The Best Wear OS Watch Out There?

The best Wear OS watch on the market? Yeah, I said what I said. Of course, I am comparing the TicWatch Atlas only to the Galaxy Watch and Pixel Watch. I’m not even considering any other Wear OS watch out there if there are any remaining. Okay, I’m sure there are some Wear OS watches out there, but truly, the big two come from Samsung and Google. But the dynamic duo’s domination of the Wear OS market is incomplete, as Mobvoi continues to fight and claw its way up.

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

I’ve been reviewing and using Mobvoi watches for a long time now, and if any one thing is clear to me. It’s that the company has been making massive strides in both quality and performance. Maybe, perhaps, five years ago, you could have put the TicWatch with the rest of the wannabe Wear OS devices, but not anymore. The TicWatch’s accession is evident and jarring, as it truly is a major competitor to Samsung and Google. And in this reviewer’s opinion, the TicWatch Atlas maybe the best Wear OS watch on the market. Be warned, this review does not go in-depth with the health and fitness bits. It’s not what I use watches for, thank you.

The Quick Take

Before we jump into the Quick Take and into the review. I know I made a pretty big statement by calling the TicWatch Atlas the best Wear OS watch on the market. But it’s important to note that this is my opinion, and I am coming at this from my use case and perspective. There may be a lot about this watch that just won’t fit into your needs, so this actually may not fit your idea of the best.

For me, the TicWatch Atlas ticked the boxes I wanted in a smartwatch. I’m not super interested in all the health and tracking bits, I want a nice design, a great display, good battery life, and a rugged build. The TicWatch Atlas performed well for me, with the only real disappointment being that it is running an older version of Wear OS and you can only use either the Mobvoi app or Wear OS. You can’t use them both. Here’s what I liked and didn’t like.

• What I liked:
  • Best-looking Wear OS watch in terms of design and look
  • Outstanding build quality, very robust and ready to rock
  • Full-featured health and tracking
  • Fantastic battery life, especially standby and especially if you don’t use the AMOLED for always on
  • The silver colorway is by far the best-looking version and I highly recommend finding it
• What I didn’t like:
  • Running Wear OS 4.0, needs to be updated, no idea if updates will come
  • Charging cable should be updated to USB-C
  • Can’t run Wear OS and Mobvoi app at the same time, it’s one or the other

The TicWatch Atlas isn’t perfect, by any means. But it was near-perfect for what I wanted and needed. It looks nicer than either the Galaxy Watch or the Pixel Watch, and it is rugged and well-built. I would recommend this watch in a heartbeat. At the same time, I would also say to read other reviews because my experience may not reflect your needs.

Specifications

The TicWatch Atlas has the following features and specifications:

• Dimensions (mm): 52.2(H) x 47.8(L) x 12.05(D)
• Weight: 47.2 g
• Color: Black or Silver
• Watch Case: Stainless steel, 7000-serie aluminum and high-strength nylon with fiberglass
• Screen: Sapphire Crystal
• Watch Strap: Fluoro Rubber (interchangeable), 24mm
• Operating System: Wear OS by Google (Wear OS 4)
• Chipset: Snapdragon® W5+ Gen 1 wearable platform
• Memory: RAM: 2GB / ROM: 32GB
• Display: 1.43“ 466*466 326ppi Full Color Always On Display OLED + Ultra-low-power Display
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz, GNSS, GPS+Beidou+Glonass+Galileo+QZSS, NFC Payments, Yes (Google Wallet, 13.56MHz)
• Speaker: Yes
• Mic: Yes
• Vibration Motor: Yes
• PPG: Yes
• Barometer: Yes
• Compass: Yes
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor, SpO2 Sensor, Skin Temperature Sensor, Low Latency Off-Body Sensor, Barometer, Compass
• Battery Capacity: 628mAh (typical)
• Durability: 5ATM, Open Water Swim/MIL-STD-810H
• Compatibility: Mobvoi Health works with phones running Android 8.0 (excluding Go edition and phones without Google Play Store), or later.
• Application: Mobvoi Health

What’s In The Box

• TicWatch Atlas
• USB-A to TicWatch Magnet Charging Cable
• Manuals and Documentation

Design

The TicWatch Atlas that Mobvoi sent to me is the silver colorway. When the company asked me if I wanted to review the Atlas, I told them. Only if you send me the silver colorway. Every smartwatch that gets sent to me for review is always black. I saw photos of the silver TicWatch Atlas and I had to see it for myself. I will say this, if you can get your hands on the silver colorway, it is the one to have.

