After three years, OnePlus is finally launching its successor to the OnePlus Watch. This is the OnePlus Watch 2, powered by Google’s Wear OS.
Back in 2021, when the original OnePlus Watch launched, the company went with its own proprietary operating system, primarily because they felt Wear OS watches just did not last long enough on a single charge. Which I think we can all agree with. But the software on the original OnePlus Watch was pretty lacking. Actually, it was very lacking. OnePlus took that feedback to heart and now has the OnePlus Watch 2, which has Wear OS on board.
It’s powered by Wear OS 4 and is now the longest-lasting smartwatch running the software. OnePlus claims that you will get about 100 hours (that’s about four days and four hours) of usage out of the OnePlus Watch 2. We actually got a bit longer than that in our review – it lasted almost five days. OnePlus was able to do this by utilizing two SoCs in the Watch 2, the Snapdragon W5 plus the BES2700. The BES2700 powers RTOS, which handles background activity and daily tasks. Only need to wake the Snapdragon W5 for heavier tasks like running Wear OS apps.
OnePlus has also brought along its fast charging, with 7.5W VOOC Fast Charging to the Watch 2. This means a 100% charge takes just 60 minutes. At the same time, you can get a day’s worth of charge in just 10 minutes. The OnePlus Watch 2 uses a puck-style charger with pogo pins to keep it lined up properly.
OnePlus Watch 2 is sticking with the company’s ‘Never Settle’ spirit
Never Settle for anything less than Wear OS. OnePlus says that it’s sticking to its ‘Never Settle’ spirit by making the OnePlus Watch 2 an elegant, rugged, long-lasting, and high-precision timepiece that makes it easier than ever to live life.
The build quality here is undoubtedly elegant. I absolutely love it myself, as it uses a 2.5D Sapphire Crystal display. This means that it’s going to be virtually impossible to scratch or shatter the display. It is paired with a stainless steel frame, which not only looks impressive but also makes the OnePlus Watch 2 look more high-end. This also adds to the weight of the watch, which is about 80g with the band. That’s quite a bit heavier than the Apple Watch Ultra, which is 61g.
OnePlus wants you to use the Watch 2 for working out, which is why it is rated for 5ATM and IP68 water resistance. Meaning that you can take this with you to the pool for a swim and not worry. On top of that, OnePlus went the extra mile to get the MIL-STD-810H US Military Standard here, which means that it can withstand some pretty tough conditions. Basically, it’s going to be nearly impossible to destroy this watch.
OHealth powers fitness and health metrics
With Wear OS now, manufacturers use their own health and fitness apps or services to track it all. Samsung uses Samsung Health on the Galaxy Watch, Google uses Fitbit on the Pixel Watch, and OnePlus uses OHealth on the Watch 2. The OHealth app is really useful, actually because it not only tracks your fitness and health metrics but also has all of the settings for your watch. So you don’t need to use two apps to control your watch. That’s something that even Apple can’t do.
OHealth is able to track your daily activity, including steps taken, calories, workout minutes, activity sessions, sleep, and even stress. You can use it to track workouts as well; it can track six different modes of physical activity and more than 100 different sports modes. So it can track virtually everything you could need.
Pricing and Availability
The OnePlus Watch 2 is, as expected, pretty competitively priced. You can pick it up in two colors, Black Steel and Radiant Steel, for just $299. That’s actually cheaper than the Apple Watch 41mm, which is quite a bit smaller than the OnePlus Watch 2.
OnePlus is also allowing you to trade in any watch for $50 off. This is not limited to a smartwatch either, so you could trade in your old Casio calculator watch for $50 off. You can also save 30% with the purchase of a OnePlus 12 or OnePlus 12R smartphone.
Pre-orders will start today, February 26 at OnePlus.com. Open sales will start on March 4 at 9 AM ET on the OnePlus website, with it expanding to Amazon on March 11.
