TicWatch Atlas smartwatch review | Live Science

When you think of a top-quality outdoor watch, which model immediately springs to your mind? We would bet that it was not one of the TicWatches. This affordable line of fitness trackers made by the Chinese tech giant Mobvoi has been mostly aimed at regular gym-goers, and it has never really crossed into the territory claimed by some of the best Garmin watches. However, things may be about to change.

Mobvoi has just released its first-ever adventure watch, the TicWatch Atlas and its specs are impressive — even more so when you factor in the price. This smartwatch costs just $349, but it has a body made of reinforced stainless steel and a tough Sapphire Crystal on its display, and its durability has been certified to military standards. It can last up to 45 days on a single charge in Essential mode and comes with GPS, compass, barometer and over 100 activity modes. Plus, it is relatively light and easy on the eye. The TicWatch Atlas could, in fact, be one of the best budget fitness trackers to buy in 2025.

There is a caveat — the TicWatch Atlas runs on Google Wear OS, so it is not compatible with Apple devices. Those who want seamless integration with their iPhones may need to invest in another fitness tracker instead.

TicWatch Atlas smartwatch review

TicWatch Atlas: Design

• Comfortable to wear 24/7
• Military-grade durability
• Controlled by a side button and a crown

The TicWatch Atlas is a tough cookie. Its body is made of stainless steel, reinforced nylon and 7000-series aluminum — a premium-quality material often used in the aviation industry due to its high durability and resistance to corrosion. This smartwatch also has a 5ATM waterproof rating for open-water swims, and it is certified to the MIL-STD-810H military standard. This means it has been tested against harsh environmental conditions, including high temperatures, solar radiation, rapid changes in air pressure and physical impacts. And as we mentioned before, the display in Atlas is covered with scratch-resistant Sapphire Crystal glass.

Indeed, our TicWatch Atlas displayed good durability in our tests. We wore the watch for nearly two months, exposing it to rain, cold January temperatures and intense workouts, and it looked just as good, and worked just as well, at the end of our testing as it did in the beginning — and we are not particularly gentle with our fitness trackers!

Given how rugged it is, the TicWatch Atlas is surprisingly comfortable to wear. It weighs just 1.66 oz (47.2 g) without a band, and while you could argue that there is still a lot of machinery to carry around on the wrist, this model is still lighter than many of its mainstream competitors. For example, the stainless steel version of the Garmin Fenix 8 weighs nearly 2.08 oz (59 g) without a band. We also liked the silicone straps. They were soft, comfortable on the skin and stayed in place during exercises.

The TicWatch Atlas is controlled with a touchscreen, a button on the right side and a crown around the display. We liked that approach. A mixture of physical and touch controls makes this watch easy to navigate, especially during hikes and cardio workouts when it is not always convenient to fiddle with a fitness tracker for too long.

TicWatch Atlas: Display

• Colorful 1.43-inch (3.6 cm) AMOLED display
• Two-tone format in Ultra-low-power mode
• The screen gets smudged easily

The TicWatch Atlas features a colorful 1.43-inch (3.6 cm) AMOLED display that is bright and easy to read. It is also widely customizable. There are a host of pre-loaded watch faces to choose from, and thousands more are available on Google Play. This wide personalization reminds us of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 — a bonus point for those who like their display to match their style.

In the Ultra-low-power mode, the display is reduced to a two-tone format and only shows a handful of essential metrics, such as date, time, steps, heart rate and battery life (this also applies to the Always On screen.) However, this limited functionality does not interrupt workout tracking. When your TicWatch is in this power-saving mode, the screen will change colors slightly to indicate which heart rate zone you are in during a workout, meaning you can still gauge your exercise intensity at a glance. It is worth noting that the TicWatch Atlas can last up to 45 days on a single charge when used in this battery-saving mode — and such longevity is not something we see often in smartwatches, premium or not.

Our TicWatch Atlas seemed to attract a lot of dust and smudges during testing. While it was not a huge deal for us (we could still easily read the screen, even when it had our fingerprints all over the place), it is something to consider if you like your watches to stay pristine.

TicWatch Atlas: Features

• Plenty of fitness-tracking features
• GPS, compass, altimeter and barometer
• Fall detection and other emergency features

The TicWatch Atlas offers a wide range of fitness-tracking features, from continuous heart rate monitoring and recovery time assessments to timers, stopwatches and over 100 activity modes. It works as a sleep tracker, too, thanks to its in-depth measurements of sleep quality, respiratory rate, skin temperature and other vital metrics.

All health stats and workout logs are stored in the Mobvoi Health app, so you can track your progress over time. The app is free and easy to use.

The TicWatch Atlas has a significant number of features to aid outdoor activities, including GPS navigation, a compass and a barometer to track changes in altitude. It is also equipped with emergency features, such as SOS calls from your wrist (you can do that by pressing the rotating crown five times.) Mind you, these emergency features can be quite sensitive. On one occasion, we accidentally triggered an SOS call with our weightlifting gloves, resulting in a somewhat awkward conversation with the first responders. However, you can disable these features in the watch settings.

