Demanding, elegant and extremely smart, you won't be disappointed in this hour.

Introductory

Today's Android smartphones can be divided into two major groups. On the one hand, there are the cheap, under $ 200 but normal Android devices, which are mostly bare-bones, often stuffed with a complete phone, and on the other hand, the more expensive, branded pieces that wear Android Wear, or Google wearables. running their invented system. You don't need to be an expert to be sure, the latter are more useful. Not only is the Wear interface customized for clock use, it also provides a great user experience on much weaker hardware.

There is a large wasteland between the two sections, which sometimes only rarely receives valuable lessons. That's why the TicWatch C2 caught my attention. It is not equipped with the cheapest hardware, so the system will probably run normally and its price is in the affordable category. An additional, but not overlooked, feature is that it is beautiful. Finally a classic shape that doesn't want to look sporty, not too big, not too thick and not too heavy. These attributes will play a role later, but leave it to be evaluated.

The point is, at first sight, it was love, and now, after two months of using it, I dare to say I made the right choice!

Packaging and exterior

The watch comes in an elegant white cardboard box. Inside, the number of accessories is minimal, with just the charger next to the watch. Of course, there is a detailed description and a set-up guide, but this is to be expected. So nothing special.

Once the charger has been mentioned, I will immediately hand out the first red dot. I've used a lot of smart watches, but I haven't fainted from the chargers. It was either a flat stuff that had to be snapped into the watch, or some small magnetic pin that had to be attached to the contacts. I did not like the former because, even at Xiaomi, the operation was macerated, the latter because I was constantly mixing the charging cable.

The TicWatch C2 is equipped with a magnetic cradle for charging. No need to snap the watch, just release it and pull it into place. Slap a simple solution, you can imitate!

Looking at the watch, the first thing that came to my mind was that it was very elegant. Available in three colors, Black, Gold and Gray (Onyx, Rose Gold, Platinum). I chose the latter. In this case, gray means that the stainless steel watch body does not receive any coloration, meaning that it is a completely natural, metallic effect.

We are quite good in size, though the clock is still small. This is due to the dial, which should not be too small for a smart watch, as it would be detrimental to use. Nevertheless, it does not look clumsy, and there is no mistake in its thickness or weight.

Usually we use the touch screen during use, but we also get two hardware buttons. Sometimes they come in handy, but I'll keep that in mind later.

As I wrote, the upper part of the watch body is made of steel, and above the dial is scratch resistant glass. This ability has always been tested by me, but it passed the test, and within two months there was no orphan scratch. The bottom of the watch is plastic, this part will be towards our wrist, so the overall effect of the different material will not break at all. At the bottom, a little protruding is the sensor of the heart rate monitor, which, while in use, is not that disturbing or noticeable. Next to it are the contacts needed for charging, nothing else.

Since the SIM card cannot be inserted into this watch, there is no snap-on or screw-on cover. The assembly is exemplary, there are no gaps, no saddle, so the packs are worth it. The only but not significant negative is the strap, which is made of real leather but seems a bit cheap. It's not bad, you can add other types of straps, so if you don't like it you can replace it.

The exterior, or more specifically the housing, data is IP68 dust and water protection. IP68 will be enough to keep your watch from soaking in sweat, withstanding rain or splashing water during hand washing. Theoretically, it should be able to withstand a light shower, but I was not led by the soul to test it.

Operation and hardware

Let's start with the hardware first. As I wrote in the introduction, a watch running Android Wear does not need brutal hardware. For example, the TicWatch C2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear quad-core processor. As its name suggests, this Snapdragon is designed for wearable devices, so its clock performance and performance are not behind the solutions found in phones. The amount of memory is modest, only 512 MB, and the storage is 4 GB, and it is not expandable.

The C2 received an 400 mAh battery. As opposed to TicWatch watches, battery life is often cited as a major disadvantage, not entirely without merit. The manufacturer says that one charge a day with heavy use, and two with less use. The data is pretty much right. If we turn on GPST, Bluetoot, if we push a lot, say read incoming messages on it all the time, then it really is a day. Since I used it most often as an hour, as a phone accessory, it was not uncommon to last three days. So you have to calculate that. I note that even a one-day run is not unbearable because the watch is not built into the watch, so you can take it off at night and put it in a charger. All in all, it takes a ridiculously little time, just an hour, to fully charge.

What really deserves praise is the display. The AMOLED panel has a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels with beautiful colors and brightness that makes it suitable for use in the sun. Unfortunately, I already need glasses for reading, but with this display I can even mess up messages without glasses. It's worth five stars! Touch sensitivity is also flawless, and the watch takes instructions easily and accurately. More importantly, the clock has an Always-On Screen function, which saves power when the dial faces without colors, numbers and more appear only in their contours, thus reducing power consumption and increasing battery life.

I wrote above about the physical buttons. Of these, the upper two functions are provided. Pressing briefly will bring up the menu and press and hold for Android Assistant, waiting for our spoken instructions. Of course, this requires a microphone, the opening of which is halfway between the two buttons. There is a microphone, but no speaker, which again is a flaw that is not really a flaw. Anyone who's been trying to listen to music smartly knows what I'm talking about. What's more, C2 can't be used as a phone, so there's no need for hands-free calling. It would have been completely unnecessary to increase the weight and size of a speaker.

