Review: TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro – Tic, Tic, Tic, Tic…BOOM

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I had the privilege of reviewing the TicWatch Pro 5 last year for another site, and despite some minor reservations, I was very impressed by this Wear OS smartwatch.

With its comprehensive Health and Wellness tracking, buttery smooth performance, dual-display, and staggeringly good battery life, it managed to tick (or, Tic) plenty of boxes.

However, it lacked the inclusion of Google Assistant and suffered from App-bloat, making it something of a chore to navigate at times. Plus, its Plain-Jane strap left a little to be desired in the looks department. Nevertheless, its many pros far outweighed its few cons, and overall, there was much to recommend.

So naturally, I jumped at the chance to review the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro, 2024’s upgraded version of the Pro 5.

Similar in both style and design, this revamped version sports some new additions, and some minor improvements over its predecessor. But has Mobvoi managed to fix the Pro 5’s issues and satisfy those gripes and grumbles? Let’s find out.

Short on time? Jump ahead

Unboxing the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro

Much like the TicWatch Pro 5, there’s everything you’d expect to see inside the box, with nothing else to report. You get the Pro 5 Enduro itself, a USB-C charging cable that clips to the underside of the watch, and an instruction manual to help you get started.

If you’re especially eagle-eyed, you might notice some minor (very minor) changes to the dimensions of the Pro 5 Enduro, compared to the Pro 5. It’s slimmer, measuring 11.95 mm in thickness, compared to the 12.2 mm thickness of the Pro 5.

Chances are, you’d never notice this less-than-a-millimeter reduction if you weren’t told about it first, but if you did happen to think the Pro 5 was too chunky before, then perhaps this marginally more svelte version will appeal to you more.

Additionally, the rotating crown (a standout feature of the TicWatch Pro 5) has been enlarged on the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro. This is a nice tweak to the design and makes scrolling through your apps and tiles even easier than before.

The Gorilla Glass panel on the TicWatch Pro 5 is now gone and has been replaced with superior Sapphire Crystal Glass. This adds some welcome scratch-proof protection to the Enduro and means the odd bump or knock ain’t no thang.

Finally, the Pro 5’s under-designed strap gets a bit of a visual upgrade here, with the Pro 5 Enduro’s fluoro rubber strap boasting a sportier look, with textured accents that help make it look a bit less basic and a bit bolder.

Cosmetic improvements aside, the other big change is to the battery life. The Pro 5 already offered an impressive 80 hours of battery life, and the Pro 5 Enduro ups the ante even more, giving you an extra 10 hours of battery life for good measure (more on this later).

As for the things that remain the same, the watch face itself is exactly the same size as the Pro 5’s (they both have a 1.43-inch display).

It uses the same Snapdragon W5 + Gen1 chipset, has the same 2GB of RAM, and the same 32GB of storage. It also has the same brushed aluminum finish, and overall looks strikingly similar to its bigger (0.7mm thicker) brother.

Setting up the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro

Happily, setting up the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is an easy-breezy affair, and takes just a few short minutes to complete. As with the Pro 5, you’ll need to download the Mobvoi Health App to get started and set up an account.

You also need to connect to your Google Account to take advantage of your favorite Google apps. Choose from a selection of recommended apps to use, or hand-pick your favorites to keep things more streamlined and clutter-free.

A whole host of features and functions

Interestingly, the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro runs on Wear OS 3.5, rather than Wear OS 4 (as did the Pro 5), and there’s currently no word on when or if this might be updated. It’s not a deal-breaker, but seeing the Enduro released with an outdated platform version is a little frustrating.

Nevertheless, the features of this remarkable smartwatch are as long as my arm. They include a whopping 110 workout modes, covering just about every indoor and outdoor activity you can think of – including Taekwondo!

There’s a one-tap measurement feature that tracks five ‘essential’ health metrics; heart rate, blood oxygen, respiratory rate, stress levels, and heart health. There’s 24/7 heart rate monitoring, which provides you with weekly reports that can inform you (luckily not in my case) of any abnormalities.

You can use this TicWatch to monitor your blood oxygen levels, track your sleeping, and more. Hell, you can even use it to track your snoring if you want to.

Set daily, weekly, and monthly exercise goals, and keep a tight rein on your progress with regular performance reports. There’s even VO2 Max, for monitoring your oxygen levels during intense exercise and training routines. Plus, multi-band GPS helps you plan and record your training routes.

All these features were present in the TicWatch Pro 5, and it’s great to see this comprehensive suite of health and wellness metrics back once more.

One new feature for the Pro 5 Enduro is the Data Sync feature for Third Party Fitness apps. This utilizes the Ultra-Low Power (ULP) display to track your workouts on apps such as Nike Run Club, Adidas Running, and Strava, and it’s a neat way to integrate your existing fitness apps with your new TicWatch.

Top-tier performance (mostly)

Despite not running on the latest version of Wear OS, the Enduro works like a charm. It’s smooth and responsive and runs fast. Visuals are crisp and clear, and thanks to some superfluous app-shelving this time around, navigation feels more fluid, too.

The haptic feedback on the rotating crown is great as well and feels very satisfying as you’re scrolling through your apps. Notifications work well, and I had no problems receiving text messages, emails, or phone calls while wearing this watch.

