The Ticwatch C2 and Ticwatch S2 share the same hardware with minor differences. So, do you want a petite and slick smartwatch or a robust and large one?
Sometimes I wonder how Mobvoi names their smartwatches.
I know the number behind the watch’s model is the version. So “Ticwatch C2” means it’s a second generation C-series.
But what do the letters mean?
From my experience, the S2 doesn’t mean slow, or sluggish. Not does the C mean crappy or crummy.
In fact, both smartwatches are great smartwatches because they use the excellent Wear OS from Google and they are also very good at doing whatever they are intended to do.
Related: Ticwatch Pro vs Ticwatch C2 | Ticwatch C2 vs Ticwatch E2 | Ticwatch C2 vs Fitbit Versa 2 | Ticwatch C2 vs Polar Vantage V | Ticwatch C2 vs Apple Watch Series 5 | Ticwatch C2 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch/Active 2 | Ticwatch C2 vs Ticwatch S2 | Ticwatch C2 vs Garmin Fenix 6 | Ticwatch C2 vs Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle | Ticwatch C2 Review
Uh, what are they intended for?
Both watches are generally targeting the general-purpose consumer who not only wants a timepiece, but also wants something that can interface with a smartphone.
Do you hate it when you have to constantly pull your phone out to read texts?
Do you love it when you can bring the convenience of Google Assistant onto your wrist?
Are you a data addict who wants something that will log your workouts?
These smartwatches definitely can do those. In fact, these two watches are so similar that it really is down to your preferences..
When it comes to hardware, you should know that these two smartwatches come with the same Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor and 512MB of RAM. Performance is mostly smooth but this watch cannot multitask — if you have an update running in the background, your watch will be super sluggish.
Who should buy the S2?
The S2 is really meant for people who want a bigger watch that has a higher durability than other smartwatches.
It sets itself apart from other Mobvoi watches because of its US Military Standard 810G durability rating which means the S2 is operational between -20ºC to 55ºC; resistant to humidity, dust, and salt fog.
Otherwise, you might also like it because it has a bigger screen. A big screen is useful for making out details when you have a watch face that has a lot of information packed onto it, for example.
And the C2?
The Ticwatch C2 is a lot more stylish. Not only does it have a leather strap, but it also has a stainless steel watch case.
It’s also petite which might be a better fit for people with smaller wrists.
But ugh, I really, really don’t like the leather strap. It’s stiff, sticky and Mobvoi says you can’t take it into water.
The TIcwatch C2 is ready for pool swims but the strap isn’t. How idiotic is that?
The one good thing that the C2 has over the S2 is that it has a NFC chip for contactless payment. I found it really useful when going to the beach and you want to leave your wallet locked up in the car or lockers.
Shared traits
As mentioned, both smartwatches come with the same operating system. Wear OS is an excellent for productivity because it has one of the best speech-to-text system which trickles down into a great experience with its voice assistant, Google Assistant and also replying to texts and emails.
Texts and emails
Replying to texts and emails is a pretty great experience. This is as good as it gets for Android users.
iPhone users will get a better experience with the Apple Watch Series 5, but also prepare for some severe wallet hurt.
Unfortunately, iPhone users can’t reply to messages on a Wear OS device.
But Android users can receive and reply to texts and emails that come through your notifications.
Replying to them involves choosing a method of input. You could use the speech-to-text function which allows you to speak directly into your watch and get it transcribed.
This method is the most efficient and the one I frequently choose.
Google has an excellent interpreting system and therefore can give you good results with the occasional issues especially when there’s slang or terminology that it doesn’t understand.
Funny, it understood me when I said “derping”, a slang word that had its heyday in the early 2010s.
If you can’t use the speech-to-text function, you could also use a dynamically-generated reply, emoji or input letters by hand writing or by typing on a keyboard. At this point, it’s generally more efficient to use your phone.
Winner: Tie
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is great because it understands you most of the time.
And you really come to appreciate Google Assistant when you are trying to get a timer and don’t want to go deep into your menus.
Just long-press a button and you can summon Google Assistant.
The great thing about Google Assistant is that it is able to help you find out a lot. It can search the web for information, it can navigate you to a destination and do calculations for you.
Both the Ticwatch C2 and Ticwatch S2 offer a similar experience. A slow one, sometimes, but one that works most of the time.
What I find most annoying about these two smartwatches is that sometimes it tells you to “Speak now” but in reality it’s not ready to accept input.
Winner: Tie
Apps
The Wear OS has a big app store and that’s great because this really allows you to extend the capabilities of the smartwatch.
One great benefit is that both the Ticwatch C2 and S2 will benefit from having access to the Google suite of apps including Maps, Keep and Translate.
You can also download games and watch faces should you not like the default ones offered by Google and Mobvoi.
I personally think Mobvoi’s watch faces are just OK. Fossil’s are better.
Winner: Tie
Sports
The Ticwatch S2 is marketed as a watch meant for intense sports like surfing and mountaineering.
The Ticwatch C2 is meant for people who live yuppie and slick city lives and need to give off a vibe of “coolness”.
But both have the same suite of software so theoretically (or as the cool people say these days, “technically”) both the Ticwatch C2 and S2 should be able to do the same things.
Unfortunately for the Ticwatch C2, it has that issue with the strap being non-waterproof. So you’d have to swap it out beforehand.
Otherwise, both smartwatches come with their own integrated GPS. That really helps because it means you can go exercise without bringing your smartphone around for location data.
Both smartwatches come with the Google Fit suite and the Mobvoi’s TicHealth/TicExercise/TicPulse apps.
They basically do the same thing and the differentiation between Google Fit and Mobvoi’s suite has been getting smaller and smaller.
The big advantage that the TicExercise has over Google Fit is that it has a Pool Swim mode.
Google Fit still doesn’t have it. Not sure why. Maybe it’s because not all smartwatches are waterproof.
Otherwise, both apps function more or less the same, except I prefer Google Fit because the layout and smartphone app is better designed.
Verdict
The two watches really come down to your preference.
There is really zero difference is software, so it’s all down to the hardware and what your usage patterns.
Do you like a smartwatch that is smaller, has a stainless steel watch case and has an NFC chip or do you like one that is certified to be durable?
Either way, you can’t go wrong.
