OnePlus Watch review: Two-minute review
- OnePlus' long-rumored watch is finally here
- No Wear OS or other app store
The long-talked about OnePlus Watch is finally a reality, and it's a polished wearable that can compete with today's best smartwatches in looks, battery life, and core functionality.
Note the "basics" there, though: OnePlus Watch's custom operating system (OnePlus Watch OS) means no third-party apps at launch, leaving users with only first-party apps pre-installed.
OnePlus currently has no plans to add an app store or portal, and while customer feedback may change the company's mind, the OnePlus Watch will likely never get more features than it did at launch, which is certainly limited compared to a smartwatch or Apple Watch running Wear OS.
However, what it does have will serve anyone looking for basic fitness features and notifications.
- OnePlus Watch at Newegg for €169 (opens in a new tab)
OnePlus watch specifications
Weight: 76 g or 45 g without correa
Dimensions: 46,4 x 46,4 x 10,9 mm
Battery: 402 mAh
Screen size: 1,39 inch
Resolution: 454 x 454 pixels
Pixel density: 326 DPI
Watch case: 316L stainless steel
Charger Type: 2-pin pogo
Waterproof: IP68; 5 ATM
Storage: 4GB
Sensors: Acceleration; gyroscope; geomagnetic; optical heart rate and blood oxygen; ambient light; air pressure; ability
The OnePlus Watch resembles other high-end smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, with a circular design and two function buttons on the right side. The stainless steel metal body has a shiny finish, which is actually a nice change from the matte and/or colored aluminum finishes on most watches today.
It's also a pretty heavy smartwatch, with a 46mm width and weight likely making it too big for those with slimmer wrists or who prefer smaller watch faces. On the other hand, it will suit those who like chunky watches, with a sleeker design and hardware finish than the average wearable.
It also has some of the best battery life we've seen in a smartwatch, lasting around a week with regular use and charging from 0-100% in just under half an hour.
In short, the watch seems higher quality than other smartwatches at its price point, which is easily half that of comparable Apple and Samsung Galaxy watches. It may have less extensive capabilities than more expensive rivals and only starts with Android support for its companion smartphone app (iOS may come eventually), and can't load more apps, but it's a good smartwatch for the value.
OnePlus Watch review: Price and release date
- On sale on the OnePlus site for €159 / €149
- Single size: 46mm with 1GB RAM and 4GB storage
The OnePlus Watch comes in one size and configuration at launch: 46mm watch face with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage, and one color: Midnight Black.
In the US and UK, you can buy direct from the OnePlus website for €159 / €149 (around AU$210). There are no signs of OnePlus bringing this smartwatch to Australia.
OnePlus Watch review: Design and display
- 1,4 inch OLED screen
- At 46mm, it's larger than most competing smartwatches.
The OnePlus Watch is a good-looking smartwatch with a polished shine and sleek design that makes it look more expensive than it is. As mentioned, it comes in one size, which will be too large for those who prefer a smaller laptop, but it has the polish to appeal beyond the tech-chic crowd.
The 46mm watch face is larger than the larger 45mm version of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, making it the new king of big smartwatches. Though it lacks the latter's rotating bezel, the OnePlus Watch has the same 1,4-inch screen size as Samsung's flagship Watch, though one might assume it was larger, thanks to a dark bezel under the flat glass.
The screen is sharp and bright, taking advantage of AMOLED technology to display deep darks, though given the minimalistic interface and limited number of apps, there's not much here that can take you away from the screen, aside from some fancy watch faces (redeemable at the OnePlus Health phone app).
The screen is responsive to touch commands, though getting around apps and the interface requires using the two buttons on the smartwatch's right side: the top, etched with "OnePlus" in small print (the texture is useful for telling the buttons apart ), brings up the application menu. The bottom button is a customizable shortcut for one of the smartwatch apps (to change, go to the settings softkey).
The rubber (fluoroelastomer) watch strap is wide and thick, but at least it's not flimsy and feels secure enough on the wrist to counteract the heavy weight of the watch. The jets that run down the side of the band are a nice touch compared to the flat bands on other smartphones, though their thickness can cause skin to pinch when you tuck the band under it until you put it on.
