Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro Review: a tough Wear OS watch with real battery life (but some quirks)

I’ve been using the Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro as my main watch for a few weeks, paired with an Android phone. Before this, I used a Samsung Galaxy Watch and briefly a Pixel Watch, so I’m pretty used to Wear OS watches that barely survive a full day if you turn everything on. With this one, the first thing that stands out is simple: the battery actually lasts. Not marketing talk, just in real life, it goes well beyond the usual 24 hours.

My use is fairly normal: a lot of notifications, always-on display, GPS runs 2–3 times a week, sleep tracking every night, and a few calls from the wrist. In that scenario, I’m getting around 2.5–3 days without babying it. If I tone down the always-on stuff and GPS, I can stretch it to 3+ days. Compared to my old Galaxy Watch that I had to charge every night, it’s a relief.

Beyond the battery, it’s a proper Wear OS 4 watch. Google apps, Play Store, NFC payments, third‑party apps like Strava and Nike Run Club – it all works like a small Android phone on your wrist. If you live in the Google ecosystem, it feels natural. If you’re on iPhone, just forget it, it’s not compatible at all, and there’s no hack around that.

It’s not perfect though. The Mobvoi health ecosystem is still a bit rough in spots, and there are some annoying default settings (like constant movement reminders) you’ll probably want to tweak. But if your main pain point with smartwatches has been battery life and you’re okay with Android, this thing already feels more practical than most of what I’ve tried.

In terms of value, the Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro sits in that mid‑to‑high price zone, usually under the cost of a new Apple Watch Ultra or high‑end Garmin, but above budget watches and basic fitness bands. For what you get – multi‑day battery, sapphire glass, Wear OS 4, plenty of storage, and strong performance – I’d say it’s good value for money, especially if you catch it on discount.

If you compare it to a Samsung Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch, the trade‑off is clear: you lose a bit of brand polish and some ecosystem tightness, but you gain better battery and tougher build. If you’re deep into Samsung’s or Google’s own watch ecosystem and don’t care about battery that much, those might still be a better fit. But if your priority is not charging every night and having a rugged device, the Enduro gives you more for the same or less cash.

Where it’s a bit weaker is the Mobvoi health app. It’s usable, but not as refined or visually clean as Garmin Connect, Apple Health, or Samsung Health. If you’re very serious about detailed long‑term training analysis, you might still prefer a pure sports watch like Garmin. For mixed use (notifications + workouts + some health data), it’s fine, just not best in class.

Overall, if you’re on Android, want Wear OS, and value battery and durability over brand name and super polished apps, this watch makes sense. If you just need basic step counting and notifications, it’s probably overkill and you can save money with a simpler tracker. And again: if you’re on iPhone, it’s literally useless, so the value there is zero.

Design‑wise, the Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro leans more toward rugged sports watch than fancy jewelry. The case is round, about 47 mm across, and it has a fairly pronounced bezel with carved markings. On my medium wrist, it definitely looks like a sports watch, not something super discreet. If you’re used to slim analog watches, this will feel big at first, but I got used to it after a few days.

The color I tried (Obsidian) is basically a matte black/very dark grey, which is pretty safe. It doesn’t scream for attention, but it still looks techy. I wore it with a T‑shirt, at the gym, and also with a shirt at the office. It passes fine in all contexts, but it’s clearly more at home in casual or sporty outfits than at a formal event. If you care a lot about style, a Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch looks more minimal, but they’re also more fragile in real use.

One thing I really liked is the rotating crown. It’s on the side, big enough to grab, and scrolling through menus or notifications with it is just more pleasant than swiping all the time. The haptics when scrolling are decent, not mind‑blowing, but it feels precise. There’s also a side button, nothing special, but handy for shortcuts.

Overall, I’d describe the design as: solid, slightly chunky, clearly made for people who actually move around and don’t baby their watch. It’s not ugly at all, just clearly prioritizing function over being super thin or jewelry‑like. If you like the look of Garmin or outdoor‑style watches, it will feel natural. If you want something that disappears under a tight shirt cuff, this will feel a bit much.

