The OnePlus Watch is the company’s first smartwatch, and many Android users have been looking forward to it. The OnePlus Watch has a round dial with AMOLED display and SpO2 tracking, which is a must-have feature these days. However, when this watch was released, it shocked many that it didn’t run Google’s WearOS as many expected. So how does OnePlus Watch compete against the competition? Should you choose this watch? I will try to answer these questions in this review.
OnePlus Watch Price in India
IN OnePlus Watch at the price of Rs. 14,999 in India. and The OnePlus Watch is available at $159 in the US. The OnePlus Watch Cobalt Limited Edition is also coming soon, the price is expected to be higher, but we don’t have an official price or launch date yet. Although the internals of the two are the same, the exterior will differ in several ways, which I will discuss later.
OnePlus watch design
Most smartwatches are available with two dial shapes: square or circle. While the square (or “rectangular”) shape was popularized Apple WatchThere are people who prefer the round dial as it resembles a traditional watch. Oneplus opted for the latter and the result is a large round 46mm dial housed in a stainless steel case. The case looks great and is available in two colors: Midnight Black and Moonlight Silver.
The OnePlus Watch features a 1.39-inch AMOLED display and thin bezels that were hard to see on my Midnight Black device. At the top of the display is a 2.5D curved glass that rises slightly above the edge of the case. Overall, the design looks neat, with two buttons on the right side. The button on the top is engraved with the OnePlus inscription, and on the other, the usual one.
The OnePlus Watch has sensors and charging contact points on the underside.
Flip the OnePlus Watch over and you will notice that the underside is made of plastic. It has several sensors as well as connection points for charging. There is a speaker port on the left side and a microphone hole on the right. Housing lugs protrude outward and are compatible with all standard 22mm belts. OnePlus ships a high-quality fluoroelastomer strap with the standard OnePlus Watch. I have been wearing the watch for over two weeks and have never experienced skin irritation. These straps have a pin and snap design just like the Apple Watch, which I found comfortable and reassuring. You can remove the strap without any tools and replace it with any other 22mm strap of your choice.
Only the OnePlus Watch, even without the strap attached, weighs around 45g, and that weight is definitely noticeable when worn. OnePlus only offers one 46mm dial size, which might look big on your wrist if you have small hands. The watch is also relatively thick, and chances are you might hit something with it when you walk or just move your hands. I accidentally bumped into the doorframes for hours while using them, but luckily they didn’t scratch a single scratch during the review period.
If you want the best build quality, then this is where the OnePlus Watch Cobalt Limited Edition comes in handy. The case of this variant is made of cobalt alloy rather than stainless steel and has a gold finish. It also has a sapphire crystal that protects the display, which is said to offer better scratch resistance. OnePlus ships two straps with the Cobalt Limited Edition, a fluoroelastomer strap the same as the standard strap that comes with the OnePlus Watch, and an optional vegan leather strap with a butterfly clasp.
The OnePlus Watch uses a pogo-contact charger to charge a 402mAh battery. In true OnePlus style, this watch features fast charging. The OnePlus Watch also has an IP68 rating against dust and water, and the company says it can also withstand pressures up to 5 ATM.
OnePlus Watch Specifications and Software
When the OnePlus Watch leaks first surfaced, I assumed they would work with Google’s WearOS and the Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor. If you were expecting something like this too, then this is not the case. The OnePlus Watch runs a dedicated real-time operating system (RTOS) rather than WearOS. Interestingly, it has three discrete processors, each with its own function assigned. According to forum post OnePlus Watch uses a combination of ST32, Apollo 3 and Cypress chips, according to OnePlus Product Manager. They are responsible for display control, power consumption and communication, respectively.
The OnePlus Watch has an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, barometer, blood oxygen sensor, and heart rate sensor. There is support for Bluetooth 5, NFC and four satellite navigation systems. You get 4GB of storage, so you can store multiple audio tracks on the OnePlus Watch for offline listening. It is possible to pair the watch with a pair of Bluetooth headphones so that you can leave your smartphone when you go for a run.
OnePlus Health app syncs with OnePlus Watch to display fitness data
You can connect OnePlus Watch to an Android smartphone running Android 6.0 and above. However, there is no iPhone support yet, which slightly limits the potential smartwatch user base at the moment. The OnePlus Health app is required to set up your smartwatch. I found that the process of pairing smartphones is very simple and after connecting the OnePlus Watch, the connection never drops unless my smartphone is out of range.
