OnePlus Watch 2 Is Almost Ready to Challenge Apple

After a three-year hiatus, OnePlus is finally back with a new smartwatch. The aptly named OnePlus Watch 2 promises to return to form for the company that originally made its name by offering flagship devices at much more affordable prices.

While I won’t say the OnePlus Watch 2 displaces other Android smartwatches, and there are a few things it could improve on, it does seem like a radical improvement over the first OnePlus Watch – something so old. die-hard OnePlus fans will be happy to hear.

OnePlus Watch 2 Specifications

First, the basics. The numbers and features shown here are exactly what you’d expect from a flagship-class smartwatch, including a 2.5D sapphire crystal and stainless steel case:

• Size: 47mm x 46.6mm x 12.1mm

• Weight: 49g without strap/80g with 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

• Water resistance: 5ATM+IP68

• OS: Wear OS 4

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

As you can see, all of these specs are solid options, and on paper they look like they offer a premium smartwatch that’s more than capable of keeping up with the Pixel Watch 2 and the latest Galaxy smartwatches. Of course, if you’re using an iOS device, you won’t want to buy one: the OnePlus Watch 2 continues the trend of many recent Wear OS devices and doesn’t support iOS in any way.

I spent the past week with the OnePlus Watch and here’s what I learned.

Double down

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the OnePlus Watch 2, and what initially caught my attention when OnePlus approached me about it, is the dual-core architecture. With this dual architecture, OnePlus promises that it will offer up to 100 hours of battery life on a single charge.

Battery claims like this aren’t unusual for the company, as the first OnePlus Watch had amazing battery life, but nothing else was good about it. OnePlus claims that by powering the watch with the Snapdragon W5 chipset and BES 2700, the watch can easily switch between the two to use the more powerful Snapdragon W5 when needed. And overall, I would say that the company has been really successful.

When using the OnePlus Watch 2, I never felt like the watch was lagging, even when fiddling with third-party apps. Switching between different sets of tiles was always quick, and the charge lasted very well. I charged the watch on Tuesday and was able to use it until Friday without putting it back on the charger. Even then, the watch didn’t completely fail, and with the power-saving mode turned on, I was able to get through another day, giving me almost four days of charge with moderate use.

Charging is also extremely easy, with the watch only taking about 30 minutes or so to fully charge using the OnePlus power bank. Charging speeds may vary if you’re not using a OnePlus brick, although the difference shouldn’t be that significant. I found that charging the watch was a bit annoying – the strap was in the way, so I had to turn the watch on its side to make sure it sat flat on the table. But since you don’t have to charge it for longer periods of time, this isn’t much of an issue.

Ultimately, I’d call the dual-motor design a huge win for a smartwatch, especially considering that my regular daily driver ( Apple Watch Ultra 2 ) usually needs to be charged every other day.

Getting smarter

The key to achieving this battery life is what OnePlus calls “smart mode.” According to OnePlus, it’s enabled by default and doesn’t block any of the watch’s capabilities. I didn’t notice anything missing from the watch’s functionality while using it, and I was able to easily start my workouts and check my heart rate, stress levels, and other health parameters with ease.

Overall, OnePlus seems to have pulled out all the stops this time with the launch of the OnePlus Watch in 2021. Workouts are easy to start, and OnePlus has included several additional workout options, including badminton, tennis, and skiing modes, to name a few. a few more niche options. Of course, there are other regular workout options such as running, walking, and so on.

OnePlus brings all its health tracking and smartwatch features together in a new OHealth app that launches with the smartwatch. The app is easy to set up and provides a lot of detailed information. Unlike smartwatch apps, it’s not groundbreaking, but it gets the job done well and I don’t have any complaints about it. Most people will find it quite usable.

Like most smartwatches these days, you’ll get a little more out of the watch if you pair it with a similarly branded smartphone, although I didn’t notice any differentiating features when testing the watch with the OnePlus 12 and Pixel 8 Pro. or something is missing. This is mainly due to the performance of the device.

In terms of sensor accuracy, I didn’t notice any major issues with anything OnePlus measured. Sleep tracking seems to work quite well compared to other smartwatches I’ve used, such as the Apple Watch Ultra 2. I will say, however, that stress monitoring can be a little annoying at times, so if you’re using one of the complications, you may Receive multiple notifications if your levels rise outside the “moderate” range.

The watch uses an eight-channel optical heart rate sensor, so it should give accurate responses, and every time I checked my heart rate, nothing came up and it didn’t seem like it was struggling to do its job.

There’s also no tracking of periods or body temperature. Users looking for this in a smartwatch will have to look elsewhere. It also doesn’t have fall detection, although OnePlus said that might come later. But this is just speculation on my part.

Design and Feel

But productivity and smartness aren’t everything. Sure, the OnePlus Watch 2 has excellent battery life and performs very well, but what does it look like ? Honestly, the watch is beautiful. Honestly, this is one of the best-looking Android smartwatches on the market right now, and the stainless steel body really helps make the device feel durable and premium.

It never felt too heavy on my wrist, and the fact that OnePlus includes a “one size fits all” watch band with more wiggle room is nice. The straps are also easy to remove, making it easy for those who like to customize their straps to find new ones as soon as they become available.

Overall it was a pleasure to use the device. There’s a lot of customization here, from the watch faces to the different tiles you can customize on the home screen, and I think a lot of users will be happy with what OnePlus is offering this time around. The company says it supports 80 downloadable watch faces, both first-party and third-party. However, third parties will not operate in power saving mode. So it’s definitely worth keeping in mind.

Bottom line

At the end of the day, the OnePlus Watch 2 looks like a clear improvement over what the company offered in its first smartwatch. The design is great, the features are fun, and I didn’t notice any major shortcomings that Android users will have to pay attention to. The lack of any iOS support is disappointing, especially for those who use the iPhone as their daily driver. I’d love to be able to pair it with my iPhone and use it instead of the Apple Watch, but this disconnect is nothing new in the smartphone and smartwatch industry.

I have no particular complaints about the watch. Dealing with different control and health monitoring systems can be annoying, but that’s true of almost all smartwatches these days. The sensors may not be the most accurate on the market, but they provide reliable measurements that should excel in most cases. The GPS worked well during my testing, and while I’m not really a runner, my test run seemed to offer runners a lot of features that should put this watch on par with others on the market right now.

The OnePlus Watch 2 is a solid smartwatch, especially for OnePlus fans. It continues the company’s recent successes, and at $299.99, it’s hard to beat its premium design and excellent battery life. It goes on sale today, February 26, and is available for pre-order on OnePlus.com .

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