Ticwatch Atlas review: Rugged smartwatch with big features at a bargain price

Mobvoi is a brand on the rise. While the company was previously best known for its budget smartwatches, the Ticwatch Atlas is a bona fide outdoor watch that’s plenty rugged and comes in at a relatively low cost of entry compared to rivals with similar aspirations.

The inclusion of Wear OS and a Snapdragon W5+ chip means it’s just as capable and responsive as much pricier options, and the design is absolutely gorgeous, with a circular AMOLED display that belies the powerful battery underneath.

It’s still on Wear OS 4, and I'm not sure if that’ll change anytime soon, but perhaps the most pressing issue is that the Ticwatch Atlas tends to fight itself when you first boot it up, not knowing whether to use the Mobvoi app or the Wear OS one at first. It’s a small hassle that leaves a disappointing first impression, but everything from there is fantastic.

Ticwatch Atlas review

Price and availability

The Ticwatch Atlas comes in at $349/£329/AU$519, but I'm already seeing discounts of around 40%. At the time of writing, it’s handily less than £200 in the UK, which is a fantastic deal. It’s available from Amazon and directly from Mobvoi, and comes in cheaper than the Pixel Watch 3. It comes in two color options, Black or Silver, and our review unit is the former.

Design and build quality

Smartwatches and fitness trackers all look relatively similar these days, but I’m genuinely impressed by the care taken with the Atlas.

Mobvoi has put together a premium-feeling device, with a relatively scratch-resistant shell and subtle orange details that are all the rage with rugged smartwatches at the moment.

The digital crown is satisfying to press and has the same haptic feedback while scrolling as other rivals, while the side button just above it can bring you back to a recent app.

The display is the focus, as is so often the case, and Mobvoi has outdone itself here. The AMOLED panel isn’t as bright as my Apple Watch Ultra 1, but it’s still plenty readable in all conditions. When the Atlas isn’t in use, it switches to another display layer that’s a lot more basic but allows the watch to sip battery life.

This way, it just presents necessary information, and I really liked switching between them, as odd as that sounds. Colour is customisable, but I quite like the light blue hue.

The strap is comfortable, and made of fluororubber, but it feels a little less premium than things like the Apple Watch Ultra. It’s still comfortable, but it just doesn’t quite feel as nice to the touch. If Mobvoi was going to cut any corners, though, that’s where I’d ask for them to do it to reach this price point.

Still, I didn’t have any concerns about wearing the Ticwatch Atlas all day for a week (very possible with its excellent battery life but more on that shortly), but I’m a tall guy with big enough wrists. If you’re of a more slender build, it might be too big for you.

My only other nitpick is that the two-layered display makes fingerprints more obvious. If you spend any time prodding at the screen (which is kind of the point), you’ll notice more than a few smudges.

Features and performance

Kicking things off with battery life, the Ticwatch Atlas can run up to 45 days on a single charge. That’s impressive, albeit with the caveat of using the low-power display, but if you’re looking for a watch for your next ultramarathon or just don’t expect to see a charger for a while, you may have found a winner.

It’s running Wear OS 4 under the hood, meaning there’s support for third-party apps like Strava, Spotify and the other usual offenders, and while Google’s wearable OS can get a little slow on some trackers, here it runs smoothly with the Snapdragon W5+ chip that makes it feel just as capable as flagship models.

In terms of putting that power to use, there’s afib detection, fall detection, blood oxygen monitoring and plenty more.

Activity tracking is handled by TicMotion, a built-in app that can write to Android Health and covers running, walking, and cycling, and there’s built-in GPS tracking that was just as accurate as my Apple Watch Ultra (which costs twice as much, lest we forget).

The only fly in the ointment is that we’re still unaware as to whether Wear OS 5 will be supported in the future. The running metrics and battery efficiency would have been nice, and what’s here is fantastic regardless, but it’s worth pointing out if you want to be on the bleeding edge.

Companion app

Here’s where things get a little muddled, because the Mobvoi Health app points you to the Wear OS app on Android to get started. That makes sense, until you’re connected and nudged back to the Mobvoi Health app which tells you to uninstall the Wear OS app because the two can’t coexist.

It’s a minor hassle, sure, but one that sours the initial experience of using the Ticwatch Atlas.

Thankfully, the Mobvoi Health app is nice and easy to use, letting you swap watch faces or use the ‘Statistics’ screen as a dashboard of sorts for your physical activity. It lets you instantly see your blood oxygen, heart rate, stress and more, and also gives you access to the user manual.

It’s relatively barebones, but does just about everything you need it to.

Verdict

Setup snafus aside, the Mobvoi Ticwatch is a fantastic smartwatch that’s cheaper than most of its rugged rivals by some distance without skimping on features. For my money, it’s also one of the better-looking Wear OS devices around, making it well worth a look for Android-based fitness enthusiasts.

Also consider

Garmin Instinct 3: A true adventure watch with unbeatable battery life thanks to solar charging, military-grade durability, and Garmin’s top-tier GPS and health tracking features. AMOLED options are also available.

Amazfit T-Rex 3: A tough, feature-packed smartwatch with dual-band GPS, solid battery life, and impressive sports tracking. It’s not as polished as Garmin or Wear OS watches, but it’s a great alternative at a lower price.

Suunto Vertical: Designed for endurance athletes and explorers, this watch offers impressive GPS accuracy, offline maps, and ultra-long battery life. It’s pricier but ideal for those needing navigation-focused smart features.