Amazfit GTS 3 vs. Mobvoi TicWatch E3: Which fitness wearable should you buy?

When comparing the Amazfit GTS 3 vs. Mobvoi TicWatch E3, both can be great workout companions, offering 24/7 management of your health and wellness. Both stand out thanks to the ability to track some cool and unique sports modes you don't see as commonly with other smartwatches and fitness trackers, like dance, board games, martial arts, and jump rope, along with the standard ones like walk, run, cycle, and treadmill (some come loaded, some need to be downloaded).

Before delving into the details of the Amazfit GTS 3 and Mobvoi TicWatch E3, both of which we named among the best cheap smartwatches for Android, here's a quick look at how these two compare when it comes to the core specs, looks, and features for at-a-glance details.

As you can see, they seem similar on the surface, but it's really when you get down to the nitty-gritty that the differences between these two watches shine through. Let's take a closer look to help you decide which you should buy.

Amazfit GTS 3 vs. Mobvoi TicWatch E3: What they offer for exercise and fitness

 In total, the GTS 3 can track more than 150 sports. The TicWatch E3, by comparison, can track over 100.

The Mobvoi TicWatch E3 tracks some interesting exercises, like roller skating, frisbee, tug of war, and skateboarding along with the most common ones. It offers proactive motion tracking to automatically detect when walking, running, and cycling, and will record data like your heart rate, calorie burn, and V02 max as you go. 

The Amazfit GTS 3 has automatic recognition of more than that, including eight sports in total — running, indoor and outdoor walking, treadmill, cycling, rowing, elliptical, and swimming — so it will automatically realize when you're doing one of these activities, even if you forget to start tracking. 

That said, on both devices, you can simply manually start a generic workout and track your stats as you go. And most importantly, if there's a sport you want to play or activity you like to do, chances are both watches will have a specific mode to track it. 

The Amazfit GTS 3 has some neat additional features that give it a leg up in this department, like the PAI health assessment system and BioTracker PPG 3.0 biometric sensor which lets you test four health metrics in 45 seconds with just a single tap:  blood oxygen level, heart rate, stress level, and sleep. It's a great way to get an at-a-glance look at how you're doing that day. 

It also includes the PeakBeats motion algorithm, which assesses your maximum oxygen uptake (i.e. Vo2 max level), recovery time, training load, and training effect, making this watch the better option if you're doing a serious workout program or training for a half-marathon. Speaking of running, this is also the better watch for runners due to another cool feature: Virtual Pacer will display an icon on the watch's screen that shows your previous and current runs so you have a target to follow and try to beat or keep on pace with. However, the Amazfit GTS 3 unfortunately does not have a built-in speaker, so you won't hear any audible guidance, which is one downside to the smartwatch.

The TicWatch E3 isn't a slouch in the fitness department, though. It does the typical workout tracking with stats viewable in the app and offers some new HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts, which are popular nowadays. It's also useful that the watch will alert you via audible notifications when you reach a target heart rate zone, and when you exceed it, so you can tweak your workout as you go without having to glance over at your wrist. That's a plus one for this model.

Amazfit GTS 3 vs. Mobvoi TicWatch E3: How they look and run

Style could be the deciding factor here for some, and whole both smartwatches are sleek and stylish, they do look markedly different from one another. 

The Amazfit GTS 3 sports a square face with a digital crown on the side that makes it look almost indistinguishable from an Apple Watch at a distance. Its 1.75-inch, 341 ppi ultraHD AMOLED screenoffers a 72.4 percent screen-to-body ratio, which is generous, but means you will have some real estate on the sides that's just black.

By contrast, the Mobvoi TicWatch E3 has a round face that more resembles a standard wristwatch or smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch. Its screen it also smaller at just 1.3-inches and 360 x 360 resolution along with two function buttons on the right side. 

Both are lightweight and slim, although the Amazfit GTS 3 is surprisingly lighter at just 24.4 grams, versus 32 grams for the TicWatch E3.

Both also let you customize the screen to achieve the look you want with a variety of watch faces (including animated options from the Amazfit GTS 3), and you can even add your own photo as a background as well. The two watches also come with flexible bands that can be swapped out for third-party ones or different colors, with Amazfit touting its GTS 3 band as being antibacterial as well. The TicWatch E3 band, meanwhile, has a quick-release strap for easy swapping.

