Mobvoi TicWatch Pro vs. TicWatch C2: Which should you buy?

TicWatch Pro
TicWatch Pro (Image credit: Android Central)

TicWatch Pro

The TicWatch Pro was a tank I expected to wear for a month and send back, but that hybrid display and seemingly endless battery were too wonderful to give up. Yes, it's a huge watch, but it's a huge watch that can do more and do it better than most of the competition.

TicWatch Pro

Bulky battery-sipper

Hybrid display gives best of both worlds
Larger screen is easier to navigate with
Battery for days in both modes
More robust fitness tracking
It's enormous, especially on slimmer wrists
Rebooting Wear OS takes forever
Not as formal or beautiful

TicWatch C2

The TicWatch C2 can't fit quite as many sensors or features into its smaller frame, but the two sizing options and beautiful metal housing make it a more flexible watch. This is a watch you can wear to formal events or nights out with friends just as much as to the gym.

TicWatch C2

Classic congeniality

Smaller profile
More sophisticated design
Two size options fit more wrists
Fits the essentials into a compact, affordable watch
No ambient light sensor
Only 18mm option is the Rose Gold model
Battery only lasts two days on minimal use

I'm going to say more about these watches, but at the end of the day, your choice here is going to come down to one simple question: How big of a watch are you willing to put up with? We can talk about the battery, we can talk about screen sizes and navigation and fitness, but none of it is going to matter if you can't stand a big watch.

It's OK if you can't. Neither of these TicWatches are bad products, but your size tolerance and your feature dedication are going to count for a lot when deciding between them.

Is battery worth the bulk?

TicWatch Pro is a beast!

The TicWatch Pro's quirky hybrid display and the black magic it weaves with the battery is lovely, and I am genuinely hoping that it becomes the standard for Wear OS because it is just that good. Using an old-fashioned LCD to display the time and step count instead of some minimalist AMOLED always-on display is brilliant and does wonders not only for battery life but the overall glanceability of the watch. This retro watch face is easy to read in hard sunlight and dim classrooms, and at far more angles.

The benefits to the battery from this hybrid display are immense, and the larger 1.39-inch screen makes it easier to read and especially to navigate Wear OS on the TicWatch Pro. It's also got just about every fitness and tracking sensor you could imagine inside this tank of a watch, and you feel that bulk with the Pro far, far more than you do with the C2. The C2 is still a thick smartwatch, but it sculpts itself in ways that hide watch's pudgy plastic underbelly against your wrist.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Mobvoi TicWatch ProMobvoi TicWatch C2
Price$241$200
Dimensions45mm x 12.6mm42.8mm, 12.7mm
ColorsBlack/Black, Silver/BlackOnyx, Platinum, Rose Gold
Watch housingStainless steel bezel and backplatePlastic frameStainless steel front and framePlastic backplate
Display1.39" OLED 400x400pxFSTN display1.3" AMOLED 360x360px
ChipsetSnapdragon Wear 2100Snapdragon Wear 2100
MemoryRAM: 512MBStorage: 4GBRAM: 512MBStorage: 4GB
GPSGPS + GLONASS + Beidou + GalileoGPS + GLONASS + Beidou
ConnectivityBluetooth v4.2Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GhzNFCBluetooth v4.1Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/nNFC
Battery415mAhRegular Wear OS: 2 daysEssential Mode: 30 days400mAh1-2 days
Water resistanceIP68 dustproof, waterproofNot recommended for swimmingIP68 dustproof, waterproofNot recommended for swimming
SensorsAccelerometerGyroscopePPG Heart Rate sensorMagnetic SensorAmbient Light SensorLow Latency Off-Body SensorAccelerometerGyroscopeHeart Rate sensor

The TicWatch C2 is a testament to how far we've come with "cute" smartwatches.

Before the TicWatch Pro came into my life, I was flip-flopping between an aging, but prettier LG Watch Style and a cheap but health-tracking TicWatch E. The TicWatch C2 is a testament to how far we've come with "cute" smartwatches. When I bought my LG Watch Style in early 2017, I had to make a compromising choice between a watch that worked well and a watch that looked good. The C2 may not be the perfect smartwatch by any means, and yeah, its battery life isn't going to beat the Pro's hybrid evolution. But the C2 works perfectly fine, has GPS, Gyroscopic, and HR fitness tracking — and NFC payments, which I really wish I used more — and it looks good doing it.

The TicWatch Pro is a bigger, better watch. The hybrid screen is impressive, and I'm going to be hard-pressed to give it up anytime soon, but I've put up with brutish, shackle-sized smartwatches for years. And if you don't want to do that, then don't think twice about buying the C2 instead. It's an adequate, affordable, and potentially adorable smartwatch that should serve you well for years to come.

While the Snapdragon Wear 2100 in both the C2 and the Pro work fine, the 3100 is the first significant processor bump in a while. Therefore, it'd be wise to see what manufacturers can turn out with it before dropping this much on a watch running on the old processor. If you really want to take your smartwatch game to the next level, we suggest checking out our review of the new TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE.

TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE ($279 at Amazon)

Eager to level up your smartwatch game? The new TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE is the answer (for Verizon customers). Leave your phone at home while still having the ability to use data and get notifications, calls, and texts.

Courtney Lynch

Courtney Lynch is a freelance writer at Android Central. She's obsessed with all things health, fitness, and music. At any given time, she can be found checking out the latest and greatest gadgets while simultaneously petting her dog and sipping iced coffee.