Clearly, we have a winner, but…

I don’t know what it is about the Google Pixel Watch and the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5, but I’m finding it incredibly difficult to pick between the two.

Every morning I wake up and I have to make a decision of whether I’m wearing the Pixel Watch or the TicWatch Pro 5, and it’s not an easy decision!

I mean both watches are really good, both have their strengths and weaknesses and both work really well with my Google Pixel 7 Pro.

That’s why I decided to make a list of the things each watch does better and share it with you in the form of a blog post.

On a side note, I am comparing the first generation of the Pixel Watch which I’ve been using for around a year to the TicWatch Pro 5 which I’ve been using for around 12 weeks.

But without any further ado, here is my comparison of the TicWatch Pro 5 vs the Google Pixel Watch.

It’s nice to have a larger display!

As much as I love the Pixel Watch, I feel that at 1.2 inches, the display is small, I wouldn’t say too small, but I will say that it’s small.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if we compare it the the TicWatch Pro 5 which has a 1.43-inch display, it’s just nice to have that extra room!

It definitely makes typing easier, although with that being said, I find the typing experience on the Pixel Watch pretty decent.

Having a bigger display also makes it easier to see and interact with apps which is quite important as you don’t want to make the most from using the app on your watch, you don’t want to have to open it on your phone to be able to see it more clearly.

Speaking about the display, it’s nice to see the TicWatch Pro 5 have a dual display which not only improves the battery life but also makes it easier to see the time during bright days.

Mobvoi Health apps are better than Fitbit’s offering

I was excited to hear that Google was integrating Fitbit with the Pixel Watch. I thought it would be a whole new thing for WearOS smartwatches.

But that excitement was short-lived after getting the Pixel Watch. One of my very first experiences was Google taking away features, features which I actually started using to compete with friends who also had a Fitbit.

I thought the challenges were pretty good and motivated me to do more, but they decided to remove the feature.

On top of that, I feel that the whole Fitbit platform is a bit too basic. I mean the Pixel Watch doesn’t show anywhere as much detail during and after the activity in the TicWatch watch app does.

Fitbit also charges a quite expensive monthly subscription for the use of premium features, which I simply do not use as I find it far too expensive.

As a whole, I actually feel let down by the entire Fitbit platform, I feel that it used to be a lot better in the early days. But speaking about early days, it’s also early days for Google as they seem to be in the middle of rebuilding the platform and hopefully making it better

Better battery life with the TicWatch Pro 5

I find it disappointing that the Pixel Watch has such a short battery life. On an average day, I am able to use the device on a single charge throughout the day and night without any issues. On some occasions, I could get around 1 and a half days’ worth of use.

I even had an occasion where I didn’t charge the watch and it lasted me 2 days with half of day 2 being in ultra-low power mode.

I even perfected a charging routine which helped me get the most out of the watch!

This included me simply charging the watch during my morning routine. That way it provided me with enough battery life to use the watch throughout the day and track my sleep during the night.

But if we compare that to the TicWatch where on average I get around 3 days’ worth of battery life, we have a clear winner!

It’s even got to a point where I simply forget to charge the TicWatch as the battery is so good and I don’t need to worry about any charging routines.

The Pixel Watch gets more updates

One area where the TicWatch Pro 5 falls short is the updates.

Don’t get me wrong the TicWatch Pro 5 still does receive updates and I was happy to find quite a few WearOS updates throughout my 12 weeks with the watch.

However, the watch still hasn’t received WearOS 4 which is a shame, but I’m very hopeful that it will receive the update soon.

At the same time, the Mobvoi apps are also receiving updates which is good to see.

I hope that the watch will continue to receive updates for years to come!

Google Assistant is useful, but missing on the TicWatch Pro 5

One of the reasons why I find it difficult to pick between the two is the fact that the Google Pixel Watch has Google Assistant allowing me to easily set reminders and control my smart home with the use of my voice.

Unfortunately, Google Assistant is not currently available on the TicWatch Pro 5 and it’s unclear whether it will ever come.

Personally, I hope it does as it’s a feature on the Pixel watch I use a lot.

Put it this way, if it does come, it will make life a lot easier in choosing a watch to use throughout the day.

I primarily tend to use Google Assistant to set reminders in Google Tasks. Whether it’s remembering to take the washing out or that I have a meeting at a certain time, it becomes very useful, especially as it syncs with other Google devices such as Google Nest and my phone.

The Google ecosystem

Another reason I like the Pixel Watch is the fact that it is catered to work with Google.

For instance, there is a shortcut in the quick access menu that allows me to control my smart home, using Google Home, but that feature is missing on the TicWatch Pro 5.

I also have access to watch faces which have the option of adding the At A Glance widget to them which can be extremely useful, especially on the Google Pixel phones.

I know that these are only small things, but they make the whole user experience so much better.

I mean to control my smart home on the TicWatch Pro 5, I have to go to the app menu and find the Google Home app, which is just so much slower compared to accessing it from the Quick Access menu.

Conclusion

Clearly, we have a winner, but that’s not to say that the Pixel Watch is bad, as it’s still a good watch.

However, I think that I may be looking at this the wrong way because both watches are incredibly good and both have their pros and cons.

I think that both of these watches are designed with two different people in mind, with the Pixel Watch being designed for the average user and the TicWatch Pro 5 for people who travel and love the outdoors. But that’s just my opinion.

At the same time, if my opinion is true, then I don’t think that this is a fair comparison as it would be like comparing a Ferrari to a Range Rover, both are powerful cars, but both are designed with a different job in mind.