How to Choose Between OnePlus Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 2

Posted on by

There are some great Android smartwatches on the market, and I’ve spent a lot of time with many of them, testing them out and putting them through their paces in everyday life. The top two options, the soon-to-be-launched Google Pixel Watch 2 and OnePlus Watch 2, offer similar specs in similar packages, which can make choosing between them difficult. After using both devices regularly, I can confidently say that neither shines brighter than the other, but depending on what you’re looking for—like longer battery life or a more polished user experience—one of them is likely , will turn out to be the best choice.

Characteristics

Let’s get this out of the way right away. The specs of the OnePlus Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 2 look great on paper. They both offer 32GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM, and both come with Wear OS 4. However, this is where the similarities start to emerge. Let’s take a closer look at each of them below.

OnePlus Watch 2 Specifications:

  • Size: 47mm x 46.6mm x 12.1mm

  • Weight: 49 g without strap.

  • Display: 1.43-inch AMOLED panel, 60Hz, 1000 nits brightness, 466 x 466 resolution.

  • Housing: Stainless steel

  • Chipset: SnapdragonTM W5 + BES2700 dual-core architecture

  • Memory: 32 GB

  • RAM: 2 GB

  • Sensors: acceleration, gyroscope, optical pulse oximeter, optical pulse oximeter, geomagnetic, light, barometer, dual-frequency L1+L5, Beidou, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS

  • LTE: No

  • Battery size: 500mAh

  • Protection: 5ATM, IP68, MIL-STD-810H, 2.5D sapphire crystal.

  • OS: Wear OS 4 + RTOS

  • Compatible phones: Android 8.0 or later, GMS 23.45.23 or later.

Pixel Watch 2 Specifications:

  • Size: 41 x 41 x 12.3 mm.

  • Weight: 31 g without strap.

  • Display: 1.2-inch AMOLED panel, 60Hz, 1000 nits brightness, 384×384 resolution.

  • Housing: Aluminum

  • Chipset: Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 + MCU Cortex M33

  • Memory: 32 GB

  • RAM: 2 GB

  • Sensors: accelerometer, altimeter, ambient light, cEDA, compass, ECG, gyroscope, magnetometer, optical heart rate, skin temperature, SpO2.

  • LTE: Yes

  • Battery size: 306 mAh

  • Protection: Gorilla Glass 5; 5ATM; IP68

  • OS: Wear OS 4

  • Compatible Phones: Android 8.0 or later.

Both have good specs, great displays and plenty of sensors. Of course, the Pixel Watch 2 has more health-focused features since Google has started using Fitbit components here. It also provides slightly more accurate sensor data than the OnePlus Watch 2, so if you’re interested in the most accurate sensors, that’s something to keep in mind.

Design

Pixel Watch 2 (left), OnePlus Watch 2 (right) Photo: Joshua Hawkins

The OnePlus Watch 2 has a more traditional sports watch look with a flat display, while the Pixel Watch 2 has a unique and beautiful sparkling pebble-like display that makes it stand out from other smartwatches on the market.

The OnePlus Watch 2 is also larger and heavier than the Pixel Watch 2, meaning that on smaller wrists the Pixel Watch 2 will likely be more comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The Pixel Watch 2 is made of an aluminum body, which is lighter but less durable than the stainless steel body of the original Pixel Watch. Meanwhile, the OnePlus Watch 2 is made entirely of stainless steel and even meets MIL-STD-810H standards, making it statistically more durable than the Pixel Watch 2.

Ultimately, choosing a design is about figuring out which one will be most comfortable. Personally, I prefer the larger design of the OnePlus Watch 2, and the larger display means the watch is easier to move around and view various notifications. However, for smaller wrists, the Pixel Watch 2 will still be one of the best Android smartwatch options, especially if you want to keep the same pure Google experience.

Battery life

1 credit

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room: battery life. It’s no secret that the Pixel Watch 2 has one of the worst battery life scores among smartwatches. Yes, that’s better than the battery life of the original Pixel Watch, but it’s still nowhere near the decades-long battery life of the Galaxy Watch 6 or some of the other options on the market right now. When using Always-on-Display, the Pixel Watch 2 typically has about 24 hours of battery life.

This isn’t great, especially for a smartwatch that you might want to use to track sleep and other health metrics. On the other hand, the OnePlus Watch 2 is rated to last up to 100 hours on a single charge. That’s a huge difference, and even in my testing, I was able to use the OnePlus Watch 2 in Smart Mode (which OnePlus recommends) with Always-on-Display for almost four days without worrying about charging it.

This gave me more usage options since I didn’t have to worry about keeping the charger nearby or throwing my watch on the charger between tasks. So, if battery life is your top priority, the OnePlus Watch 2 is the best option for you.

The charging speed of the OnePlus Watch 2 is also extremely impressive, especially when using one of the company’s OnePlus power banks: I was able to charge my watch from 9 to 100 percent in less than 30 minutes. The Pixel Watch 2 also charges relatively quickly, and both watches use proprietary pin chargers.

Performance

Credit: Joshua Hawkins

So the OnePlus Watch 2 will provide better battery life, but in terms of performance, things get a little more complicated. Sure, Wear OS 4 is a little smoother on the Pixel Watch 2. But both smartwatches use similar chipset designs, with the OnePlus Watch 2 powered by a Snapdragon W5 for most of the heavy lifting and a BES 2700 microcontroller for the rest of the power. – preservation of functions.

The Pixel Watch 2, on the other hand, has a Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor that does most of the heavy lifting, and a Cortex M33 microcontroller that helps with other processing functions. The result is a truly smooth Wear OS experience, exactly what you’d expect from an Android and Wear OS company.

However, daily use of these two devices results in similar performance in most cases. I noticed some lag in various apps when using the OnePlus Watch 2, but it never stopped me from doing what I was doing. Otherwise, both smartwatches respond instantly to your touch and are very easy to navigate and operate.

One of the key differences between the two is that the OnePlus Watch 2 uses RTOS for many of its core apps and notifications. This can be frustrating as it makes the situation a little unnecessarily difficult. But once you get the hang of it, it won’t be so bad. However, the Pixel Watch 2 is pure Wear OS 4, so it doesn’t have to switch between operating systems, which could make for a slightly smoother experience, especially since it’s more polished overall.

But which is better?

Those looking for a cheaper, larger, yet premium product will find the OnePlus Watch 2 , priced at $299, extremely attractive. It’s a great smartwatch that shows OnePlus’ commitment to improving its devices, and it’s a strong contender for being one of the best smartwatches on the market right now .

On the other hand, the Pixel Watch 2 is only $50 more expensive (you can find it on sale for the same price most of the time) and offers more sparkle and a more unique design for $349.99. If you’re looking for a smaller, more advanced Android smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 2 is the one for you.

The battery also plays an important role in this decision, and since both devices will perform similarly, those looking for a longer lasting battery should seriously consider the OnePlus Watch 2 and its 100+ hour battery life.

More…

0
Android

Leave a Reply