INTRODUCTION

   If you're looking to get a brand new smart watch then you should be aware that there are currently three types in the market, the classic multimedia smart watches (like the THOR PRO and the KW88 PRO), fitness smart watches (several price categories here) and the much more "extreme" adventure (some athletes even call them decathlon) smart watches. Personally, although I do enjoy lifting weights (nothing extreme however) and running on the treadmill I can't say that I’d ever get an adventure/decathlon smart watch (nor will I ever need one) but a good fitness smart watch has always been on my to get list. Mobvoi may not be the most popular smart watch manufacturer in the market today but their TicWatch Pro model has received a large number of awards by media all over the globe (not to mention overwhelmingly positive reviews by consumers) so we decided to take a look at one of their latest models the TicWatch S2 (we will also do our best to try and get our hands on the Pro model).

   Founded in 2012, Mobvoi aims to push the boundaries of next generation human-machine interaction with AI technology. Mobvoi has developed its own Chinese voice technologies in the fields of voice recognition, natural language processing, and vertical search. Through its creation of critically acclaimed consumer products in wearables, audio, automobile and home product categories, Mobvoi’s rich accumulation of experience in the application of AI has in turn driven continued innovation in its core voice-based technologies. To date, Mobvoi has raised 6 rounds of funding, led by firms including SIG, Sequoia Capital, Zhenfund, Google and Volkswagen. In addition, Mobvoi’s close strategic partnership with Google through Wear OS and Google Assistant as well as its joint-venture with Volkswagen Group China place it at the forefront of solving many real world problems and scenarios with voice-based AI.

   Much like most mid-end fitness smart watches the TicWatch S2 is based on the Wear OS by Google but unlike "regular" multimedia smart watches it features a plethora of extra functions designed to help you with your daily training/working out needs. The 12.9mm thick MIL-STD-810G certified rugged polycarbonate enclosure of the TicWatch S2 (currently available in black and white versions) is water-resistant up to 5-ATM (50 meters) and inside of it we find the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset (ARM Cortex A7 quad core CPU up to 1.2 GHz - Bluetooth v4.1 & WiFi 802.11 b/g/n included), 512MB LPDDR3 RAM, 4GB flash storage, 415mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery, heart rate sensor, accelerometer/gyroscope and a GPS receiver/transmitter (complete with GLONASS and BeiDou support). In terms of screen size, the 1.39-inch AMOLED display with its 400x400p resolution may not be the largest in the market today but it's larger than most "regular" watches (still we wouldn't say no to a larger screen). Two 22mm thick silicone straps complete the package and unlike previous TicWatch versions you can actually replace these on your own (previous versions featured the GPS antenna in the straps).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Mobvoi ships the TicWatch S2 inside a white box that has a product picture at the top.

The main product features are listed on both sides of the box.

At the rear of the box we find the contents of the bundle.

Turning the box over we find a sticker with the products country of manufacture, several certifications and its serial number and barcodes.

The TicWatch S2 is securely held in place via a small piece of plastic.

Along with the TicWatch S2 fitness smartwatch and its charger you are also getting the user manual and a warranty information paper.

THE TICWATCH S2

As far as size goes the main body of the TicWatch S2 measures 46.6x51.8x12.9mm so it's quite smaller compared to some of the multimedia smart watches we have here.

Although there's a rim/dial around the 1.39 inch AMOLED screen it's just for looks.

To showcase the size of its screen we placed the TicWatch S2 next to the K88 Pro by Alfawise/Kingwear (also a 1.39 inch screen) and the THOR PRO 3G by Zeblaze (1.53 inch screen).

We all liked the 1.53 inch screen of the THOR PRO 3G more but the 1.39 inch screen of the TicWatch S2 is still quite large.

A single button is located on the right side of the enclosure.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the silicon straps used with the TicWatch S2 have two rings/loops instead of one (which is also the standard for most smart watches).

The heart rate monitor is located at the base of the enclosure right next to 4 charging pins (the watch sits on the specially designed charging cable).

ANDROID APPS

To start using the TicWatch S2 you will need to download the Wear OS app on your smartphone (it's also compatible with iOS devices but some functions are not possible) and follow the setup steps.