One slight drawback is that the ULP display occasionally flicks itself on when you don’t want it to. When using the superior OLED, minor movements of your wrist can trigger the ULP display again, switching your TicWatch back to its power-saving display.

I get why it does this, as it’s been engineered to conserve battery life by any means necessary, but it can be a pain when it happens. This can be countered by switching off the ULP display altogether, of course, but having to do so is still a bit of a drag.

Tic-ing the time away: World-class battery life

One of the best things about the latest TicWatch is its phenomenal battery life. And that’s saying something, given that the Pro 5 provided 80 hours of battery life on a full charge. This time around, the battery life has been boosted by 12.5%, giving you a massive 90 hours of battery to play with.

Naturally, there are a few conditions for enjoying such long-lasting battery life, and how you use the TicWatch will determine how quickly that charge time gets chewed up. Making full use of that dual-layer display is the key here. If you leave the AMOLED display in always-on mode, you’re not gonna get your 90 hours.

Instead, ensure that you have engaged your TicWatch’s ULP mode, to preserve your battery. The FSTN LCD activates with a simple flick or twist of your wrist and displays basic data, such as your heart rate, steps taken, and so on.

A quick press of the crown will then engage the AMOLED display, and effectively unlock all of your TicWatch’s additional features, which are more battery-intensive.

By using the dual-layer display in this way, you will conserve valuable battery life, and ensure the run time pushes that 90-hour ceiling. But that’s not all. If you switch your watch to Essential Mode, you can enjoy a whole month and a half of battery life.

Essential Mode uses the TicWatch’s ULP mode at all times – until manually deactivated – extending the battery life for around 45 days. This works by inducing a sleeping state for everything but the TicWatch’s most basic functions. It might not be the most practical of features, but it’s useful for making the most of your battery life.

And when that battery does finally die, Fast Charge technology means you can get around two day’s worth of charge from just 30 minutes of charging time. So you’ll never be waiting around long before your TicWatch is ready to go.

Fitness tracking with the Mobvoi Health app

The big news here is the revamp to TicWatch’s TicHealth and TicExercise apps. Chiefly, everything has now been consolidated into these two apps, whereas previously it was spread out across three apps; TicHealth, TicPulse, and TicOxygen.

Pulse and Oxygen have now been consigned to the great app bin in the sky, and their respective features have been migrated to the new and improved TicHealth app.

TicExercise has broadened its roster of available exercises and Pro 5 users will notice improvements to the UI on the app, too, this time around.

In addition to the wealth of exercises, sports, and activities that you would expect to see, there are now more niche sports here, such as Taekwondo (as previously mentioned), and Cross-Country Skiing.

For outdoor activities, you can use the Pro 5 Enduro’s GPS tracking to provide you with more comprehensive data, and it’s useful for planning and tracking your route.

You can reorder your favorites so that they sit at the top of the pile for next time, and a few taps get you up and running with your workout of choice.

Should you buy the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro?

Let’s cut to the chase here. If you already own the TicWatch Pro 5, then the answer is likely to be no. The upgrades that the Pro 5 Enduro offers aren’t significant enough to warrant you parting with another $350, and your money is probably better spent elsewhere.

Plus, if you’re an iOS user, you may as well forget it. There is still no support for this platform, and you’ll just be left with an expensive smartwatch that you can’t use properly.

However, for Android users who don’t already own a TicWatch, the Pro 5 Enduro is, in many respects, the dog’s danglers. The Enduro’s ingenious dual-display works like a charm, eking out that battery life to phenomenal lengths. The color-changing panel of the ULP display is back and it’s a wickedly effective way to tell at a glance how you’re doing versus your fitness targets.

The upgraded rotating crown is a nice feature that makes a welcome return, allowing easy scrolling through that laundry list of apps. It’s responsive and intuitive to use and beats the hell out of clumsy screen wipes and prods with your fingertip.

On the downside, there’s the fact that it doesn’t run on the latest version of Wear OS, and there is still no Google Assistant, which is very disappointing. The ULP display, while great for battery conservation, can be difficult to see on sunnier days, which can cause frustration when using the low-power display to track your workout.

Nevertheless, this is still a great smartwatch. It’s fantastic for accessing (most of) your favorite Google apps and services, including Google Maps, Google Pay, and Gmail. It offers an expansive range of fitness and workout tracking features and the Mobvoi Health app is free to use and doesn’t (yet) lock any of its services behind subscription service pay-walls.

It mostly runs like a dream, launching apps and tiles quickly with no lag – other than some minor slowdown when exiting Essential Mode. And that AMOLED display is a thing of beauty. It has a 5ATM waterproof rating and a US Military Standard 810H certification, making it a durable son of a gun in any environment.

Retailing for the same price as the TicWatch Pro 5, the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is an easy choice for anybody considering a TicWatch for the first time. And while its improvements over the Pro 5 may be minimal, it is still the better of the two smartwatches and offers plenty to rival the other big players in the field.

Where to buy the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro

The TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro can be bought from the Mobvoi website or via Amazon and currently retails for $349.99.

Do you own the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro? Are you considering this smartwatch? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: Oxa – Learn how to breathe properly
• The best fitness tech and accessories (2024)
• Review: Withings Body Comp Scale
• Review: TicWatch Pro 5 – an almost perfect smartwatch

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.