Don’t laugh.
Seriously, don’t.
The Ticwatch GTH really looks like the Apple Watch Series 6. L
So, if you produce a lookalike, you’re bound to attract comparison.
Think about Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry.
Or the Lotus Elan and Mazda MX-5.
FYI, thanks to AI imagery software, we’re able to create very specific fashion and hairstyle examples to illustrate the points being made. In some cases, imagery is exaggerated to hammer home the point.
No, the Ticwatch GTH doesn’t come close
Besides superficial similarities, the Ticwatch GTH smartwatch doesn’t come close to the Apple Watch Series 6.
But let’s not be disproportionate. The Apple Watch Series 6 is multiple times in cost of the GTH. I’d place the former in the “expensive watches” category for sure as it’s above the median cost of a general purpose smartwatch.
On the other hand, Mobvoi’s Ticwatch GTH is a semi smartwatch that’s priced closer to a fitness tracker.
You’d be better off comparing Mobvoi’s Ticwatch Pro 3 (which is an excellent Wear OS smartwatch) to the Apple Watch Series 6.
Appearance and components compared
Why do they look so similar?
That’s because they have the same design elements. Rounded corners, curved glass, a button/crown on the top right hand corner.
But let’s look closer at the details. Therein you’ll start to see the differences.
While the Apple Watch Series 6 uses a crown (that rotates for navigation), the Ticwatch GTH just uses a button.
The bezel on the Ticwatch GTH is thicker too. Meaning there’s a bigger border between the screen and the edge. Doesn’t bother me, but FYI.
To some extent, the Ticwatch GTH is also very similar to the Fitbit Versa and could potentially be a Fitbit competitor in terms of its looks.
Watch face
Watch faces are designs that you can put on your smartwatch to modify the data displayed and the way the time is displayed (fonts, analogue/digital clock, etc.)
The designs you can get from the Mobvoi app (Mobvoi makes Ticwatches) are very nicely designed and varied.
The one thing though… the watch faces are severely lacking in widgets/complications.
The most common widget you’ll see are the step counters, but you can’t change that to tell the weather.
That really sucks because I am a dude who doesn’t really care about step counts.
The Apple Watch Series 6 is a bit more limited in choices, but boy do Apple’s watch faces offer a lot of information and customizability.
You can put a widget to tell time from another time zone, UV intensity, noise levels and more.
The Apple Watch Series 6 just outright blows the Ticwatch GTH away.
Operating system differences
This is probably the first Ticwatch that I’ve reviewed that hasn’t used Google’s Wear OS platform.
The Ticwatch GTH runs on its own operating system. It’s one that’s more focused on health, wellness and lifestyle rather than productivity.
No surprise with the Apple Watch though. The Apple Watch runs on the excellent Watch OS which is a balanced platform for productivity and health.
Productivity
One school of thought regarding smartwatches is that it should help you get more efficient in your life.
It should take tedium out of your life.
Calls, emails, texts
Perhaps you’re the kind that constantly forgets where you put your smartphone.
People are calling. Amazon is knocking. But you’re missing out on these calls.
Having both watches will help you by reducing your reliance on your smartphone.
When you get calls, messages and emails on the Ticwatch GTH, you’ll get notifications. Same with the Apple Watch Series 6.
But if you want to answer your calls, reply to your messages and emails, then the Apple Watch Series 6 is your only choice.
Voice assistant
This is the main reason why I really like really smart smartwatches like the Apple Watch, Samsung watches, any Wear OS device and the latest Fitbits.
I can tell my watch what I want to do, and it’ll do it.
Isn’t that just great?
Of course, different systems have different limitations. The Apple Watch OS is probably the best.
Siri is just so well integrated into the Apple system.
There’s no such thing with the Ticwatch GTH, though.
Sports and health
OK, so this is what the Ticwatch GTH is built for.
But is it any good? Especially in comparison with the Apple Watch Series 6?
Both watches have all the cool health metrics
Sorry to be a wet blanket, but I am finding that the most touted innovations in 2020 are all quite useless.
Fitbit rolled out skin temperature sensing with their Fitbit Sense.
Apple made a big hoo-ha about SpO2 tracking in their Apple Watch Series 6.
