Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro vs. Fitbit Charge 5

You might be new to fitness tracking and are considering grabbing a simple and affordable tracker for under $150. In this case, there are a few models from which to choose. When looking at the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro vs. Fitbit Charge 5, both models fit the bill. But they each have some distinct features that set them apart from one another. How can you decide? We're here to help.

Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro vs. Fitbit Charge 5: The look and basic operation

Based solely on looks, there's a very distinct difference between these two devices: the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro is designed to look more like a smartwatch, in fact, resembling the square face you might recognize on an Apple Watch, like the Series 7. By comparison, the Fitbit Charge 5 is a fitness band with a long rectangular, and thus much smaller and thinner face.

The Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro measures 1.55-inches and boasts a 360 x 320 display. It only comes in one color option, Meteorite Black, with one size band, a 20mm black rubber strap — though you can look for interchangeable bands. It has a single button on the side along with a side-mounted PPG sensor (plus one on the underside that sits against your skin). 

You can choose from a ton of watch faces, 121 of them to be exact, in the Mobvoi app, which allows you to really customize the look of the screen. It's not an always-on screen, though you can activate a tilt-to-awake feature so the screen lights up when you tilt your wrist. In his review of the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro, Android Central's Chris Wedel says it's very comfortable to wear.

With up to 10 days of battery life, the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro rivals some of the big brands, going strong for about a week and a half before you even have to think about recharging it. It's also water-resistant with a 5ATM rating and is powered by a custom RTOS software as opposed to Google's WearOS that you'll find in other smartwatches and trackers from the brand.

The Fitbit Charge 5, meanwhile, has a much smaller 1.04-inch screen but it's AMOLED so you'll get bright, crisp, easy-to-read text. It's also always on so as soon as you angle it toward your face, the screen will light up attentively. It comes in three color options including black/Graphite stainless steel, Lunar White/soft gold stainless steel, and Steel Blue/platinum stainless steel with a small or large band size option. You can also swap out the band for an infinite number of other options from both Fitbit and third parties. Thus, you'll get a much more premium look with the Fitbit Charge 5 along with more premium materials via silicone and stainless.

You can choose among a variety of watch faces (about two dozen) for the Fitbit Charge 5 but you won't have as many options as with the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro and they are all fairly similar and standard. The watch faces are nothing to write home about, but if this isn't a priority for you, it won't matter. Also water-resistant with a 5ATM rating, it runs for up to a week per charge, which is still pretty decent. I have been wearing a Charge 5 for months and never find it a nuisance to recharge. Within an hour, it will be almost, if not entirely, full. The band is powered by the Fitbit OS, and is so comfortable to wear that you'll easily forget you're wearing it.

Mobvio TicWatch GTH Pro vs. Fitbit Charge 5: Drilling down the specs

Here's how these two fitness trackers compare when it comes to the bare bones specs.

Looking at the specs, they have some of the same features but differences become more noticeable as you drill down further. There are some notable features that could sway your decision, as we'll discover in the next sections.

Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro vs. Fitbit Charge 5: Exercising, health, and wellness

If you're looking for a tracker that can help monitor your workouts as well as other vital health stats, both of these devices will work. However, there are some important differences and stand-out features.

With the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro, the most critical difference is the addition of a feature called Arty. Using dual PPG biosensors, the watch focuses on monitoring your arterial and heart health. Powered by ATCOR, Arty takes measurements from both your wrist and fingertip to measure arterial waveforms from your pulse as blood flows through your body to deliver a heart health score. But you need to manually take readings by placing your finger over the top of the side sensor. It's recommended to do this twice a day — in the morning and before bed — to get a history of readings that can paint a more holistic picture, combined with the other measurements the watch captures about your activity, sleep, and more.

It sounds wonderfully useful in theory, but in his review of the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro, Wedel found that he would often have to take multiple readings as he would receive an error message without any indication as to what he was doing wrong to cause it. Thus, the feature might take a bit of patience, but when it works, it can be a really important one for those looking specifically for a watch that can keep track of their heart health. You'll even get your ArtyAge, a measurement of your heart age that you can compare to your actual age, along with personalized tips on lifestyle changes you can make to improve.

Beyond that feature, the Mobvoi TicWatch tracks all the other useful stats, including daily steps, blood oxygen, heart rate, sleep, and even skin temperature. For exercising, you can choose from 14 common workouts like running, indoor cycling, swimming, walking, and rowing. For everything else beyond the 14, there's a "freestyle" workout option.