Battery life is honestly the main selling point of this watch, and it actually holds up. The 628 mAh battery plus the dual‑layer display do what they’re supposed to do. With my typical use (always‑on display, notifications on, 1–2 GPS workouts per week, sleep tracking every night, Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth on), I’m consistently getting around 2.5 to 3 full days before I need to charge. That’s with the watch acting like a real smartwatch, not in some crippled mode.

If I dial things back a bit – shorter screen timeout, fewer always‑on tiles, GPS not used every day – I can push closer to 3–4 days. I didn’t hit the marketing 90 hours in a heavy smart mode scenario, but I was close enough not to care. The Essential Mode is another story: it basically turns it into a low‑power watch that still tracks steps and sleep. In that mode, you can stretch it to weeks, but you lose most smart features. I only used that once on a trip and it did the job when I knew I wouldn’t be near a charger.

Charging is also quick. From around 10–15% to almost full in about 30–45 minutes on the included charger, which is fine. I usually drop it on the charger while showering and getting ready and that’s enough to top it up for another day or two. No wireless charging though, which is a bit of a shame if you’re used to plopping your watch on the same charger as your phone.

Compared to my old Galaxy Watch that had to be charged nightly, this thing is just more practical. You don’t have to babysit it, and you can actually use sleep tracking without stressing about waking up with a dead watch. If battery life is your pain point with smartwatches, this model actually fixes that in a pretty convincing way.

On the wrist, the Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro is lighter than it looks. It’s around 45 grams for the watch itself, which is not crazy heavy for this size. The weight distribution is decent, so it doesn’t feel like a brick hanging on one side. The fluororubber strap helps because it’s flexible and doesn’t dig into the skin. I wore it all day at work, on the bike, and at the gym without any real discomfort.

For sleep tracking, you definitely feel that you’re wearing a watch. It’s not unbearable, but if you’re sensitive to things on your wrist at night, this might bother you the first few nights. I got used to it after a week, but compared to a small fitness band, this is obviously bulkier. The strap has enough adjustment holes to find a sweet spot where it’s tight enough for accurate sensors but not choking your wrist.

In hot weather and sweaty workouts, the strap holds up well. It doesn’t slide around too much, and it doesn’t cause obvious irritation for me. I did clean the strap every few days with water because sweat builds up, like with any rubber strap. If you have very small wrists, keep in mind: the watch face will look big, and the lugs might overhang a bit. It’s wearable, but not exactly discreet.

So comfort verdict: good for a rugged smartwatch, but it’s still a chunky device. For day‑to‑day use and workouts, no problem. For sleep, you’ll notice it but it’s not painful, just present. If you want something you forget you’re wearing, this isn’t it; if you’re used to sports watches, you’ll be fine.

The materials are where the Enduro version really tries to justify its name. The screen is protected by sapphire crystal glass, which is a step up from the Gorilla Glass on earlier models. In simple terms: it’s harder to scratch. I’m not doing lab tests, but I’ve banged it on door frames, metal gym equipment, and random stuff at home, and after a few weeks I don’t see any visible scratches on the glass. With my older watches, I usually had micro‑scratches by then.

The watch is also certified to US MIL‑STD‑810H and 5ATM water resistance. That doesn’t mean it’s indestructible, but it does mean it’s built to handle shocks, dust, and being submerged for swimming, kayaking, showers, etc. I used it in the rain, under the shower, and for a short swimming session. No issues, no fogging under the glass. There’s even a water‑drain feature that pushes out water from the speaker, like on some phones and other watches.

The strap out of the box is fluororubber, basically a tougher, sweat‑resistant rubber. It feels thicker and stronger than cheap silicone straps you get with budget watches. It doesn’t get that sticky, dusty feel some soft rubber bands get after a workout. If you don’t like rubber, the good news is it uses a standard 24 mm strap, so you can throw on any third‑party band you like – leather, nylon, metal, whatever.

In general, I’d say the materials feel pretty solid for the price range. It’s not a luxury metal bracelet watch, but for daily wear, workouts, and outdoor use, it feels like it’s built to take a beating. If you tend to scratch or bump your watches a lot, this is clearly better than many glossy smartwatches that look nice on day one and trashed after a month.

