Never Settle, now for your wrist.
After years of redefining the word "flagship" in the smartphone space, OnePlus is getting ready to do the same thing for smartwatches with its upcoming OnePlus Watch. There have been rumors about a Wear OS-powered OnePlus wearable for years at this point, but it looks like 2021 will finally be the year when it actually happens.
OnePlus has established itself as one of the more interesting smartphone brands, and as such, expectations are high for what the company can do with a smartwatch. If things go as planned, we could soon be faced with one of the best Android smartwatches of the entire year!
Whether you're looking for specs, design leaks, pricing, or anything else in between, here's everything you need to know about the OnePlus Watch!
OnePlus Watch Availability
On August 27, 2020, we got our first real clue that OnePlus's long-awaited smartwatch would be coming soon. A device by the name of "OnePlus Watch" went through Indonesia's IMDA on that date, which is the country's equivalent of the FCC here in the United States.
That suggests that the OnePlus Watch is getting very close to its eventual launch date. When you add that together with another report from TechRadar that OnePlus has "actively been looking into a smartwatch for the last year," the time is right for the wearable to finally drop.
More interesting than speculative reports, however, is confirmation directly from OnePlus itself.
Many of you said you wanted a watch, and as you might have heard over the weekend—we're making one, to be released early next year. Wishes do come true.🎁 https://t.co/H1Fqv9srXj
— Pete Lau (@PeteLau) December 22, 2020
On December 22, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed that the company is working on a smartwatch and will release one in early 2021 — likely around the same time that the OnePlus 9 is unveiled.
OnePlus Watch Price
If you don't know by now, OnePlus has a very close relationship with OPPO because both brands are owned and operated by BBK Electronics in China. New OnePlus smartphones are often slight deviations of OPPO handsets that come out before them, and in the case of the OnePlus Watch, we're expecting it to be a lot like the OPPO Watch.
The OPPO Watch goes for ₹14,990 in India, which is about $205 in U.S. currency. This means we should be able to look forward to a relatively low price when the OnePlus Watch launches in the United States, hopefully around that $200 marker.
By comparison, Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3 starts at $400 at the lowest and goes up to $480 for the most expensive model. Even if the OnePlus Watch hits $250 or $300, it'll still have that price advantage in its favor.
OnePlus Watch Design
Not only does OnePlus's close relationship with OPPO give us a good idea of what the Watch could cost, but it could also provide a pretty clear picture as to what the OnePlus Watch is going to look like.
The OPPO Watch (pictured above) has a design that takes a lot of inspiration from the Apple Watch. It has a square body with rounded corners, minimal bezels around the screen, and watch bands that flow perfectly into the frame with no visible lugs.
Mock or make fun of it if you want, but it's an effective design that works well for both form and functionality. You can fit more text on a square display than you can on a circular one, and thanks to the minimal aesthetics, the OPPO Watch fits the part of a fitness accessory or something you wear to a nice dinner.
With that said, there have been conflicting reports that would suggest OnePlus is looking to chart its own course with the OnePlus Watch.
Many dont seem to understand it so I clarify it. The Watch is circular.
— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) September 10, 2020
WOTCH https://t.co/HkevfvMfgT
As seen above, leaker Max J reported that the OnePlus Watch will actually feature a circular design instead of a squircle one like the OPPO Watch. We can see the design going either way at this point, so we'll just have to wait and find out when OnePlus officially tells all.
OnePlus Watch Specs
Just like the price and design, specs for the OnePlus Watch should also be virtually identical compared to the OPPO Watch. To put things into perspective, here are a few key specs of what OPPO is offering.
| Category | OPPO Watch |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Wear OS |
| Case Sizes | 41mm 46mm |
| Display | 1.91-inch AMOLED 476 x 402 |
| Processor | Snapdragon Wear 3100 |
| Memory | 1GB RAM |
| Storage | 8GB |
| Water Resistance | 3ATM (41mm model) 5ATM (46mm model) |
| Battery | 430 mAh |
We'd certainly love to see OnePlus opt for the newer Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset over the outdated Wear 3100, but as of right now, it doesn't seem very likely that will happen. That could prove to be a potential deal-breaker for the OnePlus Watch, but that's only something we'll be able to determine once we get our hands on it.
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