Mobvoi TicKasa Vibrant Smartwatch review: is he the perfect smartwatch under 50 euros?
After having delighted us with low-cost smartwatches equipped with the WearOS operating system, Mobvoi decides to focus on the low-end market, alas ultra populated by wearables all the same, proposing its own version of a sportwatch with smart functions. So let's talk about the Mobvoi TicKasa Vibrant Smartwatch, sold as an exclusive by Gearbest.
I hook myself to the last sentence, pointing out that practically on the official website of the brand there is no trace of this device, who knows why ... maybe because if you look at it carefully, this TicKasa Vibrant is identical to a well-known model among the entry level of the sector, that is the UMIDIGI uWatch 3.
As always, let's start from the contents of the package that offers in addition to the smartwatch also an illustrated instruction manual (including the Italian language) and a USB charging cable with proprietary magnetic connection.
As mentioned poco ago, the aesthetics of this Mobvoi wearable is identical to other models such as the Haylou LS01 but in particular it is from the UMIDIGI uWatch 3 that draws inspiration, especially in the software. Overall the look appears simple and understated, with a construction made entirely of double-processed plastic. Glossy with metal effect for the area close to the display while the rest in black color with a matte finish. We have no disturbing elements on the profiles, with the exception of the only button located on the right that will allow you to turn on / off the display and return to the home from the system menus, while in sports monitoring mode it will play / pause or if held down. will allow you to finish the activity carried out.
In any case, the construction is good and robust, embellished in terms of elegance by a superior mineral glass with 2.5D processing that protects the 1,3-inch display with TFT LCD technology and 240 x 240 pixel resolution, color touch and square form. The touchscreen responds well to touch, which via swipe will allow us to navigate within the system interface. The display can be activated either through the physical button or by rotating the wrist while the visibility under direct sunlight is excellent, always allowing a clear reading of the information. Unfortunately, we do not have an automatic adjustment of the backlighting, but this can be set from the clock settings to 3 different levels, although the intermediate one in the end is able to satisfy the vision needs in every environmental lighting condition, also because in the evening we can activate the mode DND which will disable the receipt of any notifications as well as disable the switching on of the display via gesture. Of course, the Always-on function is absent.
Excellent silicone strap, which can be replaced by means of the quick release system, with 19 mm pitch. The strap is made of metal while the clasp on the inside offers a small protrusion that will help to make the closure more stable by fitting into the holes in the strap. Beautiful workmanship with a stitching effect with a contrasting color compared to the general black, giving a sporty but elegant look at the same time (The manufacturer offers two types of coloring: black / green and black / red). Furthermore, even during the most intense phases of perspiration, the material of the buckle does not retain dirt, allowing the skin to breathe well. In short, an enviable comfort, which combined with the low weight of only 37,5 grams, make this TicKasa Vibrant really pleasant to hold on the wrist: in addition to being very compact it is in fact also very light and this favors the possibility of keeping it on the wrist. at night
To complete the design aspect, on the lower part of the case of the smart watch we find the magnetic pins for charging the battery and the sensor for detecting the heartbeat, of the PPG HX3600 type. To mention the waterproof certification up to 5 ATM, allowing the use of the device in the shower, but also for swimming or running in the rain, without being afraid that this will be damaged.
Since we have mentioned it, we are talking about autonomy, guaranteed by a 210 mAh battery that recharges in about 2 and a half hours, offering a duration of up to 45 days in standby, as stated by the company, or only in the use of common watch. But in real life, then taking advantage of the H24 heart rate monitoring, 7 days a week, receiving notifications on the wrist, using the alarm clock and monitoring some physical activities, perhaps with the aid of GPS, the real autonomy settles from a minimum of 7 days to a maximum of 5 days.
As for the detection of cardiac activity, the sensor compared to the sister model of UMIDIGI proved to be good, first of all because it does not record the beats when not worn on the wrist (which happens with the uWatch 3 model) but above all it has shown a good reliability in real-time measurement, reaching the level of a pulse oximeter as well as the more expensive Amazfit Verge Lite. Instead, we find flaws when we constantly monitor the heart rate under stress: in this case, compared to a Verge Lite, the Mobvoi smartwatch returns heart rate values that are even 30 units higher.
Even the step count was at least reliable, for example not recording false positives while driving in a car, but always compared to a Verge Lite at the end of the day the total count is higher by a good 15/20%. Where is the truth? Naturally in the middle, so on balance we must consider at least a good 10% less to have a real estimate of the steps taken.
