Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 4G: kaiju becomes faster

When I examined the TicWatch Pro last summer, its hybrid screen delighted me, but on my lean wrist, it looked like I had stolen an Omnitrix or concealed a weapon from superheroes inside. It was a big battery-powered watch for days thanks to continuous LCD display mode, but it was neither exceptionally fast nor powerful.

It's been a year since the original Pro came out, and Mobvoi now has the following model: the TicWatch Pro 4G. Bringing double the RAM and the new LTE radios, the version seems to reinforce an already well-stocked watch with some extra bells and whistles, but there are some improvements that this watch is missing very clearly.

The size of the TicWatch Pro 4G is identical to that of the classic Pro, with the same screen size, the same button placement and the same bandwidth, which allows me to upgrade to a better band. Due to the shape of the bezel surrounding the screen, the 4G has the impression of having a larger screen than the TicWatch Pro, but it is the same double-layered display of 1.4 inches. This rugged watch still resists IP68 water and is designed for swimming. So you can trust the Pro for calls to a water park or an afternoon of river tubing.

I tolerate the big size of Pro and Pro 4G, which allows me to get a bigger screen for reading notifications, tracking fitness and larger touch targets when using multimedia controls – the better reason to own a smart watch. The LCD screen of the hybrid screen is easy to read under the dazzling glow of the Florida sun and sucks a battery like an excellent cognac. I wish all smartwatches have hybrid displays like the TicWatch Pro, and it's also a remarkable feature of the TicWatch Pro 4G.

The internal memory of the watch still only represents 4 GB, so you can perhaps save one or two playlists to practice, but you do not have much room for maneuver here. The RAM has been dubbed on the 4G, which allows the watch to react a little faster, even if it still uses the Wear 2100 processor of last year. My dearest hope for the successor of the Pro was that it would pack the Snapdragon Wear 3100, which brought a host of improvements for battery use and physical training.

It is disappointing to see the TicWatch Pro 4G upgrade the RAM but not the processor, especially when the 3100's battery enhancements could have helped offset some of the battery problems caused by LTE radios feeding on the same 415 mAh battery than the ordinary Pro. In Wi-Fi, the battery is about equal with the original Pro, but once you turn on LTE, things can fall quickly. It's like losing 35% a bike afternoon pretty quickly.

I have not yet been able to test the LTE capabilities on the TicWatch Pro, but I will be back to update it as soon as I do. In the meantime, the TicWatch Pro will be launched on Verizon for $ 299, $ 50 more than the original TicWatch Pro, but it will be available on both Amazon and Mobvoi for $ 279 until August 10th.

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