch Pro 5. With exceptional GPS tracking and over 100 detectable exercise modes, Mobvoi’s latest Pro watch is a fantastic addition to the ever-growing list of excellent Android smartwatches available.