TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, analysis: Your world on your wrist

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is a next-generation smartwatch that has come to the market with a very clear objective, to position itself as one of the best options in its class within the high end. He does not have it easy at all, there is no doubt about that. The large manufacturers in the sector already have this range well covered, and the competition is so fierce that, in fact, it is becoming more difficult every day to make a difference and attract the attention of the consumer.

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra cover letter leaves us, however, a very positive first impression, and it is that its merits are, on paper, more than enough to meet this objective. we have referenced in the first paragraph.

However, as our regular readers will know, theory is one thing and practice is quite another . In order to truly appreciate the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, we have thoroughly tested it for almost two weeks, and today, finally, we are ready to share our impressions with you.

Before getting into the matter, we want to thank Mobvoi, the firm behind the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, for sending us a unit of said smartwatch. As always, I invite you to make yourself comfortable, as we have an extensive analysis ahead of us. Now yes, we begin.

TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra: First contact

Those of you who read us daily already know that, when I try a product, I like to feel it, that is, I let myself be carried away by the sensations that it transmits to me . It is not a trivial question, thanks to that first contact I can get an idea of ​​the quality of construction that a certain device presents.

Right out of the box, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra makes it clear that it is a premium model . It is not just another smartwatch with a rubber strap, it is a first-rate device, well built and with a classic, elegant and discreet design, which translates into a timeless line that, basically, looks good with any clothing. I have used it both in the gym, with sportswear, and in more formal situations, with more elegant clothes, and in both scenarios it has not left anyone indifferent.

One of the questions that I was asked most frequently when looking at the watch is what brand it was , and then they asked me what I could do. When explaining all the features of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, what most surprised (and liked) were the integration of GPS and heart rate measurement functions (with alert in case of anomalies) and level of oxygen in blood.

Going back to that first external look, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra features a circular dial that, as I have anticipated, has a classic and timeless line. It is made of steel as the main material, but also combines nylon and fiberglass . The screen is protected with a layer of Gorilla Glass DX , a highly scratch-resistant material that we already had the opportunity to talk about in this article .

At first glance, it may give us the impression that the strap is made of silicone, but nothing could be further from the truth. The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra offers a high-quality finish in all its elements, and the strap has been no exception. It is made of fluorinated rubber, a material that stands out for being resistant to heat, low temperatures, oxidants and corrosion . Since the strap is one of the parts that suffers the most from the mere daily use of any smartphone, this material is a guarantee, and yes, it is a clear added value.

On the dial we have two physical buttons that simplify the use of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra. With them we can access different functions and take screenshots. We can also use them to restart the smartwatch, if necessary. If we look at the rear, we find the heart rate and blood oxygen sensors , and also the charging pins.

Recharging the battery of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is very easy, thanks to the magnetized pin connector that it comes with. We just have to point it in the right direction and that’s it. The charging cable connects via USB Type-A, a universal standard, so no user will have a problem using it.

I don’t want to finish this section without talking about the screen, since I think it is one of the most important points of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra. This smartwatch mounts a 1.4-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels , which leaves us with a density of 326 pixels per inch. What does this translate to for me, as a user? Well, very simple, in an outstanding image quality, both for sharpness and for the quality of color reproduction.

This AMOLED screen is accompanied by a FSTN (Film compensated STN) type , which allows the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra to work like a more traditional watch, and significantly reduce battery consumption without this implies important sacrifices at the functional level in daily use. When we have this screen activated, we can display different elements, such as the time and certain physical activity values, and energy consumption is considerably reduced.

TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra Specifications

• Circular sphere made of stainless steel, high resistance nylon and fiberglass.
• Gorilla Glass DX protection, with a high degree of scratch resistance and anti-fingerprint finish.
• Interchangeable 22 mm high resistance fluorinated rubber strap.
• Wear OS 2.0 operating system from Google.
• SoC Snapdragon Wear 4100 , manufactured in 12 nm process and equipped with a quad-core CPU based on the low-power Cortex-A53 (64-bit) architecture, running at a maximum of 1, 7 GHz.
• Adreno 504 750 MHz GPU.
• QCC1110 AON co-processor based on the Cortex-M0 architecture, specifically designed for the “always on” function.
• LPDDR3 750 MHz memory controller.
• 1.4-inch AMOLED-type screen with 454 x 454 pixel resolution and support for the “always on” function.
• FSTN panel for more efficient battery management.
• 1 GB of RAM memory.
• 8 GB storage capacity (eMMC).
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor, SpO2 (Blood Oxygen Saturation) Sensor, Low Latency Out-of-Body Sensor, Barometer, and Compass.
• Geolocation: GPS + Beidou + Glonass + Galileo + QZSS, the five most important satellites.
• Compatible with Google Play Store, with Google Play and with the Google smart assistant.
• Includes speaker and microphone, as well as vibration function for silent notifications.
• Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC.
• IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, and MIL-STD-810G military grade resistance certification. We can use it to swim in the pool.
• 577 mAh battery with wired charging system.
• Measurements: 47 x 48 x 12.3 mm.
• Weight: 41 grams.
• Price: 299.99 euros .

TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra: User experience

FSTN screen in action.

As we anticipated in our first contact, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra makes it clear, from the moment we have it in hand, that it is a high-quality, solid and well-finished smartwatch . I really liked the design because, as I said, it has a classic and timeless line that allows it to look good in any situation, and combine with any style. I do not speak without reason, the color black «goes with everything».

The fluorinated rubber strap also gave me a very good feeling. It does not have the same feel as a classic silicone strap, is clearly above that material , and does not at all clash with the excellent quality that the face of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra generally presents. However, if we want to change the strap and use a leather one, for example, we can do it without problems. However, I already anticipate that when you test the quality of a rubber strap like the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, you will think twice before giving up on a leather one.

Illuminated FSTN display.

Continuing with the strap, it adapts without problem to almost any wrist, and the fit is perfect and very comfortable. This is important because, in the end, we tend to wear the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra tight enough that the measurement sensors can do their job correctly, but at the same time we don’t want it to bother us.

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra setup process is very simple. The first phase involves making the classic language settings and linking to our smartwatch . In my case, what I tried with an iPhone 8 Plus, and everything went smoothly, since I did not have any type of problem. To complete the pairing process, and get the most out of it, I had to download two applications, Wear OS and Mobvoi . They are free and take up very little space.

We have nothing to worry about since, in the end, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is guiding us at all times , and it is impossible to get stuck. Once we have the smartwatch linked to our smartphone via Bluetooth, we have the possibility of using a Google account that we already have (our Gmail address is good for us, for example), or we can create a new one. In my case, I used an existing account.

From that point on, we can synchronize the calendar , allow notifications on the clock and make other final adjustments to finish the configuration process. If we want more information, we can start a tutorial, although I have already told you that it is not necessary, since the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra interface is very simple and intuitive. Making the gesture of sliding in one direction or another takes us to different menus, and the buttons also have their own function:

• Swipe to the right: it takes us to the Google assistant. We can give voice commands.
• Swipe left: we will go to the section to add achievement cards by activity.
• Swipe up: we go to the configuration menu of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra.
• Swipe down: this takes us to the notifications.
• If we press the first button we will enter the applications menu, where we will also find access to the Google Play Store.
• If we press the second button we will go directly to the different sports activity modes.

I want to emphasize that after several minutes interacting with the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, I was still impressed by the quality of the AMOLED screen . The sharpness it presents is fantastic, and the color reproduction it offers is outstanding. This is especially important because it allows you to enjoy a seamless experience, both when reviewing reports from biometric sensors, including sleep measurements that come in graphical form, and when changing the face of the watch.

A mediocre screen makes a smartwatch lose many integers , and it can also discourage us when it comes to using other waits to customize it, especially if these are not reproduced with the quality that they should. With the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra we do not have that problem thanks to its AMOLED screen, which must be considered, on its own merits, as one of the best in its class. We can use it with the automatic brightness option to optimize consumption and let the watch itself adjust it according to each situation.

We can customize the dial by choosing from a large number of previous designs that come with the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra. Some are quite interesting, but if we are left wanting more we will have nothing to worry about, since we can download more spheres through the Google Play Store. Personally, the one that I liked the most has been the one that comes by default, although for certain occasions I choose to choose a more serious design.