The lower of the two physical buttons is more interesting because it is programmable. By default, fitness data is received when pressed, but I have changed this to the weather report. So here is anything you want to do with the touch of a button.

I mentioned above that there is a GPS in the watch. This is not uncommon, at most in the price range in which C2 plays. During normal use, we do not take much advantage of positioning, it will be very useful during sporting activities, such as cycling or running, as we can accurately measure the distance traveled without having to take our phone with us.

There are not too many sensors, just what is absolutely necessary. We get a gravity sensor, an accelerometer, and a GPS (GPS + GLONASS + Beidou) to get the most accurate motion detection and the aforementioned pulse sensor in the watch.

A smart watch has a basic Bluetooth connection, here is the 4.2 version, and there is a wifi interface that supports everything up to n standards.

Last but not least, C2 does not exclude the NFC feature, which allows us to use Google Pay, for example.

Szoftver

As I mentioned several times, Android Wear is running on the clock. In order to take full advantage of this, it is essential to install the counterpart on your phone as this is where notifications come in, you can set up various functions for quick access, and of course you can change the dial. There are many of them available on the Google web store, but twenty are preinstalled.

The use is very simple. Pulling down the dial will bring up quick settings like airplane mode, brightness adjustment and the like. Drag the dial upwards for notifications. Here you can read your inbox and other messages. Dragging to the left will bring up the functions that are important to us, including fitness measurement data or even weather data. Drag to the right to get Google Now and other quick access stuff, like messages with packet tracking data, so you can access them with a tap.

I have already written about button settings, I will not repeat this, but the point is that the menu where our programs are located can be found by pressing the top button.

The lesson also includes fitness capabilities, for which you can use Google Fit (Fit, Fit Breathe, Fit Workout) or manufacturer programs (TicExercise, TicPulse, TicHealth)

Launching the TicHealth app, you will see a three-ring interface that gives you an overview of active hours, steps and workouts, but by swiping down from the bottom of the screen, you can get more detailed insights into each day's activities, including recorded heart rate information and the complete course of that workout, including route information tracked by GPS.

TicExercise fully supports C2 hardware for fitness tracking, but the range of activities that can be logged is relatively limited; outdoor running and walking, cycling and indoor running are the only dedicated options, while Free Style serves as separate activities.

The function of TicPulse is clear, heart rate measurement is here, which can be instant or turn on the 24 hour measurement for a longer period of time.

As you can read, there are Google apps besides the "factory" programs, so if you are not satisfied with the Tic programs, you can choose them too.

Use

Now is the time to go back to the beginning of the article where dimensions were concerned. I've used a lot of smart watches, but with the exception of one, the Xiaomi Amazfit Pace, I've never really been comfortable with size. The reason is that I drive a lot with the motor and in the case of thicker smart watches I could not pull the zipper on the sleeve of the leather jacket, it simply did not fit. Of course, this can be a problem not only when riding a motorcycle, but also when we are forced to wear a coat because of the weather.

So one of the main considerations for me when choosing was to make my new watch not too bulky, too tall. The other thing I felt was that my watch would finally look like a normal watch. I don't feel too athletic, so much so that I wear a sports watch or watch. I like the elegant pieces much more. And the TicWatch C2 is elegant. Elegant and simple with a stainless steel case, it is really a striking piece that can be worn even in a suit. It does not want to stand out, simple and clean.

I can't bring any negativity about the use itself. As I have written, with forced use, operating time is one day, but since charging is easy and fast, I do not feel a problem either. The biggest problem when traveling is because it is advisable to pack the charger. I used 2-3 days loosely under normal use, but it was an example in the summer that I didn't have my wrists all day, so I only put them on the charger after 5 days.

And Android Wear, the software that runs the watch, is really a completely different world than the normal Android watches. Kospet Hope was not bad either, as its Android is quite well suited to the round face, but Android Wear offers a whole different level of user experience. We certainly do not come across any non-pressing buttons or half of the text that are out of the dial. Android Wear is easy to use and just as easy to install on your phone. It's just perfect.

Verdict, or who I recommend the watch to

TicWatch C2 is an interesting creature. Knowledge does not match a more expensive branded watch, but its price is a fraction of that. It has a fitness function, but it is not pointed at it, it does not know what top sports lessons can do. All you have to do is get it right for everyday use. You can go jogging, GPS can help you measure accurately, but it can also be used as a smart watch, to show you the time, read notifications and letters.

I recommend the watch to people like myself. Sometimes I run a little, sometimes I get on my bike and roll one, but it's not sports that fill my life. However, I love nice hours and I really like smart watch features like weather or reading messages, displaying incoming calls and the like.

Overall, I recommend it to those who like the premium feel, but don't want or can spend many hundreds of thousands of forints on an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch. For them, the TicWatch C2 will be an affordable and premium watch that they won’t have to be ashamed of if it flashes from under the sleeve of their jacket or jacket.

For the test, we also asked the distributor for a special coupon that will allow readers of our blog to buy the TicWatch C2 smartwatch cheaper. THE BGDCHU43 Using a coupon code, we can reduce the price of the watch from HUF 69 to HUF 584.

If you like it, you can buy it here and use the coupon:

TicWatch C2 smartwatch with Android Wear

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