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The Mobvoi E line of products has, historically speaking, been regarded as the realm of entry-level smartwatches due to the barebones design and hardware that has been utilised in order to keep the price down. Interestingly, the TicWatch E3, which maintains its understated aesthetic, is one of only two smartwatches currently available that is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 processor.
The other one is the TicWatch Pro 3, which is also manufactured by TicWatch. Is it worth your money to purchase this product even though it will be upgraded in the future despite having an industry-leading processor, a price tag that is significantly higher than what is typical for an E device.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 Specifications
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Display | 1.3-inch LCD |
| Resolution | 360 x 360 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| Storage | 8 GB |
| Battery life | Up to 3 days |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Heart rate, SpO2 |
| Water-resistance | IP68 |
| Operating system | Wear OS |
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: Design
Still, the delay until later next year is something to think about. Mobvoi’s E devices have always been considered entry-level smartwatches because they have simple designs and hardware to keep the price low.
Even though it has a simple design, the TicWatch E3 is one of only two smartwatches on the market with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 processor. The other is the TicWatch Pro 3. So, with a top-of-the-line processor, a higher-than-usual price for an E device, and an old operating system, is this worth your money, even though it will be updated in the future? You can buy this smartwatch from its official website.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: Comfort and Fit
The LCD screen is bright and colourful, but the lack of auto-brightness can be a pain, and the massive bezel is a distraction. The 2.5D glass does make it easy to swipe, and the plastic case makes it feel durable. It also has an IP68 rating, which means you can wear it while swimming. The strap is easily replaced with another, and Mobvoi will sell you some more colourful versions.
The Ticwatch E3 is neither something we want nor something I don’t want. It’s just there on my wrist. We have put it on and then forgotten about it until a notification tells me. It’s good and bad at the same time. The smartwatch is comfortable and light.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: Software & Features
But the TicWatch E3’s software future may be the most important thing to think about. Yes, Mobvoi and Google have finally confirmed that both the TicWatch Pro 3 and E3, which run on the Snapdragon 4100 processor, will get the new Wear OS 3.0 update, but not until the middle of 2022. Even though that’s good news, for now you’ll have to buy a watch with old software and hope that it will be updated at some point.
It takes too long for software to be useful, which is also why we don’t like the price. The E line of TicWatches has always been affordable. The first TicWatch E cost less than $130, and the E2 cost $160. Even though prices are going up for everything, and there are watches that cost a lot more than the E3, $200 seems like a lot for this device.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: Performance
What’s the point of the TicWatch E3? The main reason is the Snapdragon Wear 4100, a shocking rarity in the world of Wear OS smartwatches, and is otherwise only found in the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100, which has been widely used for far too long, is being replaced by the fast, up-to-date chip. The TicWatch E3 might not look good, but it has a lot of power.
The Snapdragon Wear 4100 gets rid of two of Wear OS’s most annoying issues: slow speeds and short battery life. It makes Wear OS much more responsive than any smartwatch that uses the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip. It flows and glides through Tiles, shows notifications quickly and without pause as you scroll through the list, and even the setup process, which used to take a long time, is much faster now. When combined with 1GB of RAM, it makes it fun to use Wear OS, which is a huge step forward.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: Fitness Tracking
The E3 still has all the health and fitness tracking features you’d expect, plus the health features from Ticwatch’s own apps like TicBreath, TicOxygen, and TicPulse, which we talked about in detail in the review of the 3 Pro. With Google WearOS, the E3 also has apps like Google Fit, Google Assistant, and Google Pay.
The watch has a 1.3-inch LED screen instead of an OLED screen like the Pro 3, so it looks different. Aside from that, the style of the watch is very simple, and it is also very light and easy to wear for long periods of time.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: Battery
The 380mAh battery is 10% smaller than the battery in the E2, but it still lasts for two full days (about 48 hours) of casual use and tracking sleep. During testing, I set the brightness to be almost as bright as it could get, and I kept my phone close by, so the Bluetooth radio was almost always connected. Using the GPS radio to track workouts is the one thing that can be seen to drain the battery. The battery was just drained enough by a quick 30-minute walk that the watch turned off at the end of the second day instead of lasting through the night and into the next morning.
Mobvoi gave the watch its own charger, which can be attached to the back with a magnet. I like that the cable is long, but I don’t like that the charging puck is small. It’s a little complicated and needs to be positioned just right to stick to the TicWatch E3. The magnetic connection is strong, so even if you bump or move the watch while it’s charging, it won’t come off. It takes about an hour to charge the watch.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: Price
The TicWatch E3 is a good choice for a lot of people because it looks nice and works well, thanks to the Snapdragon 4100. With a good battery life, built-in fitness features like sleep tracking, and a price of $200, this Wear OS option is great. But if you just can’t wait until the new Wear OS update comes out in the middle of 2022, you might want to think twice about spending your money on the E3.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: Final Words
The Mobvoi TicWatch E3 is a smartwatch with a round face that looks good. It looks sleek and only has two buttons. It has a simple interface and is easy to use. Even though it comes with a silicone band in one of three colours, you can change it if you want it to look different.
Mobvoi TicWatch E3 review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Good display
- Decent battery life
The Bad
- Cheap strap
FAQS
In general, the Mobvoi TicWatch E3 smartwatch really surprised me. In fact, I like it better than my Galaxy phone, which cost a lot more. It has all the tools I use often, and the health information is much better than what my Galaxy gives me.
Mobvoi Information Technology Company Limited is a tech company with its headquarters in Beijing, China. It sells consumer electronics and creates Chinese voice recognition, natural language processing, and vertical search technology.