Let’s start with the TicWatch Atlas band. The band is made of something called Fluoro Rubber. If you don’t know what this is, here is a brief overview:

Compared to other synthetic rubbers, fluoro rubber has outstanding heat resistance, oil resistance, and chemical resistance. This is due to the extremely strong C-F bond (fluorine bond) in the copolymerization composition. The C-H bonds found in many other synthetic rubbers are inferior in bonding strength and cannot achieve this performance. This C-F bond is what gives fluoroelastomers their outstanding heat resistance, oil resistance, and chemical resistance.

Mitsufuku

Basically, fluoro rubber is a silicon-type rubber with some nice upgrades over standard silicon bands. At first glance, especially in photos, this band doesn’t look all that great. But I was actually surprised after using it for a bit. I really do like the band. It is comfortable and feels tough and like it should stand up to time. The impressive thing is, you can buy regular watch bands to replace this one, should you want to.

The TicWatch Atlas strap buckle feels strong, and this band does not feel like it will snap or break. Mobvoi also made plenty of holes for a wide variety of wrist sizes. The grey color goes perfectly with the silver colorway. The band is very comfortable, and I love the amount of adjustability it has, as with all watch bands, this one does make me sweaty. That’s probably just me.

The back of the watch has all the numerous sensors and the pogo pins for charging. Flip the TicWatch Atlas over, and you’ll find a nice, rugged sports-style design. The front bezel looks like a diving watch with the seconds printed around it in increments of five, it is a faux dial and does not move.

The only buttons are the digital crown and the multifunction button. There are nice orange accents on the crown and bezel, subtle but sets off the watch nicely. The watch casing is made of stainless steel, 7000-serie aluminum and high-strength nylon with fiberglass.

Finally, you have the display. The glass is made of Sapphire Crystal and is supposed to be pretty tough. Of course, I haven’t intentionally tried to damage the glass, but I have banged it against doorways and whatnot. It has survived without a scratch, so far.

Overall, I really love the look and design of the TicWatch Atlas. I love the silver colorway. I love the band, band material, and look of the band. It’s really a great-looking watch, much nicer than the Pixel Watch and slightly nicer than the top-tier Galaxy Watch.

Setup/Ease of Use

Setting up the TicWatch Atlas is straightforward. You can either set up the watch using the Mobvoi app or the Wear OS app. But you cannot use both apps at once, which I was disappointed with. I chose to set up the watch using the Mobvoi app so that I could check it out. More on that and the features later.

You should fully charge the TicWatch Atlas before setting it up. Once it is charged, turn it on and open the Mobvoi (or Wear OS) app on your phone. The watch will be detected, and you can connect to it. Once you are connected, you’ll just have to go through a few steps to complete the pairing, and then you’re all set to go.

Using the TicWatch Atlas is just like any other Wear OS, or even Apple Watch. The crown navigates through menus and the multifunction button selects, and you can use swipe gestures to move around the screen. Wear OS will guide you through the basic gestures during setup, in case you need that.

Overall, the setup of the TicWatch Atlas is not hard at all, and it’s straightforward to grasp and use. At this point, smartwatches have been around long enough that I think most users will have an easy time getting a handle on this one.

Display

I’ve seen other reviewers throw some knocks at the display on the TicWatch Atlas. I, do not think these are warranted. Sure, the display isn’t as bright and vibrant as the Apple Watch Ultra, but the Ultra is much, much more expensive.

I found that the TicWatch Atlas display was responsive to my touch and gesture inputs and was straightforward to navigate. I found the glass to be very tough, I have banged it a few times on doorways and cabinets. I found the brightness to be more than acceptable and even on a sunny day, I could see the display. Under direct sunlight, you might have some issue with some content, but the same holds true for the competition.

The TicWatch Atlas has very nice colors and is vibrant to my eyes. Watch faces look spectacular on this display. The always-on display also gives you the option to have it always on the AMOLED or switched to an LCD version when not looking at the watch. The LCD version will save tons of battery life but does look like a basic Timex or Casio watch. Really not a huge deal if you’re not looking at it.

Overall, I thought the TicWatch Atlas display was fantastic. I love the larger size and the display is premium, looks bright, colorful, and responds to touch well. No real complaints here.

Software/Features

The TicWatch Atlas runs on Wear OS 4, no word on if it will get updated. You can use the watch with the Wear OS app, from Google. But Mobvoi has features in its app you might want to access. So you might just set the watch up with the Mobvoi app and use it for a bit and see if switching to it is worth it to you. You cannot use both the Wear OS app and Mobvoi app together.