I’m not gentle with my watches. I wear them for DIY work, at the gym, cycling, and just daily life where I bang my wrist on random stuff. The Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro has held up very well so far. The sapphire glass is still clean, no visible scratches, and the bezel hasn’t chipped or peeled. The case doesn’t show more than tiny marks you have to look closely to see.

The 5ATM water rating is enough for swimming and showering. I showered with it almost every day and did a test swim. No issues, no weird touch behavior after water, and the speaker water‑eject feature works fine. It’s not a dive computer, but for normal water use and sports, it’s more than enough. The MIL‑STD‑810H certification is nice on paper; I obviously didn’t throw it off a building, but I’ve definitely smacked it on metal and walls and it’s still fine.

The strap also seems durable. No cracks, no stretching, and the buckle is holding up. Since it’s a standard 24 mm, if you ever destroy it, you can just buy a cheap replacement or a nicer band. The lugs feel solid, not flimsy, so I’m not worried about the strap pins popping out unexpectedly.

So in daily life, I’d say durability is one of its strong points. If you work with your hands (mechanic, construction, warehouse, etc.) or you’re outdoors a lot, this makes more sense than a fragile glass‑heavy smartwatch. It’s not indestructible, but for the price, it’s clearly built to handle more abuse than the average sleek smartwatch.

Performance is one of the strong points here. The Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip with 2 GB of RAM keeps everything moving quickly. Swiping between tiles, opening apps, launching workouts, scrolling through notifications – it’s all smooth. I didn’t run into the usual Wear OS stutters I had on older Ticwatches or cheaper Android watches. It feels on par with the newer Pixel Watch and clearly faster than older Samsung models I used.

I installed a few extra apps from the Play Store: Strava, Nike Run Club, some watch faces, a note app, and a podcast client. Even with all that, the watch didn’t slow down. Background tasks like music playing, GPS tracking, and notifications kept working fine. Multitasking on a watch is always limited, but here I never felt like the hardware was the bottleneck.

The health tracking features (heart rate, SpO2, stress, sleep) run in the background without noticeably affecting speed. The one‑tap health check (heart rate, SpO2, respiratory rate, stress, and heart health in about 90 seconds) is handy if you like quick snapshots. Are the metrics perfectly accurate? Probably not, but they seem in line with other watches I’ve used – at least good enough for everyday and fitness use, not medical decisions.

Navigation with the rotating crown plus touch is quick. The crown is especially useful when your fingers are sweaty or wet and touch isn’t as reliable. Overall, in terms of raw performance, no real complaints. If you’re coming from an older Wear OS watch, you’ll feel the difference. If you’re used to high‑end Samsung or Apple watches, this is close enough that you won’t be annoyed.

On paper, the Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro throws a lot of specs at you: 1.43" OLED display, dual‑layer screen, Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB storage, 5ATM water resistance, GPS, compass, barometer, snoring detection, 110+ sport modes, etc. In practice, here’s how it feels: it’s a full Wear OS watch that behaves very close to an Android phone on your wrist, with strong focus on battery and outdoor use.

The dual‑layer display is the key thing. You’ve got the bright OLED when you interact with it, and a low‑power LCD‑style layer on top for time, steps, heart rate and some workout info. That second screen is what helps it survive several days. It doesn’t look fancy, but it’s readable outside and saves a lot of battery. During workouts, the extra info on the low‑power screen is actually useful, not just a gimmick.

On the software side, you’re on Wear OS 4, so you get Google Maps, Google Wallet/Pay, Google Calendar, Keep, YouTube Music, plus all the fitness apps that use Google Health Services (Strava, Nike Run Club, etc.). Mobvoi has also merged a bunch of their own apps into TicHealth / Mobvoi Health, which is where you see your sleep, workouts, VO2 max, stress, and so on. It’s decent, but not as polished as Samsung Health or Garmin Connect in my opinion.

Functionally, it covers pretty much everything you expect from a modern smartwatch: notifications, calls with the built‑in speaker and mic, music control or offline storage, navigation, contactless payments, and detailed health tracking. The main thing to know is: this is Android only. If you’re not on Android or you like super simple, closed ecosystems, this will feel a bit techy and maybe too configurable. But if you wanted a real smartwatch, not a basic tracker, it ticks most boxes.