The Amazfit GTS 3 comes in colors that are "inspired by nature," including graphite black, ivory white, and terra rosa. It's water resistant and offers decent battery life: the Amazfit GTS 3 can run for up to 12 days per charge, but that is significantly reduced to just 20 hours with continuous GPS use. However, if you only use GPS while going for a 30-minute run each day or a few times a week, for example, this will only reduce the battery life slightly. There's also a battery saver mode that only runs the essential functions and apps and increases battery life up to 20 days — ideal for going on vacation, for example.

The Mobvoi TicWatch E3 only comes in a panther black finish and is also water-resistant. But a big downside for the TicWatch E3 is that it only runs for about two days per charge. There is an Essential mode that will automatically kick in any time the battery is below five percent, showing just the most important stats. But having to charge several times a week could be a dealbreaker for some.

The Amazfit GTS 3 runs on the company's own Zepp OS, which isn't quite as robust as other more well-known operating systems. While there's no third-party app support, it does work with Alexa and even has an offline voice assistant that can be used to do things like open sports mode without requiring an Internet connection.

By contrast, the Mobvoi TicWatch E3 runs on Google WearOS, which will make it an appealing option for those familiar with the operating system. If you're already committed to the Google ecosystem, you'll have seamless access to services like Google Maps, Google Assistant (which you can use to control compatible smart home devices as well), and Google Pay. You can also download and use apps like Telegram, Strava, Spotify, Lifesum, and many others. This is a plus for the TicWatch if you're interested in downloading third-party apps.

Amazfit GTS 3 vs. Mobvoi TicWatch E3: What else do they do?

Like most smartwatches these days, both these models do far more than just monitor workouts and steps. They can deliver notifications from a connected smartphone and capture detailed sleep data, including sleep stages and breathing quality, and even offer suggestions on how to improve.

They also monitor stress, with the Amazfit GTS 3 allowing you to conduct a manual stress test on-demand, after which it will prompt you to do a breathing exercise if it detects a high level of stress. The Amazfit GTS 3, however, goes a step further when it comes to advanced features, especially concerning women. Its female health-tracking feature allows you to keep a record of your menstrual cycle to get predictions and reminders for upcoming periods.

The Mobvoi TicWatch E3 has TicZen stress monitoring which does much the same, with the TicHear feature advising if you are overstressed and alerting you to do a TicBreathe breathing exercise. 

While you can pair the Mobvoi TicWatch E3 with any set of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, you get special features with the company's compatible TicPods models, including the ability for hands-free control to do things like play/pause, song skip, and adjust volume, all with your voice. 

With the Amazfit GTS 3, you can also pair it with Bluetooth headphones and earbuds of all kinds for hands-free listening (though not control). The Bluetooth capabilities go a step further as you can use the watch as a Bluetooth camera control, flashlight, or even to find your misplaced phone. 

Amazfit GTS 3 vs. Mobvoi TicWatch E3: Amazfit GTS 3 is the best choice for serious fitness enthusiasts

If you're really into fitness and looking for more than just a basic smartwatch that can count steps, show notifications, and track the odd walk, run, or workout, the Amazfit GTS 3 is the better option of the two. The Mobvoi TicWatch E3's battery life is just disappointing; two-day battery life in this day and age is simply not enough, even with the handy Essential mode. The Amazfit GTS 3 blows other feature-rich smartwatches out of the water with its impressive 12-day battery life. Even measuring conservatively, if it only lasts seven to eight days, that's still a once-a-week charge, which means your 24/7 tracking won't be interrupted so often.

But beyond the battery life, the sheer number of unique exercise types the Amazfit GTS 3 tracks is convenient. Imagine turning on the watch before you start playing an intense game of Catan with the family or using it to track your killer moves in Just Dance.

These days, we want our smartwatches to be proactive and help us through things other than just workouts, which is where features like the Amazfit GTS 3's manual on-demand stress test and breathing exercises come in. It's a great way to remind yourself to take a minute of calm every now and then. For women, female health tracking is also an essential and a feature that should come standard with any health tracker, as it does in the Amazfit GTS 3.

Now, the Mobvoi TicWatch E3 is still a great smartwatch if you're OK using it in Essential mode for most of the day until you're ready for some exercise, or you don't mind charging it every few days. It does have some neat features like the unique sports tracking and the Google WearOS, which opens the door to a plethora of apps. But the lack of battery life is simply non-negotiable.

The last factor that makes the Amazfit GTS 3 our top pick is that it's actually the cheaper option of the two, so you'll save money in the process. Of course, if neither of these watches tickles your fancy, you can always choose from some of the best Android smartwatches.