In an attempt to compete with other well-known firms like Samsung in the wearable market, OnePlus released its first wristwatch in 2021, but it did not do that well. Everything that went wrong is now history, and the OnePlus Watch 2 has finally hit the market—possibly after three years. First presented at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, then it made its way to the Indian market.
Will the OnePlus Watch 2 therefore be able to compete with its rivals following a not-so-great tryout in 2021? At first glance, the company has resolved the majority of the problems with the previous iteration, and this elegant-looking wearable is ready to take on the market with a storm. We have been using the smartwatch for over two weeks and this is our OnePlus Watch 2 review.
In This Article
OnePlus Watch 2 Review: Design and Display
The circular form of the OnePlus Watch 2 has a sophisticated appearance. Take note, that this design element is similar to the back camera module of the OnePlus 12. In addition to having a stainless steel case, the watch is quite durable. On the left side of the frame, two buttons are spaced widely apart that let you navigate and enter the quick workout mode. As soon as you push the down button, details about the activities will appear. The activity can be performed right away.
The company kept the design simple and avoided giving it a macho vibe so that women as well as men may wear it.
The Watch 2 is certified IP68 for dust and water resistance, indicating its high level of durability. Furthermore, it has an underwater pressure tolerance of 5 ATM, or roughly 50 metres. Indeed, it meets MIL-STD-810H US military requirements, making it a dependable partner for monitoring, engaging in water sports, and surviving harsh climates like heat or cold.
The smartwatch contains some charging connection points and sensors for tracking health on the back. The straps are likewise of good quality and can be replaced. The 22mm watch strap is made of fluoro rubber and fastened with a stainless steel buckle. Although the manufacturer advises you to keep it dry, it is very skin-friendly and won’t irritate your skin.
There are two colour options for the OnePlus Watch 2: radiant steel and black steel. We have the latter one for the review.
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The gadget sports a circular 1.43-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels. Its High Brightness Mode (HBM) has a flash rate of 60 Hz and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. The smart wearable’s 2.5D sapphire crystal screen and stainless steel casing give it exceptional durability. The display is of very good quality, with minimal yet visible bezels surrounding a flat screen.
The screen is incredibly clear and vivid. There’s a smooth touch response on it. The brightness levels of the watch are also really amazing when used outside. Whether you’re reading a text message or looking at your home screen, the display provides an excellent amount of detail.
The display colours were accurate and well-balanced, with excellent contrast levels. Because it’s an AMOLED display, it packs a vibrant punch. The viewing angles are nice as well. Over that, you also get support for Always on Display.
OnePlus Watch 2 Review: Performance
OnePlus Watch 2’s Dual-Engine Architecture makes it an extremely interesting wearable. The wearable comes equipped with a Snapdragon W5 SoC, as well as a BES2700 chipset. WearOS is used by the former, while OnePlus’s own UI RTOS is used by the latter and is in charge of background functions like fitness monitoring and routine tasks. Wear OS 4 saves power by only waking up when necessary to operate apps, according to the firm.
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Additionally, users can seamlessly transition between Wear OS 4 and RTOS by choosing Smart Mode or Power Saver Mode, respectively. OnePlus claims that this change occurs automatically and has no impact on the user experience.
32GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM are included on the OnePlus Watch 2. For RTOS, there is a 4GB eMMC.
The OnePlus smartwatch has WiFi and GPS built right in. Over that, the watch has a built-in speaker and microphone for making phone calls. During testing, we answered a few calls as well, and the performance was decent. However, the performance suffers when you’re in a crowded outdoor setting. Additionally, you have the option to pick a strong ringtone and adjust the loudness. It’s pretty good that you can use the phone app to call numbers on your watch.
Not only that, you can connect your audio device to it to listen to music because it has built-in storage.
Now let’s discuss the software experience. Initially, the watch must be connected to a smartphone via the OHealth companion app, which also syncs with Google’s Health Connect service. This way, your data can be shared or carried anywhere and not be restricted to the OnePlus system.
The OHealth app provides access to phone notifications, SMS, calls, and much more, along with extensive data about the user’s physical activity.
Furthermore, the app records and displays fitness and health data produced by the watch. Here, you may personalise the smartwatch’s workout and health settings and choose your favourite watch face from a selection.
In addition, the app monitors SpO2 levels, sleep patterns, continuous heart rate monitoring, daily activities, and workout recommendations.
You may access fast toggles here by swiping the screen down. Notifications can be viewed by swiping up from the bottom. You can see the present weather conditions as well as a plethora of other statistics by swiping right or left, including steps taken, active calories burned, stress level, workout, activity sessions, contacts, YouTube music, search, sleep, heart rate, stress, and much more.
The workout and step count features of the OnePlus Watch 2 are incredibly precise and reliable. Nonetheless, the gadget has a 100 sports mode. It can also automatically detect and pause workouts.
A full health suite package is also included on the smartwatch, along with 24×7 HR monitoring, SpO2, stress level monitoring, and sleep data analysis.
Additionally useful is heart rate tracking, which will alert you if it rises above a particular level. It will also remind you to relax if you are too stressed out.
In addition, the watch has standard features like BT calling, timers, alarms, notifications, and weather. For hands-free operation, Google Assistant is also supported.
Its 500mAh battery is supposed to last for three days. We have actually been using this watch for more than two weeks, and we are really impressed with how long the battery lasts. This watch uses far less energy than most other smartwatches on the market since it enters sleep mode automatically when it is placed on a table. The battery life is not used while you are not wearing it. Its power-saving mode extends the battery life to up to 12 days.
According to the manufacturer, the device has a battery life of 100 hours or nearly four full days.
The WearOS operating system ensures that the device has an excellent battery life, with two days of use possible for heavy users. However, the battery will last at least three days if you use it in smart mode.
It has a 7.5W VOOC charging feature that can fully charge the battery in an hour. If you have the time, a quick charge of 10 minutes can boost the battery’s life by one day.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro review: Is it an ideal smartwatch?
Verdict
We’ve used the OnePlus Watch 2 to track our daily steps and usual workouts, and we’ve discovered that the accuracy is really good. Both battery performance and charging support are generally good and meet the company’s claims.
The fact that it currently only supports Android phones is arguably a disappointing aspect. Therefore, since iOS is not supported, this smartwatch is definitely not for you if you own an iPhone. Additionally, the OHealth app is also not supported with iOS on this device; however, if you have an Android smartphone, it offers fantastic functionality for managing all the data, including watch faces and other stuff.
Therefore, all things considered, we would conclude that this watch is fairly good for what it gives and does offer a very good experience, including good build quality, fit and finish, good display, and impressive battery efficiency.
Pros
- Elegant design
- Vibrant display
- Accurate workout and step detection
- IP68 Certified
- Long battery life
Cons
- Support for iOS missing
- Lacks ECG
- BMI also missing
