What can TicWatch E2 do? It can perform both smartphone functions and sports and health tracking. Read more details in our extensive product review.
TicWatch E2 is a fitness smartwatch that is simple and affordable. Manufactured by Chinese company Mobvoi, it produces swim and fitness tracking along with many useful features. It has a simple, sleek design and is cheaper than the other models in the line.
It might not be as sophisticated as Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch, but it has excellent functionality for the price. It is just fine for casual fitness fans, but sports enthusiasts might find it less functional than they expected.
The device is good when it comes to the smartwatch and sports watch properties. It is perfect as a smartphone but lacks a payment function. As for the sports properties, more in-depth analysis and measurement of fitness data would be better.
The design of this watch is more on the traditional side. It looks and feels like a watch, so fans of a more classy, reserved design will fancy it. However, if you strive for something more slick-looking, that might not be enough for you because the watch is more practical than fashionable.
The watch has a crown button on the right sight, which is typical of traditional watch design. Still, there is a lack of a rotating feature to scroll notifications or menus, so you will have to rely on the screen to do that.
On the rear side, this watch has a polycarbonate surface with a central bump that locates the heart monitor. It creates no discomfort as it is lightly pressing on the wrist. That is a budget smartwatch, so polycarbonate is a natural thing to see.
The screen of TicWatch E2 is 1.3 inch AMOLED that is bright and colorful. The resolution is an impressive 400 x 400, so you will easily read small text. It is great for the evening and night time. However, the screen is not so good in the bright light.
The smartwatch has a larger battery than the earlier models of the company. It can last two days without a charge, and that is why the smartwatch has a bigger case. It is pretty lightweight with only 52.2 g, so you might forget that you are wearing the smartwatch.
The watch has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 chip, which provides more power and battery. That is why the smartwatch has a great interface that can skip through menus or apps without slowing down. There is a pretty large amount of RAM, which equals 512 MB. That is enough to operate the device smoothly without lags.
There is also 4GB of storage, which is usual for many smartwatches. It is useful if you download music and apps for the smartwatch. It's possible to connect Bluetooth headphones and listen to the music on your watch without connecting to the smartphone. Still, the smartwatch doesn't have NFC, so you can't pay contactless with it. TicWatch E2 also cannot connect to 4G, so you will need a phone to connect to the Internet.
Although Mobvoi guarantees two days without charge, it can comfortably last up to four days if the always-on screen is disabled. Still, tracking workout activities and fitness features will drain the battery fast. With the constant heart rate monitoring, the battery lasts two promised days. If you have GPS on, the battery will last a day, depending on your type of workout. The good news is that charging is fast, and you need less than an hour.
The smartphone is equipped with Google Wear OS 2.0, which is a specially adapted Android version for wearable devices. If you are used to this OS, you will have the same experience on this watch. There is access to Google Assistant so you can give voice commands to the watch. This feature only works when you have a phone or a Wi-Fi network around.
To set up the smartwatch, you will need to download the Wear OS app on your phone. It's worth noting that an Android device will provide better functionality and notifications than on iOS.
The smartwatch has limited built-in watch faces, but you can download more from the store. There are some pre-installed apps which give you details about your workouts and activities. For example, it gives you information about the burned calories and the number of steps walked.
The watch has a vibration monitor, so you won't miss any notification or call. If you connect to headphones, you can answer the call using the watch, so you don't have to use your smartphone each time.
Health and Fitness Tracking
Mobvoi says TicWatch E2 is a sports smartphone. However, it is more like a smartwatch with a sports focus. You can easily access workouts by swiping from left to right, so you can easily pick from the outdoor walk, cycle, indoor run, pool, or freestyle option. Freestyle will be the most beneficial for people who go to the gym. You can set the number of repetitions and the duration of a specific workout if you tend to forget how much you've done today.
It is water-resistant and swim-proof to 50 meters. When you swim in a pool, the device will automatically lockdown when you start. To activate it, press the power button. It's possible to select the length of the pool up to 100 m and set a target distance, duration, and a number of lengths.
There is a powerful GPS that is built-in, which allows you to leave the smartphone at home and track what you've run, walked, or rode. To use GPS, you will have to ensure that you are standing in an open outdoor location to get a GPS lock. If you don't do this, GPS will fail to connect, or it will take a lot to find the connection. If you have a smartphone with you, you can have almost instant lock both indoors and outdoors.
You can view your workout stats on the watch if you use the TicHealth app. Still, you might find the small screen inconvenient, so it's better to use the app on your smartphone. There, you can see distance, duration, heart rate, and calories burnt during the exercise.
However, the app doesn't give smart suggestions on what you can improve or what to try next. There is no in-depth analysis of what's going on, so if you search for more advanced sports stats with health and fitness suggestions, this device might not be the best for you.
Although the watch provides heart rate tracking, the Mobvoi app cannot store and analyze sleep tracking as the Google Fit app does. Still, the smartwatch will record your heart rate through any activity, so you will see how many beats per minute you had and how much did your rate fluctuates.
You may open the app TicPulse on the smartwatch and take your heart rate at any moment you want. If you want an instant reading, this is the best option.
TicWatch E2, C2, & S2: Is There Difference?
The TicWatch E2 of this review is similar to TicWatch S2, which is an earlier model of the same line. They are alike in many ways, but E2 is more of a smartwatch, while S2 has a more limited approach that mostly focuses on sports.
At the same time, C2 has extended functionality and thus has a higher price. All of them have Wear OS and Snapdragon 2100 chip, as well as a loudspeaker, microphone, and the ability to track activity. Here is the table of the main differences between the three models.
TicWatch E2 is a smartwatch with extensive sports tracking abilities. It is on the less expensive side, so this one is great for those who search for an affordable price along with great quality. This smartwatch has heart rate monitoring functions, built-in GPS, and basic exercise tracking for swimming, walking, running, etc.
It is waterproof up to 50 meters and is comfortable both for sleeping and daytime. It also has many apps and enough space to download new ones and store and play music. However, not all will like the design that is more on a traditional watch side.
There is also no payment function. But most importantly, the device doesn't provide smart sports tracking and suggestions, along with goal-setting or more in-depth analysis. It will fit perfectly if you are moderately interested in sports, but if you are a fitness adept, that might not be enough.