The TicWatch Atlas runs on the Google Wear OS and this means one thing — easy access to Google’s apps. For example, you can get email notifications, pay for your shopping with Google Wallet, play YouTube music or download apps on Google Play. The TicWatch Atlas is a smartwatch in the full sense of the word.

TicWatch Atlas: Performance

• Good battery life and fast charging
• Accurate health-tracking features
• Good movement detection

Performance-wise, the TicWatch Atlas is a solid piece of kit. We liked its long battery life, ultra-fast charging and largely accurate tracking features, and we did not experience any issues with app connectivity or processor performance. Sure, it may not be as snappy and robust as some of the top-shelf Garmin watches, for example, but it still punches way above its affordable price point.

To start with, it took us on average 30 minutes to hit 100% battery on our TicWatch Atlas. Our watch would typically last four to five days in normal use, with Always-On enabled and hour-long workouts on most days of the week. When we tweaked the battery settings to reduce power use, our Atlas lasted nearly two weeks. We did not have a chance to test the Ultra-low-power use to see if the 45-day claim is valid, but by the looks of it, this smartwatch seems capable of doing so.

The TicWatch Atlas was also relatively easy to use, even though the navigation took us a few days to get used to. The watch did not seem to lag during intensive tasks or switch functions by accident. Also, all metrics and health stats were presented with a good level of detail, but in a clear and easy-to-understand way. However, the TicWatch Atlas does not offer much in terms of personalized fitness coaching, so it is mostly up to the user to interpret their health data. For beginners, this may be a huge downside.

Most importantly, the TicWatch Atlas displayed some great accuracy in our tests. Its step counter and GPS navigation were largely reliable, giving us a good indication of the distance covered, and its workout modes proved to be useful for tracking our training sessions and hikes outdoors. We were also impressed with its heart rate measurements.

During one workout, we wore the TicWatch Atlas alongside a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor to compare the obtained data. Our watch did a very good job of picking up on the heart rate during rest and low-to-moderate intensity exercises, and its accuracy only slightly tailed off with intense to very intense cardiovascular activity. While these heart rate readings are not 100% accurate, they still place the TicWatch Atlas on par with many of its pricier mainstream counterparts.

TicWatch Atlas: User reviews

Amazon’s customer reviews place the TicWatch Atlas at a solid 4.6 out of 5 stars rating. This smartwatch was typically praised for its durable design, battery life, vibrant display and extensive tracking features. As one user said, “I’m a sailor and I spend a lot of time outside, on the boat. Handling lines and just generally knocking about on a boat can be pretty rough on watches. I’ve had cracked displays and damage to past smartwatches due to the rough handling. That’s why, when the Ticwatch Atlas came out, I jumped on it. After three weeks, I don’t regret my decision a bit! Not only is the Atlas tough, but it retains that amazing battery life and easy-to-read two-level display of past TicWatches. […] Highly recommended.”

Negative reviews, though few and far between, tended to revolve around individual faulty units and patchy app connectivity, but a few users also complained about its “terrible interface.” As one review summed it up, “TicWatch is a great idea but just not there yet.”

Should you buy the TicWatch Atlas?

✅ Buy it if: You want a formidable smartwatch, but at an affordable price. The TicWatch Atlas offers a serious alternative to pricey Garmin watches and other mainstream options with its military-grade durability, robust fitness-tracking features and great performance. It is very comfortable to wear, looks great and can last weeks on a single charge. There is hardly anything to fault with this watch.

❌ Do not buy it if: You are an iOS user, or if you are looking for a more basic fitness tracker. TicWatch Atlas is designed with outdoor enthusiasts in mind, so for those who are only occasional exercisers or gym-dwellers, this excellent smartwatch may be overkill. Also, it does not have any advanced coaching features that would benefit fitness beginners.

If TicWatch Atlas is not for you

The Coros Apex 2 is a great alternative to the TicWatch Atlas. Both of these smartwatches offer advanced tracking features, sturdy design and customizable displays, and they both cost around $349.

If you want an outdoor watch with all the bells and whistles imaginable (and do not mind spending some serious money), the Garmin Fenix 8 may be more up your street. This formidable GPS watch does it all, from beastly performance and excellent design to impressive specifications. Plus, it is one of the very few fitness trackers you can wear while scuba diving.

The Garmin Fenix 8 is still a relatively new model, which is why it costs at least $1,000. If you are looking for something cheaper but of similar quality, you may want to consider its older sibling. The Garmin Fenix 7 may not be as efficient and waterproof, but it delivers a broadly similar experience to the Fenix 8 for just under $650.

TicWatch Atlas: How we tested

We spent nearly two months trying and testing the TicWatch Atlas smartwatch, looking at its design, features, tracking performance, battery life, app connectivity and ease of use. We wore it during the day while sleeping and when doing a range of workouts, from leisurely hikes to high-intensity indoor rowing and weightlifting in the gym. Finally, we assessed the accuracy of our TicWatch Atlas by comparing its heart rate measurements with the data we obtained using a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor.