On July 26, 2016, Mobvoi, an A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) integrated products company from Beijing, China released Ticwatch 2. It is the second edition of their wildly popular Ticwatch smartwatch that was released in China about a year ago. Ticwatch 2 is available on Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com/projects/mobvoi/ticwatch-2-the-most-interactive-smartwatch) right now. Depending on which pledge you choose, the price starts from a super early bird deal of ninety-nine dollars to two hundred and nine dollars each. Ticwatch 2 is optimized with an English UI and features suitable for users around the world. It supports both iOS and Android devices. Thus, you do not need a second watch if you like to switch between multiple devices. Ticwatch 2 is the smartwatch that you have been looking for.





The Hardware



Ticwatch 2 is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core MTK MT2601, 512M of RAM, and 4G of ROM for OS and media storage. The watch has a wide array of features including support for iOS 8.0+/Android 4.3+, Ticharge magnetic wireless charging, Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11 b/g/n, and a suite of sensors allowing it to be used as a fitness tracker.







The sensors include Glonass, GPS, Beidou, and an optical heartrate sensor that connects with Google Fit to record your fitness stats. Despite no longer having the SIM Card support, it is still a comprehensive set of features. The watch feels quick and responsive as I swipe through its apps and menus using the gesture based, Cubic UI. The animations have none of the lag that is present on other smartwatches. I did not know what to expect when I first received the watch. But, after using it for a while I am definitely pleased with its performance in day to day use.



Appearances







"A watch should look like a watch,", Mika Nenonen, award winning Scandinavian designer. At first glance, Ticwatch 2 reminds you of a classic wristwatch with its sleek bezel, subtle watch crown, and overall elegant design. But, they are not the same. Ticwatch 2 is not your grandfather's watch. Ticwatch 2 was designed in collaboration with world class creators such as Mika Nenonen. The classic dial is replaced by a perfectly round, 1.4 inch OLED display with a resolution of 400 by 400, 287 dpi. The display is protected by either anti-scratch glass or sapphire crystal on the Onyx model. Colors are rich, vibrant, and saturated to allow for an enjoyable viewing experience. Its blacks are some of the deepest blacks that I have seen on any display, might I dare say it's comparable to the blacks on my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. The combination of the two characteristics allows me to easily use the watch outside.







Ticwatch 2 has two bezel designs. One design uses black (Charcoal) or silver (Snow) anodized aluminum. The second, more premium design uses black plated (Onyx) or bare (Oak) cold forged 316L stainless steel. Regardless of which one you choose, they will set you apart from the crowd. All four materials have a silky texture that not only feels good in the hand, but also earns you compliments wherever you go.







On the side without the crown you will find an embedded touch sensor called, "TickleTM." You can use it scroll, select, and zoom in applications without covering your screen.

However, looks are not the only things that matter on a smartwatch. Ticwatch 2 stands up to daily wear and tear quite well thanks to its solid construction and durable screen. My watch has been dropped a few times. Each time I expected to see a shattered screen, but I was always pleasantly surprised to see it as good as new. Ticwatch 2 has the looks that you want and the durability that can rely on.



Ticwear OS Global Edition and Android Companion App







Ticwear OS Global Edition is similar to the version available on the Ticwatch released for consumers in China. The key difference between the two is language support. Global Edition replaced all of the Chinese prompts with accurate English translations to allow non-Chinese speaking users navigate the watch.



The Android companion app allows me to install Ticwear apps, monitor the watch battery status, connectivity, and pedometer stats.



Notable Software Features



The four standout features that I use every day are the AI voice interaction, palm, flip and knock gestures, and of course Cubic UI.



AI Voice Interaction







AI voice interaction allows me to make calls, reply to messages, or even call a cab. All you do is say, "Ok, Tico. Call an Uber."



Palm Gesture







The palm instantly dims the screen when I cover the screen.



Flip and Knock Gestures







Flip and knock allows me to answer phone calls, activate AI voice interaction, control my music player.



Cubic UI











Cubic UI allows me to use the watch with simple swipes on the screen. When I swipe up from the bottom I can access my timeline with notifications. I can easily swipe to the AI voice assistant to the left of the home screen or to the applications menu to its right. When I swipe down from top I can access my quick cards. Up, down, left, right, and TickleTM are the only gestures that you need to use the Ticwatch 2.



They may seem like small features, but on a smartwatch convenience is king.



Final Thoughts



I started this review with an open mind, not knowing what to expect from the Ticwatch 2. I wanted to experience something new, something different from everything I have used in the past. Ticwatch 2 met my expectations and more, thus it has replaced my Pebble Time as my daily driver.



Please click here for a comparison between Ticwatch 2 and Apple Watch.

(https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/05/ticwatch-2-vs-apple-watch/)



Please click here for our Announcement of Ticwatch 2's 2 Million Dollar Kickstarter Campaign

(https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/24/ticwatch-2-most-successful-chinese-kickstarter/)