Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
Samsung brings some impressive upgrades to this year’s Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. In addition to more RAM and a new chipset, Samsung brought back the physical rotating bezel for navigation. Available in 43 or 47mm, the Watch 6 Classic sports a stainless steel design with sapphire crystal protecting the display. It’s also one of the first wearables to ship with Wear OS 4.
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
The TicWatch Pro 5 proves you’re able to have outstanding battery life in a smartwatch. It features SpO2, heart rate, stress, and VO2 Max tracking. An innovative secondary LCD handles always-on display duties, which improves battery life even more. It’s powered by the new Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset, giving it excellent overall performance.
TheSamsung Galaxy Watch 6 ClassicandMobvoi TicWatch Pro 5are among thebest smartwatches of 2023, but determining which is right for you comes down to which features you value most. While the Watch 6 Classic holds advantages in some key categories, the TicWatch Pro 5 counters with a lower price and stellar battery life — but is that enough to sway your decision?
Price, specs, and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is available through Samsung starting at $399. You can choose between 43 or 47mm case sizes, and the Watch 6 Classic comes in two colors: black or white. If you want 4G LTE connectivity, it’ll run you an extra $50.
Mobvoi makes it easy with the TicWatch Pro 5, as it’s only available in one configuration. You can find it through Amazon or Mobvoi for $350 — there is no LTE version available. That said, like the Watch 6 Classic, you’ll get to choose between two colors: Obsidian and Sandstone.
Design and display
One of the most important aspects of any smartwatch is the display, and the Watch 6 Classic and TicWatch Pro 5 feature two fantastic panels. Depending on the case size you choose, the Watch 6 Classic will have a 1.3 or 1.5-inch 480x480 60Hz AMOLED display. Samsung didn’t forget that people like to wear their watches outside, as the Watch 6 Classic sports 2,000 nits max brightness.
Mobvoi splits the difference between the Watch 6 Classic sizes with its 1.4-inch 60Hz OLED panel on the TicWatch Pro 5. Unlike the Galaxy Watch, Mobvoi added a little something extra: a secondary transflective LCD display.
While most smartwatches use the main OLED to handle always-on display duties, the TicWatch Pro 5 uses the secondary LCD to display the time, date, and other biometric information. With a few settings changed, you can have the TicWatch Pro 5’s OLED panel act like the electro-luminescent backlighting you’d find on digital quartz watches. It’s a neat feature, and battery life savings make a huge difference over traditional smartwatch AODs.
If premium build quality is important to you, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has a distinct advantage. Even though the TicWatch Pro 5 feels solid, Samsung uses stainless steel and sapphire crystal for the Watch 6 Classic. Sapphire crystal covering the display adds peace of mind for those looking to make a smartwatch their daily driver. Basic scrapes and impacts that would damage mineral crystals are repelled by the harder sapphire material.
Navigation is also different between the two smartwatches. The Mobvoi wearable uses a rotating crown for navigation. It’s smooth and gives the proper amount of resistance. When paired with the quality haptics of the TicWatch Pro 5, the rotating crown makes for a satisfying way to navigate the phone.
To the joy of many, Samsung has brought back the rotating bezel for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. It’s clicky and responsive, making navigating menus and scrolling through messages an absolute breeze. I prefer it to a rotating crown, but that’s up to personal preference.
Software and performance
Samsung is one of the first manufacturers to release a device withWear OS 4, thanks to its continued close relationship with Google. While you won’t notice a huge difference from Wear OS 3.5 right now, one important feature is the ability to swap smartphones without factory resetting your watch.
Dynamic theming for apps, while not widespread at the moment, will be something to look forward to in the future with Wear OS 4. If you’ve ever used a Samsung Galaxy watch, the One UI look and feel should be familiar to you on the Watch 6 Classic.
Even though Wear OS 3.5 isn’t a huge letdown for the TicWatch Pro 5, there are other shortcomings, namely its lack of Google Assistant. It’s an odd omission, and it puts the watch at a disadvantage to the Watch 6 Classic, which features both Google Assistant and Bixby. Aside from that, Wear OS 3.5 performs well on the TicWatch Pro 5. It’s a fantastic experience, as long as you’re comfortable not having the latest and greatest software.
Performance isn’t an issue on either watch. The TicWatch Pro 5 is powered by the incredibly capable Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset, while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes with the Exynos W930. Both watches are snappy and able to handle any Wear OS app with ease. If anything, the W5+ Gen 1 chipset helps the most with battery life — one of the biggest advantages of the TicWatch.
Health and activity tracking
Mobvoi launched a new Health app with the release of the TicWatch Pro 5. Despite some noticeable improvements, it still struggles with how health data and activity tracking are presented. I appreciate that the TicWatch Pro 5 can track my SpO2 levels, heart rate, stress, and VO2 Max. However, it becomes an overwhelming amount of data without actionable information to improve my metrics — knowing my sleep activity is great, but I’d like it combined with a plan to better my rest.
By contrast, the Samsung Health app behaves more like Google Fit, providing plans for improvement along with the raw data. I prefer the presentation of Samsung’s app, which is an advantage for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.
Like the TicWatch, the Samsung wearable tracks SpO2, stress, VO2 Max, and heart rate. In addition, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic monitors skin temperature, which is helpful for cycle tracking. If you’re looking for a more useful, accurate experience with your health data, the Watch 6 Classic has more to offer.
If you’re getting the impression that the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is ahead so far in this comparison, you’d be correct, but there is about to be a comeback.
The battery life on the TicWatch Pro 5 is absolutely stunning. While the Watch 6 Classic gets a respectable 30 hours of use off the charger, the TicWatch counters with over 80 hours of use on a single charge. I’ve been able to go even longer with my TicWatch Pro 5, often going on 6 days without needing to charge.
Obviously, if you use sleep tracking or activity tracking heavily, your mileage may vary, but the same applies to the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Whichever way you slice it, the TicWatch battery handily doubles the Samsung wearable’s.
It’s hard to overstate the peace of mind you get from the TicWatch Pro 5’s battery life. When I go away for a long weekend, I often don’t bring a smartwatch because I don’t want to deal with the battery life or risk losing the proprietary charger — with the TicWatch Pro 5, I don’t have to think about that. I grab it and enjoy my weekend without worry. It’s a real advantage, and it may turn the tide in the TicWatch’s favor for many people.
Which is right for you?
If battery life is less of a concern for you, I would purchase the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Even though it’s a bit more expensive, the better app experience, premium build quality, and additional features are enough to make up the difference. I enjoy navigating with the rotating bezel, and I like the additions Samsung brings to Wear OS 4.
If it’s less about fitness and more about having a smartwatch for calls and notifications, the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 is worth a look. The battery life is truly excellent for a smartwatch, and I love their innovative solution for an always-on display. Having the time available without eating up battery life is liberating, and I enjoy the retro feel of the secondary LCD.
