The Wear OS-powered TicWatch Pro has a neat party trick: a second display

Mobvoi

• Mobvoi announced the TicWatch Pro, the latest addition to its TicWatch line of Wear OS smartwatches.
• The TicWatch features a second transparent display layered on top of the OLED display.
• The TicWatch Pro will launch sometime this summer for under $300.

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With the TicWatch S and TicWatch E, Mobvoi set itself up as one of the few non-fashion brands to put out Wear OS smartwatches. The company does not look to stop there, however, as it announced what might be its most interesting release to date: the TicWatch Pro.

As you would guess from a product with the "Pro" moniker, the TicWatch Pro is not lacking for features. From a heart rate sensor and NFC for Google Pay to GPS and an OLED display, the TicWatch Pro leaves no stone unturned.

Then again, we have seen those features on other Wear OS watches, such as the LG Watch Sport and Huawei Watch 2. Where the TicWatch Pro separates itself from its contemporaries is with the FTSN LCD display on top of the OLED display.

Whereas the OLED display shows Wear OS, the low-power FTSN LCD display is transparent and shows your heart rate, step count, and the time. The idea is for Mobvoi's offering to show the low-power display and turn off the Wear OS display when left alone and conversely when you use the watch.

Low-power display Wear OS display

To this end, Mobvoi included an "Essential Mode" that only uses the low-power display. While in Essential Mode, the TicWatch Pro still monitors your steps and heart rate, as well as how many calories you theoretically burned. If you want to use Wear OS, you will have to wait a full minute for the boot process.

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Whether Essential Mode is useful or not depends on how you use it, if at all. Even though it is nice that the mode allows for up to 30 days of use, you miss out on some of the TicWatch Pro's core functions and Wear OS itself.

Essential Mode could be useful for when you go hiking, but Casio already beat Mobvoi to the two-display punch with its Pro Trek smartwatch. Unlike the TicWatch Pro, Casio's offering actually looks like it was built for hiking.

Even so, the TicWatch Pro looks to be another solid entry in the Wear OS space. The watch will be available sometime this summer for under $300, while a possible LTE model might also arrive in the U.S.

Check out the TicWatch Pro

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