The Ticwatch GTH is keeping up by offering a skin temperature sensor and blood oxygen saturation tracking, but it goes further with the Respiration Rate tracker.
There’s also a stress tracker and a breathing timer.
OK, let’s get real. Do you need to know about your body temperature? I mean, it’s nice to have in case you get a fever, but just like your blood oxygen level… you might need it once in a year.
So I haven’t really found these features to be very useful because they don’t offer any day-to-day purpose. And when it comes to things like blood oxygen, you’ll have no idea what to do if the numbers dip below a certain threshold.
It’ll feel like a stock crash, a HODL moment, but you won’t know what to do. But what can I say… the red light that the SpO2 sensor shoots out is pretty cool!
The one cool thing that the Apple Watch does is that it’s able to sense ambient noise levels so you are aware when you’re in hearing-harming environments.
Also, this is one major marvel of the Apple Watch Series 6: the ability to sense when you’re washing your hands and start a 20-second timer. No other platform can do this, not especially Google’s really rudimentary implementation of a 40-second timer (wow, talk about overkill).
OK, what about the useful metrics?
My smartwatch should help me live a healthier life.
Both the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Ticwatch GTH help me achieve that.
But the question of what the Ticwatch GTH vs Apple Watch Series 6 offers is the real question.
Both offer sleep tracking.
The Ticwatch GTH has a leg up because it tells you about your sleep depth. The Apple Watch Series 6 tells only tells you the time you go to bed and wake up.
On the other hand, the Ticwatch GTH hasn’t been as reliable as the Apple Watch Series 6 in terms of its detection of my sleep.\
Then there’s the “healthy habits” part.
On the Apple Watch Series 6, you get rings that tell you about the calories burned, exercise minutes and standing time.
On the Ticwatch GTH, you get calorie count, step count and distance travelled.
They’re graphically represented so you’ll know how close you are to your targets.
Integrated GPS
OK. One of the biggest metrics you can offer me is my GPS data.
I care about how much I’ve climbed and how far I have gone.
Having GPS data is far more important than skin temperature, SpO2, noise levels, etc.
And while the Apple Watch Series 6 has an integrated GPS, the Ticwatch GTH doesn’t.
And so, I think all distance metrics are just estimates. On certain sports, you won’t even get any distance data.
It really sucks not to have GPS data.
Sports tracking and logging
If you look at both smartwatches’ workout menus, you’ll notice they look really similar.
I mean, green icons and white text?
But that’s where the similarities end.
What you get with the Apple Watch Series 6 is much more comprehensive.
The data the Apple Watch can offer you is much better. For one, it has a GPS.
The options for exercises and workouts are good on both watches if you are the swim-bike-run type of guy.
If you aren’t, though, then you might find yourself “rowing” a paddle board or “cycling” on water.
This is a pet peeve that I have from both smartwatches. I like to do less common stuff and they both don’t have the sports that I enjoy.
But that’s OK. I mean… Google Wear OS’s implementation of a lot of workouts is pretty basic, offering little extra information. It’s only when you start paying for the premium smartwatches like the Garmin Fenix 6 or the Suunto 7 do you actually get proper
Battery life
A while ago a friend asked me which smartwatch I’d recommend.
He was getting three days worth of battery life with his Garmin.
I should have told him to get the Ticwatch GTH. It lasts a week if you really drain it down to zero.
On the other hand, the Apple Watch Series 6 is a bit more typical. You’ll get 36 hours of battery life and then that’s it.
So, if you are looking or something whose primary function is to tell the time, then you’ll do really well with the Ticwatch GTH. Apple Watches are really meant to be charged in the same way you’d charge your smartphone.
Verdict
I’m a smartwatch kind of guy and we’re smartwatch enthusiasts here at Threadcurve.
So, I am gonna recommend you the Apple Watch Series 6. You can’t go wrong with the ultimate smartwatch for Apple iPhone users.
The only time you’d go wrong is if you don’t need all the fancy features (let’s be real: over half of the features of the Apple Watch is available on your iPhone).
If you want a timepiece that can do a few tricks, then you might be happy with what the Ticwatch GTH can offer.
it’s just very good value, but with many rough edges and marginal implementations.
It does look good, lasts long and really is more of a competitor to Fitbit’s entry level watches, although Fitbit has become a whole new game now that it has been Googleized.