OnePlus Watch review: Fitness
- OnePlus Watch tracks heart rate, blood oxygen saturation and stress levels
- IP68 water and dirt resistant, depths up to 5 ATM pressure
The OnePlus Watch has decent, if basic, health and fitness tracking capability that's good enough for its price, though it may disappoint those looking for assistive solutions for more intensive training.
OnePlus claims that the watch has more than 110 workout types and you'll find 14 basic options when you access the Workout app, from running to swimming, mountaineering, badminton, cricket and more.
The watch automatically detects workouts while you run, with 5ATM pressure resistance and IP68 water and dust resistance. It tracks heart rate, blood oxygen saturation and stress levels, which you can track manually via dedicated apps, as well as distance via GPS, calories and swimming speed.
The watch also tracks activity progress through four metrics: steps, training, energy used (in kcal), and activity duration, which are displayed in the Activity app and on many watch faces. More advanced health information can be viewed via a new OnePlus Health smartphone app, which is on Android at launch (free on the Google Play Store) and coming soon to iOS.
You'll need the OnePlus Health app to get the most out of the OnePlus Watch – here's how you pair the smartwatch to your smartphone and change the more advanced settings on the former (tip for fellow Americans: head to the Manage Settings cog in the top right Unit for change from metric to imperial).
The OnePlus Health app is surprisingly comprehensive, with breakdowns of tracked metrics (heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen level, stress, etc.) that visualize the data in charts with day, week, month, and year tabs. While our workout reviews often showed inaccurate GPS location tracking, they break down into robust, informative, and easy-to-understand reports for different categories like heart rate, pace per mile, cadence, and more.
Finally, we noticed that while the OnePlus Watch is large, it wasn't boring for exercise. You won't forget it's there, but it won't weigh your wrist down or balance your balance; The wide base distributes the weight of the watch and the wide strap keeps it securely in place.
OnePlus Watch review: Performance and software
- Run OnePlus Watch OS instead of Google Wear OS
- Lower price than most customizable smartwatches
The OnePlus Watch packs an undisclosed OnePlus chipset (we asked, and the company didn't answer us about the watch's silicon specs) and 4GB of built-in storage, 2GB of which is available for media.
The watch ran smoothly in our tests and didn't stutter or sluggish when put through a selection of tasks, though given the limited number of pre-installed apps, there's not much room to push this particular watch.
The OnePlus Watch doesn't run Google's WearOS operating system, instead it uses the company's custom operating system (called OnePlus Watch OS). There are pros and cons to this, and on the plus side, we don't see the WearOS watches coming anywhere near the battery efficiency of the OnePlus Watch, which we chalk up to OnePlus having both the laptop's software and hardware.
On the other hand, this means that the OnePlus Watch is stuck with its suite of pre-installed apps. These cover all the basics you'd need: workouts, heart rate, blood oxygen sensor, watch functions, and more. - and with clearly legible interfaces. While there are far fewer smartwatch apps (and even fewer worth downloading) than there are smartphone apps, longtime wearable users probably have a WearOS or watchOS app they particularly like and would miss on this device.
That said, the OnePlus Watch is priced lower than more customizable smartwatches: if you want more apps on a comparable Polish watch, you'll have to pay nearly double for a Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, for example.
The bespoke interface is simple and effective, mimicking some of WearOS's swipe navigation in the cardinal direction (swipe down for control panel, up for notifications, right for quick access to music, etc. ). Tap the physical button at the top right and it will open the apps menu, with the apps listed vertically. Easy.
So what does the OnePlus Watch look like? Easy, intuitive, and a bit clunky in terms of the occasional software hiccup. Shown in a quartet of colored bars on the watch face by default, our daily fitness progress would reset after workouts (which is why activity bars don't appear on the watch face, like shown in the photos in this review). The compass app needed to be recalibrated (it asks you to rotate your wrist in an "infinity" pattern) and some text overlaps.
In other words, the OnePlus Watch looks like a first-generation device in terms of software, if not hardware or design, but it looks promising if those quirks can be ironed out: they're...