When it comes to fitness tracking, Fitbit is one of the best, and the Fitbit Charge 5 in particular, makes our list of the best fitness trackers you can buy. That's for good reason. While there are no fancy features for heart health, by design the Fitbit Charge 5 measures 24/7 heart rate and provides notifications if it detects fluctuations without a reason. You can take an ECG with the band and get data on heart rate variability that can indicate signs of stress, fatigue, or illness. 

You won't get a heart health age number but you will get details on your cardio fitness level, which is just as useful. If you want to dive deeper, you can opt for a Fitbit Premium subscription and pay monthly for additional health insights.

You get access to 20 exercises, from walking and running to yoga, pilates, swimming, HIIT, and more, giving you plenty of options to be able to track very specific workouts and exercises. SmartTrack will automatically recognize certain activities, like running or swimming and start tracking for you if you forget to initiate the workout from the app or band itself. 

Active Zone Minutes, meanwhile, can track how many minutes you spend in fat burn, cardio, and peak heart rate zones during a workout. A Daily Readiness Score is also available (but a Premium subscription is required) that will take into account a history of daily activity, heart rate, sleep patterns, and more to advise when would be the best time for you to work out.

All of the same features found in the Mobvoi TicWatch are available in the Fitbit Charge 5 as well, including daily steps, blood oxygen, sleep data with detailed Sleep Scores (Fitbit is one of the most accurate for sleep tracking), and skin temperature. 

But you can also leverage the Fitbit app for workouts, mindfulness exercises, and more, and connect with a community of other users there to compete in challenges, see where you stack up, get recipes, and other helpful additions. A Premium subscription unlocks even more, and while the Fitbit Charge 5 no longer comes with a trial, you can get a one-year subscription at a deep discount with purchase.

Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro vs. Fitbit Charge 5: What else to consider

There are a few other things to keep in mind when selecting a smartwatch or fitness band. 

The Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro has some added niceties, like a built-in alarm (though our reviewer found it frustrating since it only buzzes a few times before shutting off and has to be set from the app), flashlight, do not disturb mode, power saving mode, Find My Phone, sync options with Google Fit, Runkeeper, and Strava; reminders to move, and a built-in app for weather. But overall, it's very limited in additional features. You can't download other apps to the device but notifications are limited to only a few simple apps. 

Fitbit goes above and beyond in this respect. You'll get an alarm that can be set in the app or right from your wrist, a do not disturb mode, reminders to move, and more. It can sync with a multitude of third-party apps, works with Fitbit Pay for making mobile payments right from your wrist, and can display notifications from a wide range of apps, including some mobile banking apps; plus Facebook, Gmail, Google Classroom, Google Maps, and more. It also works with Google Fast Pair for quick pairing to a compatible mobile device.

Fitbit has plenty of other features as well worth mentioning, from female health tracking to EDA sensor for stress tracking along with a stress management score, plus a really intuitive app.

Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro vs. Fitbit Charge 5: Which should you get?

Especially if this will be your first fitness band or smartwatch, you'll want to ensure you have a pleasurable experience with it. In this respect, it's worth forking over the extra $30 or so for the Fitbit Charge 5. You'll get a better, more premium-looking device and Fitbit's tried and true reputation for everything from exercise to sleep tracking. With a Fitbit Premium subscription, you get even more, though it will require a recurring fee. 

The Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro sounds enticing for those who are especially concerned about heart health, but the Fitbit Charge 5 has plenty of heart-related tracking and measurement features, many of which are on 24/7 so you don't need to stop and take a reading twice a day (though you can also take an ECG reading twice a day with the Charge 5 if you wanted to do so). 

Beyond Arty, though, there isn't much that stands out for the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro. The extra battery life in the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro is a tempting spec, but not enough to sway the decision.

If you want a smartwatch design, there are better options to consider among the best smartwatches, and you might find it's worth it to save up, wait a bit longer, and get one of those.

The Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro might be a viable option if you don't really exercise and just want to track the basics along with the occasional walk, hike, or bike ride. Even still, given the price difference, the Fitbit Charge 5 will futureproof the purchase in case you decide to get more active later.

In Jeramy Johnson's review of the Fitbit Charge 5, he found the device to be a bit too expensive to suit everyone who might not be willing to pay extra for the premium features it offers in a band design. But with the price having come down on this band since, which he calls a "smartwatch lite" option, it's totally worth it.

The bottom line is this: When it comes to the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro vs. Fitbit Charge 5, given how close these two devices are in price, I'd opt for the Fitbit Charge 5 over the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro and leverage all the great features Fitbit, and this tracker, in particular, has to offer.