If you refuse to pay £200-plus for a smartwatch, the TicWatch S2 claims to offer all the features you need for less… but does it pass Stuff’s wrist assessment?

The appeal of Mobvoi’s TicWatch series really boils down to one thing: money.

The TicWatch S2 has pretty much every feature you could ask for in a smartwatch that costs well under £200: GPS, a heart-rate sensor, better than average battery life and 5ATM water-resistance.

But now that Fitbit and Huawei have used their own operating systems to show how good at tracking a fairly low-tech smartwatch can be (with the Ionic and Watch GT respectively), the S2 is a reminder that Wear OS can be hard to live with.

And this is, let’s be honest, one of the least refined-looking Wear OS watches around. One of the most important parts of a watch, its design, doesn’t really enter the equation here: the S2 has a sensible, practical casing, but it won’t turn many heads. At least, not in a good way.

Still, that price could still make it an ideal wearable for cash-tight fitness dabblers… couldn’t it?

1 Hard bargain

The case is plastic; bezel, back and sides are all polycarbonate. It’s hardly flashy, and the pattern around the bezel seems a little cheesy, but you can’t argue with the pragmatism of plastic. It isn’t flimsy, and the bezel is built up to protect the screen glass.

2 Living dull

There’s nothing exciting going on here. The bezel doesn’t turn, and there’s just one button on the side… and this hardware is paired with a screen that looks better on paper than in the flesh: it’s 400x400 and 1.39in across, but doesn’t look as crisp as some.

3 The payin’ barrier Tech specs

NFC is an obvious omission: you can’t use a TicWatch S2 to buy things using Google Pay. But it does have water-resistance to 5ATM, meaning you can swim and shower wearing it. And the strap is removable using little release levers on the back.

4 Closer to the heart

On the fitness side, this thing goes way beyond the basics. It has both a heart-rate sensor and GPS, the two vital features for any serious run-tracker, and Mobvoi also adds its own tracking apps alongside Google’s. They’re solid, as is the partnered phone app.

5 I just died on your arm

Claiming any Wear OS watch has good battery life is like telling someone the disease they’ve got “isn’t that bad”. But the 415mAh battery of the TicWatch S2 gives it better stamina than some. You can expect it to last one full day and then a fair chunk of the next

Tech specs

Display 1.39in 400x400 AMOLED OS Wear OS Sensors Accelerometer, gyroscope, heart-rate, GPS Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Water-resistance 5ATM Battery life Up to 2 days Dimensions 47x52x12.9mm

Mobvoi TicWatch C2

The TicWatch C2 fills a neat little gap between the cheaper E2 and S2 models and the fancier TicWatch Pro.

The result is a simple, stylish wearable that has everything you’d expect from a smartwatch in 2019, including heart-rate monitoring and, unlike the S2, NFC payments.

Its feature set certainly looks like good value for under £200, but there are drawbacks… like a battery that’s slightly smaller than the S2’s and only lasts a day with medium to heavy use.

The design straddles the line between stylish tech accessory and functional wristwatch. It has a stainless steel body and leather straps that feel premium.

The 360x360 OLED display is a perfect size for swiping between screens, viewing stats and checking notifications, while an IP68 rating means it’s fine with a bit of rain… but not with swimming or showering.

It’s not for true fitness freaks, but this is a decent watch that offers a good option for anyone after a simple, stylish wearable that won’t cost the earth.

Stuff says ★★★☆☆

Nowt special, but a smart and well-priced wearable

With its heart-rate sensor and GPS, this is one of the best-value Wear OS watches around. But there’s no denying it’s more of a pain to use than the Fitbit Ionic, Samsung Galaxy Watch or Huawei Watch GT… plus battery life, while OK for Wear OS, is dismal by any other standards. And it’s a style vacuum, which is not what you want in a watch.

STUFF SAYS ★★★☆☆

A great-value Wear OS watch… but something this high-maintenance needs to make you want to wear it more