TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS review : A Good Sports watch

Last Updated on March 10, 2024 by Oliver

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS offers the freedom of Wear OS with the ruggedness of a sports watch. It offers the backup of 3 to 45 days, an OLED screen and GPS. We have tested it, here is its test!

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS extends the foundations laid by the TicWatch Pro 3 last year, which at the time was the first Wear OS watch to take advantage of the Snapdragon 4100. A year later, Mobvoi is doing it again with an Ultra version with an overall very similar technical sheet. Perhaps the opportunity to fix the few faults of its elder? This is what we will see in this test.

TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS review

TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS specs

Display Details

screen size1.4 inch
Screen type AMOLED+FSTN
Screen Resolution454 x 454 pixels
Screen Design ShapeCircular
TouchscreenYes
Color screen Yes

Hardware Details

Thickness12.3 mm
Lenght47 mm
Weight68 gm
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100
Operating systemWear OS 2
Compatible SmartphonesiPhone (iOS), Android
Storage capacity8 GB
Battery capacity577 mAh
Autonomy48 hours

Connectivity and Sensors Details

SMS/MMS supportYes
Call supportYes
Bluetooth version5
GPSYes
NFCYes
Wi-Fi version4
Accelerometer and electronic compassYes
Ambient light sensorYes
Sleep analysisYes
PedometerYes
heart rate sensorYes
SpO2 sensorYes

TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Wear OS and third-party apps
  • Slim design
  • The FSTN screen
  • MIL-STD-810G Certification
  • The very practical dual-screen
  • Original and effective Essential mode
  • Backup of two to three days
  • Good overall performance of the Wear 4100 SoC

Cons

  • Lack of finish in the OS
  • Can’t fix GPS without phone
  • Wear OS 2 only
  • Very bad translations
  • Disappointing plastic strap

Detailed Review of TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS

Design of TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra

The TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS is designed with a stainless steel and high resistance nylon case with fiberglass. We find the choice already made by the TicWatch Pro 3 to integrate a bezel to give a sporty look to the watch, which is not actually a rotating bezel , but, depending on how you consider things, a decoration, or an indicator to be able to read the time on the unnumbered dials. The controls go through interactions with the screen and the two side buttons, located on the right.

Rather thick (12.3 grams) and relatively heavy (41 g), it is a smartwatch that looks very classy on the wrist. That said, it manages to remain rather discreet, even more so than the TicWatch Pro 3, taking advantage of its rounded lines, its black color and its discreet zebra stripes on the 22 mm fluorinated rubber strap. The set is also comfortable and you don’t necessarily feel like you’re carrying a huge watch around your wrist, even when it’s small, as is the case for yours truly.

Display Details of TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra

Now let’s take a look at the display of TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, the famous dual screen. Mobvoi offers us a technology that is surprising to say the least and it must be admitted very effective. It consists a low-power FSTN panel on a more AMOLED panel. 

In use, the FSTN screen remains permanently on, its combined with AMOLED technology only taking over when the watch is manipulated to access Wear OS. This combo therefore has the advantage of having the time as well as some physical metrics always visible without draining the battery as AOD (Always on Display) mode on.

The 1.4” AMOLED panel provides more than comfortable with 454 x 454 px, and 326 ppi of resolution. This is more than enough to avoid the appearance of large pixels. We note however that the screen seems a little veiled, the fault of the FSTN panel which overhangs it. The colors are therefore not as vivid as on more classic watches. Likewise, the brightness seems more limited, even if the AMOLED panel remains readable outdoors.

Health feature of TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra

TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra comes with many health features. Let’s start by listing the sensors: accelerometer, gyro sensor, HD PPG heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor, low latency out-of-body sensor, barometer.

Clearly, if you set your sights on this watch, it will be able to act as a pedometer, an accelerometer, it will also be able to give you your heart rate and your blood oxygen level, to perform a sleep tracking and ambient noise measurement.

On the other hand, there is no electrocardiogram, which requires a very specific sensor. That said, it remains a rare and fairly secondary function if you don’t need it.

Note also that the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS is equipped, as its name suggests, with a GPS chip. It will therefore allow you to track your tracks and estimate the distance traveled.

However, there is a big but on this point. Every time I went out with my watch for a jog, it picked up the GPS signal from my smartphone rather than offering its own. I then thought it would be interesting to go out without my smartphone to see how the watch was doing on its own. Let me tell you, it wasn’t famous. She managed to pick up a GPS signal about one time out of five, after much effort. The rest of the time, she tried in vain to offer me this functionality, although it is well highlighted in its name.