A sequel to one of the best Wear OS watches has just been announced by manufacturer Mobvoi, and it's called the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE.
That new 4G/LTE feature is the main highlight and it will allow you to use the smartwatch away from your mobile phone. You can link your phone number to the device though, so you'll still be able to make and receive calls as well as texts, and use messaging apps.
Mobvoi has only announced the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE for the US so far, where it will be exclusive to carrier Verizon. You can buy the watch from today, but the LTE feature won't be activated until early August.
- Our original TicWatch Pro review
- A guide to the very best smartwatches
- These are the best smartwatches for iPhone
It's not all about the connectivity though, as the company has also brought improvements to the heart rate tracker over the original TicWatch Pro.
Mobvoi hasn't made clear what the upgrade actually entails, but says it "offers 24/7 highly accurate monitoring". The company also says this is the first time its device "displays a comprehensive, real-time history of your heart’s health and steps taken on an hourly basis".
Inside, the watch is largely the same as the original TicWatch Pro, though this version comes with 1GB of RAM, which should help with performance (especially when using those LTE features), as the first edition only had 512MB.
The TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE is still using the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100, which is a dated chipset choice. Recent watches like the Fossil Sport feature the newer 3100 chipset, but the 2100 should be able to give you solid day-to-day performance nevertheless.
Other features include Google Pay, 4GB of storage, and it comes running the latest version of Wear OS software.
It also features the dual-screen technology that allows you to extend the battery life of the watch.
The original TicWatch Pro lasted for around two days in smartwatch mode using the full color AMOLED display, but when you needed to extend the battery life you could switch to a less feature-rich second display that saved on battery.
This second screen (which sits on top of the main one) is a black and white LCD display, and if you're using that it should last for around a month from a single charge.
The overall design of the watch remains similar on the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE, and it continues to be IP68 water-resistant.
In the US, the watch costs $299 (about £240, AU$430), but if you buy before August 10 you'll be able to get it for $279. If you get it directly from Mobvoi's store, the company is also giving you a free Mobvoi TicHome Mini smart speaker.
We don't currently know when (or if) the watch will be coming to the UK or Australia. TechRadar asked Mobvoi for details for both of those markets, but we were told the company had nothing to announce outside of the US at this stage.
That may mean the 4G version of the watch will make a debut later in the year, or it may just turn out to be a US exclusive device. We'll be sure to update you once we know more.