Here is a list of features, most of which I rarely use, that you can take advantage of on the Atlas:

• Compass, Barometer, GPS, and four more GNSS systems—this watch is your all-in-one tool for any adventure. It guides you through the woods, up the mountain, and safely back to your tent.
• Find your way back to camp or explore new horizons with the built-in compass.
• Track barometric pressure and altitude changes with its linear progression graphs to stay informed.
• With access to all five global satellite systems, it ensures accurate location data wherever you are.
• Heat Map Feature: It’s not just about playing; it’s about playing smarter. Get in the zone with Heat Map. Choose your favorite ball games, and let the watch track where you’re most active. See your strengths and opportunities at a glance. After the game, easily share your heat map to relive the highlights and strategize for your next win.
• Fall Alert Feature: You always get covered. Equipped with advanced motion sensors and AI algorithms, our watch detects falls* instantly. In the event of a fall, the watch automatically triggers an SOS*, calling local emergency services or your emergency contact. It doesn’t stop there – your location is shared, ensuring help finds you, fast. You can also press the rotating crown five times to instantly initiate an SOS call.
• TicMotion Feature: TicMotion proactive motion tracking seamlessly detects your workouts, monitoring your activity and capturing vital fitness data like heart rate, calories burned, and Vo2 max. The enhanced TicMotion™ offers unmatched precision, giving you real-time insights on the Ultra-low-power Display—even before you press to start your workout. Whether you choose to record the activity or not eventually, your performance is captured in real-time, so you never miss a beat. It’s your call, your data, your way.
• V02 Recovery Feature: Get personalized recommendations on when your body is ready for the next workout, and track your VO2 Max to monitor cardiovascular efficiency, ensuring you train smarter and avoid injury.
• Heart Rate Feature: Glance to instantly know your intensity level, whether you’re warming up, hitting cardio, or entering a high-intensity zone.
• Workout Modes: With over 100 professional workout modes powered by advanced AI algorithms, TicWatch Atlas is your ultimate fitness companion.
• Heart Monitor: 24/7 heart rate monitoring alerts you any heart irregularities* from high/low heart rates to potential arrhythmias like AFib.
• Sleep Tracking: Auto sleep detection captures your sleep session seamlessly. Snoring detection helps you understand your sleep patterns and make adjustments for a more restful night.
• Blood Oxygen Monitor: Advanced sensors measure oxygen saturation in your blood, offering you detailed insights into how efficiently your body absorbs oxygen

The TicWatch Atlas has a ton of features that I really don’t think everyone is going to use, at least all of them. I know I don’t use even half of them, but I do know some of these features are appealing to users. I did poke around the software and had a look at most of these features, and they seem to function as advertised. So overall, the experience with the features and software was good. Let’s just get it updated to Wear OS 5.

Performance

The TicWatch Atlas sports the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset, and I had no issues with performance. As I already mentioned, everything felt fluid and there was no lag, no stuttering, and no weird performance issues. All the features I use daily worked easily and the gestures were perfect.

I had one instance when the watch did not want to go back to my normal watch face after being on standby for a long period of time. I had to long press the watch face and change it to the face I had before. That only happened once. Very strange.

Overall, the performance was spot on with this watch. It did everything I needed it to do without issue.

Battery Life

Battery Life will be subjective, and it will depend on how you use your watch and what settings you have on it. I will say, the TicWatch Atlas outlasts my Apple Watch Ultra 2 by at least a full day, maybe a little more. I was easily getting almost 3 days of battery life, and it is possible to get more if you have the settings just right.

There was an instance where I left the watch to sit on standby for 4 days and when I picked it up, it still had 27% battery. That It was sitting in a corner, not being used. That’s some pretty amazing battery life.

Overall, I believe you can get massive battery life from this watch, if you have the settings just right. If you’re very active and using many of the features of the watch, you may see less battery life. It just all depends. Either way, the battery life is a huge plus of the TicWatch Atlas and maybe a good reason to buy it.

Price/Value

This watch has a comparable price to the big two, and you can find it on sale sometimes. I think the price to value ratio is good, and I have no problem recommending this watch, it is well worth your hard-earned money.

Wrap Up

The TicWatch Atlas is my favorite Wear OS watch on the market right now. Yes there are others, but I really love this watch for the price, looks, durability, feature set, and that silver colorway. Skip the black and find the silver.

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