The Ticwatch Pro, offered by Mobvoi HK Limited (Beijing, China), is a smartwatch that uses a dual display technology. The approach is claimed to “combine the functionality of a traditional watch with the benefits of a high end Wear OS device.”
More specifically, the Ticwatch Pro combines two displays within the same watch face. Rather than being separate, the two displays are layered one on top of the other. The technologies used in the displays are such that it is possible to make only one display visible at a time.
A video at the end of this article illustrates and discusses the Ticwatch Pro. The figure below illustrates an exploded view of the Ticwatch Pro.
An exploded view of the Ticwatch Pro.
It might be mentioned that the Ticwatch Pro is not the first smartwatch to use a dual display technology. Subscribers of Meko newsletters are referred to an article entitled “Casio Upgrades Dual Display Smartwatch.”
The Ticwatch Pro dual display consists of an OLED and a LCD.
The top display is a transparent LCD. It is based on a technology called film compensated super twisted nematic. This type of LCD is easy to read in direct sunlight. In the smartwatch application, the LCD is intended for presenting imagery when the battery power is low. In this condition, the smartwatch transitions into what the company calls the Essential Mode. The user can activate the Essential Mode at any time of their choosing. In any case, the smartwatch will automatically activate the Essential Mode when the battery is running low.
In the Essential Mode, the display presents information such as the time, date, step count and heart rate. The idea is that, even though all the normal features of the smartwatch are not available when battery power is low, the user can still get up to five days with some functionality without having to charge the smartwatch.
Positioned below the LCD is a round, 1.39-inch OLED display having a resolution of 400 x 400. When the OLED display is activated, it is visible through the LCD display and all of the Wear OS features are accessible when the smartwatch is turned on.
One reviewer noted that the OLED is noticeably recessed into the case of the smartwatch in order to fit the LCD display on top. Even through the LCD, the OLED is responsive to touch input.
Other features and specifications of the Ticwatch Pro include the following;
- The watch is made of hard nylon combined with glass fiber.
- The strap design combines leather and silicone.
- Snapdragon 2100
- 512 MB RAM
- 4 GB storage
- 415 mAh battery
- Communication: BT 42 802.11b/g/n 2.4 Ghz
- Sensors: GPS / AGPS, accelerometer, gyro, magnetometer, PPG HR, ambient light off body
- IP 68
An explanation of terms used above that may be less familiar are as follows:
- AGPS stands for Assisted or Augmented GPS. This is a system that can significantly improve the startup performance of the GPS satellite-based positioning system in smartphones.
- PPG stands for photoplethysmography. It is a light-based technology used to sense the rate of blood flow as controlled by the pumping action of the heart.
- IP stands for Ingress Protection. IP ratings are used to define levels of a device’s resistance to dust, dirt and moisture. IP 68 guarantees protection in water up to a depth of 30 meters and to do so for at least a half an hour.
There are two buttons on the right side of the watch. The top button can be used to open the main menu of the smartwatch to see the list of available apps. It can also be used to exit apps when navigating the smartwatch user interface. The bottom button is used as a shortcut to the most used app as chosen by the user.
The Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro is available on Amazon Marketplace for $249.99. It will remain an Amazon exclusive until September 30, after which it will also become available from other retailers. At this time, those living in the U.S. and Australia can buy the watch directly from the Mobvoi website. -Arthur Berman