Via the Wear OS app on your smartphone you can change watch faces a lot easier and faster than directly from the watch itself.

That's not all however so you can also adjust the tiles, use the agenda function and take bug reports and even screenshots of the watch (we used the screenshot function for the next step of our review).

There's also a Mobvoi app you can download and use if you really want the best assistance and data/feedback while working out.

Here's a list with some of the available apps you can install and use with the TicWatch S2.

USING THE TICWATCH S2 PART 1

By default, the TicWatch S2 comes with several pre-loaded screens including the above which I think look the best.

Of course, you can download more (there's always the option to download even more via the Play Store - either pair of free - but as you can see there are quite a few available ones without doing that).

From all the extra ones these three stand out the most (for me at least).

Also do remember that according to the screen you are using the "idle" screen also changes.

You can check If there's a system update available by swapping from the bottom up (likewise by swapping from left to right, right to left and up down you get access to other tabs/screens).

USING THE TICWATCH S2 PART 2

Here you can see the various applications the TicWatch S2 comes ready with.

In order to use some of the TicWatch S2 apps by Mobvoi you will need to give them access to the watch’s sensors as seen above.

The heart rate monitor is very reliable and accurate (just like with the GPS of the watch).

You can use the TicWatch S2 for hundreds of different exercises (more than we can take screenshots of).

Inside the settings menu you will find the usual tabs like with most smart watches in the market.

CONCLUSION

   As mentioned many times in this review the TicWatch S2 is a mid-end fitness smart watch and that means it misses out on some features found in the more "popular" multimedia smart watches such as a camera (not that side cameras are that great to begin with - front cameras are a different story), NFC (although that's not something we've used a lot) and a larger screen (still we wouldn't say no to a larger one). The lack of an altimeter may be also crucial to some people but seeing as these are mostly available in the more "extreme" adventure smart watches it's certainly something I can do without. At the same time however exactly because it misses out on some features the TicWatch S2 is quite thinner and weighs less compared to both the K88 Pro and the THOR PRO 3G smart watches so if weight is something you look when out to get a brand new smart watch the 56g heavy TicWatch S2 has that box ticked. Unfortunately, unlike past reviews we were unable to load Geekbench onto the TicWatch S2 (it's probably possible via MAC which we don't have) so we can't give you specific performance numbers about its ARM Cortex A7 quad-core CPU and its 415mAh battery. Still we didn't encounter any issues during our tests so at least in terms of processing power all seems to be well. Battery life on the other hand is not that great and so if you need to use its built-in GPS you will probably need to recharge the TicWatch S2 after just half a day (if you also decide to use WiFi for a while make that less than 10 hours). Without the GPS function however, you should have no problem surpassing one full day without having to recharge the watch (depends as always on the use however). In regards to the 1.39 inch AMOLED screen may lack a light sensor so you need to adjust its brightness manually but that's not a problem, not when it scores high in colors and responsiveness. Certainly the Wear OS by Google is still a bit rough around the edges even though it has reached version v2.2 but on one hand it does offer a plethora of available functions and on the other well I've yet to see a perfect OS on a smart watch so my guess is that most people will not have a problem with that.

   Currently the TicWatch S2 Smart Watch by Mobvoi retails for USD143.99/123.84Euros (Gearbest.com) a price tag which is very close to many other similar solutions using the Wear OS by Google. On top of that you are getting a military-grade rugged waterproof smartwatch with an 1.39 inch AMOLED screen, high-accuracy GPS, good battery life (at least when you don’t use GPS and WiFi) and several other interesting features so i truly believe it deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (MIL-STD-810G Certified 5ATM Waterproof Enclosure)
- 1.39 Inch AMOLED Screen (400x400p)
- Weight
- Wear OS v2.2
- Heart Rate Sensor / GPS / Accelerometer / Gyroscope / Pedometer
- Thousands of Available Dials
- Wear OS & Mobvoi Apps
- Number of Fitness Related Apps
- Available In White And Black Colors

CONS

- Charging Cable (Hard to Replace)
- Features Lacked (Camera / NFC / Altimeter)
- Battery Life
- Price (For Some)