The FSTN screen represents, as we anticipate, an important added value, since it allows us to enjoy almost all the features of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra while reducing consumption. When activated, it displays the time, steps, seconds, and battery level. It comes, by default, with white backlighting, but we can choose between 18 different colors , an interesting detail that, again, will allow us to customize the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra depending on the day, our plans and our style.

The next thing that surprised me was the performance. The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra offers a simple and intuitive interface in which everything responds perfectly . At no time have I had problems when performing gestures, and not when opening applications or consulting reports. It is clear that this is possible thanks to the Snapdragon Wear 4100 SoC, a very powerful chip that is capable of “chewing” all the software included in the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra without problem.

My first impressions were very positive in general, but it is clear that we still have other important things to talk about, such as the measurements of the sensors, the experience of using it while doing sports, the autonomy of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra and the functions included in the dedicated Mobvoi application. I don’t want to go into too long because, in the end, the important thing is to analyze the keys of the device in a precise and clear way, without falling into redundant or uninteresting ramblings.

With the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra we can monitor the heart rate, and also measure the level of oxygen saturation, track sleep, manage stress, evaluate our fatigue and environmental noise and receive alerts in case it is identify heart problems such as irregular heartbeat and fibrillation . This watch also has a wide range of functions associated with sports activity, including measuring steps and calories burned, as well as the distance traveled and the routes taken. In this sense, it is important to highlight the value offered by the GPS , whose precision is really good.

In my tests, I have let the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra automatically monitor such important aspects as my heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, my sleep routine and my level of fatigue. The results I obtained were precise and detailed , and they totally fit reality, so much so that, in fact, I was amused to see that it perfectly identified the moment when I woke up at dawn because of a noisy neighbor. You can see it in the attached graph, in orange.

The measurements in my gym sessions were also accurate. In the graphs you can see perfectly the moments of greatest intensity , in which I reached peaks of 170 beats per minute , not bad at all considering that I am no longer a kid, and also those moments of rest that sometimes get too long due to “chatting” with fellow sufferers. The rest of the measurements, including blood oxygen and calories burned, also have almost perfect precision , and the same applies to measurements of environmental noise and stress, although the latter function has not always been successful. hit. What can I say, it couldn’t be all perfect.

The ecosystem of pre-installed applications that the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra brings is sublime, so much so that we will not need to download and install anything to enjoy a totally satisfactory user experience, although we can do so thanks to the integration of the Google Play Store. It has more than 20 professional training modes, and also the classic «freestyle», which will serve as a mixed bag when we go to perform a sports activity that does not fit into any of the predefined ones.

The integration with Wear OS applications and Mobvoi’s own is very good, and the latter offers great value when viewing and reviewing the different reports of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra. Its interface is simple and intuitive, and it works perfectly, so I have nothing to object in this regard.

Regarding autonomy, after completing the first charge I was able to use the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra for more than three days , as can be seen in the attached image, and having activated the monitoring of 24-hour heart rate and blood oxygen level, as well as sleep monitoring. Not bad at all, although it is clear that autonomy can change, for better or worse, depending on how you use the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra. In any case, even under heavy use, it shouldn’t go below two days.

Final notes: A good adventure companion

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is one of the most complete and best built smartwatches that we can find right now on the market. Its stainless steel, nylon and fiberglass dial, protected with anti-fingerprint Gorilla Glass DX, and its fluorinated rubber strap, place it among the most select in the industry. On the other hand, its classic and timeless design, together with its great customization possibilities, will make us always want to take it with us.

In terms of design and build quality, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is a first-class smartwatch, that’s been clear, and when it comes to performance, advanced features and autonomy, it also borders on a high level. Wear OS flies over the hardware of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra , we have pre-installed all the applications that we will need in our day to day, we have high quality and precise sensors, and with the added value that they represent GPS and Google Play Store integration.

As we have seen, autonomy is another of the strengths of the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, and its configuration with AMOLED screen and FSTN is also a success . However, there are also some things that I did not like, and that tarnish a bit a set that, in general, is outstanding.

In that sense, the most important thing is that this watch comes with Wear OS 2 instead of Wear OS 3 , although Mobvoi has confirmed that it will receive this version through an update in 2022, and that the price it is a bit high if we take into account what we can find today in the market. There are two details to take into account, that is clear, but making a general assessment my conclusion does not change, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is a good buy.