The OnePlus Watch has been announced and here’s the shock – it doesn’t run Wear OS at all.
The OnePlus Watch, which is set to go on sale globally for just $159/£149, runs on a proprietary OS – but punches upwards with a spec sheet that will have it fighting out with the big names of wearables.
It’s an impressive set of features that immediately puts the OnePlus Watch in the same conversation as the Xiaomi Mi Watch, Amazfit GTS 2 and Huawei Watch GT 2e.
OnePlus Watch at a glance
- 2 week battery life
- Rapid charging
- 1.39-inch AMOLED screen (454 x 454)
- 326ppi
- 5ATM water resistance
- Stainless steel design
- 110 tracked sports
- Proprietary OS
- Price: $159/£149
- Release date: 26 April
OnePlus Watch: design
The circular design comes in a 46mm stainless steel case (46.4 × 46.4 ×10.9mm) that’s available in two colors –black and silver – so it's certainly a fair chunk of watch and leaning to the male market.
However, there looks to be a limited edition launching in cobalt (above).
That case houses a 1.39-inch AMOLED screen with a 454 x 454 resolution and 326 PPI density – which stacks up pretty well against the competition.
And it features a fluoroelastomer strap, which is sweat-proof and breathable.
OnePlus Watch: health and fitness features
The heart rate monitor is also capable of blood oxygen monitoring, and it will also keep tabs on stress levels using heart rare variability tracking.
It passes the first test of a good smartwatch, as it features built-in GPS and 110 workout profiles for pretty much any sporting pursuit. It will also auto-detect workouts, too.
Swimming is supported with IP68 dust and water resistance with a 5ATM rating, which means it's good up to 50 metres. It will track SWOLF (stroke efficiency) as well as other distance and lengths metrics in the pool.
On board is 4GB of storage and you can control a OnePlus TV from the wrist, if you have such technology in your home. And it will store up to 500 songs and will pair to Bluetooth headphones – although there's no word on support for any streaming services.
Likewise, there's no indication the OnePlus will have any apps or play nicely with third party services. Amazfit devices don't support apps, but do support the Strava API for exporting workouts to the popular platform. We're hoping to see the same for the OnePlus Watch.
OnePlus Watch: battery life
Inside is a massive 420mAh battery that will deliver two weeks on a single charge. That's huge battery life given the quality of the screen – and right up there with the likes of the Amazfit GTS 2 and Huawei Watch GT2e.
However, whether this stands up to real life use remains to be seen – and we'll be testing this in our full review.
But the OnePlus Watch backs up the big battery life with some incredible sounding rapid charging. Just 20 minutes charge will give enough battery life for a week of use, according to OnePlus. And just five minutes on the charging plate will get you through a whole day, and this makes battery life one of the key stories of the OnePlus Watch.
And that must explain the decision not to use Wear OS. In an interview at the end of 2020, Pete Lau, OnePlus CEO, said the company was working with Google to improve Wear OS.
OnePlus Watch: release date and price
The OnePlus Watch is set to launch on the 26 April 2021. As we mentioned it will cost . Refreshingly, it's confirmed for a US, UK and European launch.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.