A mention should be made for the "monitoring" function of the menstrual cycle, dedicated to girls who like to keep track of their most particular and delicate days, thus obtaining notifications on any ovulation period and reminder on the fateful NO days.
The user interface is quite simple and in Italian. With a swipe to the right we have the quick toggles that allow us to activate or deactivate the continuous monitoring of the heart beat and the rotation of the wrist, but also enable the "do not disturb" mode and search the smartphone if we have lost it in the vicinity of the Bluetooth range, starting the ringtone.
With a swipe down we enter the notifications, which can only be read and deleted. It is not possible to reply, or view photos, voice messages or emoticons. Furthermore, these are not synchronized with the smartphone, therefore deleting them from TicKasa will still remain visible on the phone or on the contrary, they must be deleted one by one on the watch, they are not automatically deleted when we read them on the phone. There are many applications supported as receiving notifications, but for example there is no support for Telegram (in all its variants). It is also possible to receive call notifications with a lot of caller ID, but these can only be rejected, since there is no microphone and / or speaker. Ok instead for calendar notifications, mail, Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram etc .. With a swipe upwards we enter the quick summaries of the day, viewing the data of steps, calories and distance as well as a weekly summary of what has been done.
By holding down on the display, from the home, it is possible to change the watchface, among the four available on the watch. From the application it is still possible to download others (not many) or customize one with photos to your liking.
Finally, with a swipe to the left we enter the main menu with the various functions such as: alarm clock, music control (all players are supported but it is not possible to save music on the smartwatch to listen to songs without going through the phone), timer / stopwatch, beat monitoring , relaxation function (a sort of breathing educator to help us relax from stress), viewing the weather (3 days), history of monitored sports activities, options (from here we can adjust the backlight, change watch faces, view the info of the watch, turn off and reset the device) and finally choose which sport activity to monitor. If we are couch potatoes, the system will send us notifications if we sit for too long (sedentary notices), thus stimulating us to move.
We have 14 activities available, but only 8 can be seen on the TicKasa Vibrant. Of these 14 that take advantage of the integrated GPS are only 4. Overall, the activities that can be monitored are: Walking [outdoor (GPS) / indoor], Running [outdoor (GPS) / indoor], Cycling [outdoor (GPS) / indoor], Elliptical, Rowing machine, Swimming (in pool / open water), Hiking (GPS), Yoga, Cricket and more.
Honestly, some sports seem to be put there just to make up numbers, as the data collected will be exclusively that of duration of the activity, calories burned and heartbeat, but this consideration applies not only to TicKasa but also to many other models of different brands, also Amazfit. However, the possibility of being able to control the music directly from the sports monitor interface is good. For more complex sports, on the other hand, the data collected are those relating to pace, Km / h pace (speed), calories burned, average pace, heart rate, distance.
The thing I liked is the fact that TicKasa Vibrant recognizes when we are doing activities such as walking and running. In fact, after about 5 minutes from the start of the activity, the clock will vibrate asking on the display if we want to start monitoring the activity or not. Just a pity, that once the OK is given, the path and the steps already taken are not stored. The GPS, on the other hand, was accurate and reliable, even if in "cold" conditions it sometimes took up to 4 minutes to lock in the correct position.
All in all the graphics are taken care of even if it is a little toy, especially the watchfaces poco useful information and not too well done.
We then come to the application to exploit all the potential of this smartwatch, by means of Bluetooth 4.2 connection, which turns out to be "VeryFitPro", a third-party app compatible with various cheap wearables, although in this case we find some more features than the competition. It is not one of the worst that I have tried and in any case it allows at least to register an account, storing the data collected in a sort of cloud, which will allow us to change the smartphone if necessary to retrieve all the history of what is monitored.
From the application we can view the history of steps, heart rate and sleep, although for the latter the data is not always reliable. In fact, if you happen to wake up at night and stay up for more than ten minutes, the software will start as the beginning of your sleep, the time you will go back to bed, trashing the previous hours of sleep. However, we can also review the data relating to mini-games with a GPS track and customize the TicKasa to the best, as well as set goals related to pace, sleep, weight, calories and distance.
The price of this smartwatch is definitely honest: let's talk about poco less than 44 €, currently on offer on the Gearbest store. Mobvoi TicKasa Vibrant on balance is the smartwatch for everyone: it is beautiful, elegant, well made, well assembled, not too big, not too heavy.
Of course, it is not comparable to more expensive products, but it offers good autonomy, tracks sports activities, has a large, beautiful and easily readable screen, can be customized and costs poco. In conclusion, I would define it as the perfect product to give at Christmas or to wear in everyday life.
