TicWatch Atlas Is a $350 Rugged WearOS Watch With a Heat Map, SOS Features

Mobvoi's new TicWatch Atlas takes a rugged approach to its latest WearOS smartwatch, while keeping the $350 starting price of the prior TicWatch Pro 5 models.

The Atlas smartwatch comes in a stainless steel model with a 1.43-inch AMOLED display. The watch's new software features include a Heat Map for tracking one's most active locations when exercising. The Atlas also adds a fall detection feature, which wasn't available on prior TicWatch 5 smartwatches, for triggering an SOS alert to call 911 or an emergency contact in the event of a fall. Rival Android watches like the Google Pixel Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch series also have this feature, so it's good to see Mobvoi's watch reach parity by adding it.

TicWatch also notes that the Atlas is now able to display health tracking stats like heart rate, calories burned and one's Vo2 Max on the watch's secondary Ultra-low-power display before entering into the watch's workout modes. That low power display is usually how TicWatch differentiates itself from other WearOS watches, by providing an option for showing essential data without having to fully power up the watch's more power-intensive OLED display.

Mobvoi says that the Atlas should get about 90 hours of battery life when in Smart mode -- where the watch alternates between the lower power display and the OLED display. Mobvoi also rates the watch for 45 days when it's in Essential mode, where it primarily just uses that lower power display.

The TicWatch Atlas is available starting Tuesday in both silver and black finishes, and ships with Google's WearOS 4 operating system.