The OnePlus Health app is a dashboard for all of your fitness data, and you can also make changes to certain device settings right from the app. It even lets you change watch faces and download new ones. You can have a digital or analog watch face, but oddly enough, I was unable to set the digital watch face to 12-hour format; only 24-hour time format was available. You also have the option to create your own watch face using your photos. This app is required to transfer songs from smartphone to OnePlus Watch.
OnePlus Watch performance and battery life
The OnePlus Watch has a very simple user interface that makes navigation easy. Swiping up from the watch face gives access to pending notifications, and swiping down gives access to quick switches. You can also press and hold the dial to change it. I could easily read the notifications on the watch, but could only respond using predefined quick response templates, which is not ideal.
The OnePlus Watch didn’t have a persistent display option at first, but this was rolled out as part of a software update shortly after its launch. You can turn this on on the watch itself and choose from four watch faces. The OnePlus Watch also has an ambient light sensor that can automatically adjust the screen brightness.
I found the OnePlus Watch to be aggressive about energy conservation. The screen turned off quickly after I finished looking at it. The auto brightness control was also aggressive, and the default brightness was slightly understated. You have the option to increase it, which I did.
OnePlus Watch accurately tracks sleep and shows detailed information in the app
OnePlus Watch can track workouts, heart rate, stress levels, SpO2, and sleep. I tested the watch for about a month to see how it worked. To test the accuracy of the heart rate sensor, I compared it with the readings on the Apple Watch SE. I found that most of the time the heart rate readings on both devices are almost the same. However, the accuracy of tracking heart rate during exercise was unstable.
To test my step tracking accuracy, I counted 1,000 steps when walking, but OnePlus Watch underestimated that as 930 steps. I also wore the OnePlus Watch along with Apple Watch SE (Consideration) to track your activity throughout the day. The Apple Watch measured 2056 steps, and the OnePlus Watch measured 1532 steps in the same day.
For SpO2 tracking, I tested the OnePlus Watch on Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus and received the same testimony. I usually get an SpO2 reading of 96 to -98 percent, which is within the normal range for a healthy person.
Sleep tracking was accurate on the OnePlus Watch and matched what the Apple Watch SE managed to record. In the OnePlus Health app, you will get a breakdown of the duration of deep sleep, light sleep, and wakefulness. It also shows information about the ideal length of each sleep phase. Another OnePlus Watch feature is SpO2 tracking while you sleep. By default, this feature is disabled, as it consumes a lot of the battery. When enabled, the app shows the lowest SpO2 level recorded during sleep, which in my case was 90 percent (normal).
OnePlus Watch has a speaker with which you can receive calls
Finally, you can receive calls on the OnePlus Watch using the speaker and microphone. The speaker volume is quite sufficient if you raise the watch to your ear. My callers mentioned that I sounded a little distant.
The OnePlus Watch’s battery life was very good and lasted 12 days on a single charge. It was with WhatsApp notifications enabled and indoor workout tracking enabled. If you don’t track workouts as often and use your OnePlus Watch solely for notifications, you should be able to achieve the two weeks of battery life that OnePlus promises. Battery life will vary if you monitor your SpO2 and heart rate frequently. With the always-on display turned on on the OnePlus Watch, battery life has been cut in half, much the same. If you enable SpO2 tracking while you sleep, expect battery life to decrease further.
Fast charging is often associated with OnePlus phones, and the OnePlus Watch features what the company calls Warp Charge. The OnePlus Watch scored 20 percent in just five minutes, which should be enough for a full day even with my use. The watch sprinted to 55 percent in 20 minutes, and a full charge took 53 minutes. With fast charging and long battery life, you don’t have to worry about your OnePlus Watch running out of battery power.
Verdict
The OnePlus Watch was a welcome product, but it turned out to be disappointing. It doesn’t run WearOS, so you don’t get the Google ecosystem and a lot of apps. The functionality is limited and this device looks more like a smart notification than a smartwatch. Good battery life, accurate sleep tracking, and SpO2 tracking are some of the benefits of the OnePlus Watch. However, step tracking and heart rate tracking during exercise were incompatible.
If you are looking for a smartwatch for fitness tracking, Amazfit GTR 2e may be a better alternative, and even at a lower cost. Alternatively, if you are looking for a smartwatch with Google Wear OS then Oppo Watch 46mm (Consideration) is also worth considering.
TAGS: ANTICLIMACTIC, ONEPLUS, ONEPLUS WATCH COBALT LIMITED EDITION, ONEPLUS WATCH PRICE IN INDIA, ONEPLUS WATCH REVIEW, ONEPLUS WATCH REVIEW PRICE IN RUSSIA SPECIFICATIONS SPO2 FITNESS TRACKING ONEPLUS WATCH, REVIEW, WATCH
No comments:
Post a Comment