OnePlus Watch: All the rumors and what we want to see

OnePlus has long sought to create an ecosystem of devices that goes beyond smartphones. The company’s efforts to achieve this goal began back in 2018 with the OnePlus Bullets wireless neckband earbuds. Since then, OnePlus has expanded its range to include TWS headphones, wireless chargers and even televisions. However, the space for fitness wearables is one that the manufacturer has left untouched so far. This is about to change.

From Oppo to Realme to Vivo – all OnePlus sister companies under the umbrella of BBK Electronics have announced or launched a fitness wearable. The Oppo and Vivo smartwatches are the latest in this rush, and it looks like OnePlus isn’t far behind. Enter the OnePlus watch.

Little is known about OnePlus’ debut in the smartwatch category so far, but we will wrap up all the rumors in this article. We’ll also list some expectations we have for the OnePlus watch, given the crowded market it will enter.

OnePlus Watch: name and release date

Unsurprisingly, OnePlus is making a smartwatch. Developing accessories for smartphones has always been a practice in the technology industry. Samsung did it, Apple did it, Xiaomi is right in the thick of it, and almost every major smartphone brand you can name is expanding its wearables portfolio.

OnePlus first dealt with the idea of ​​a smartwatch in 2016, but ultimately discontinued it. In fact, the brand had a finished smartwatch at the time, but for some reason decided against bringing it to market.

That year, rumors about the OnePlus smartwatch were revived by a listing of the device on the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) certification website. A smartwatch with the model number “W301GB” and the nickname “OnePlus Watch” was mentioned in the official listing. A OnePlus branded smartwatch was later discovered on Twitter Tipster’s Indian BIS certification website Mukul Sharma.

Electronic devices usually go through such certification processes shortly before the start. This doesn’t necessarily mean the OnePlus Watch’s release is imminent, but at least it is a strong indication that the device is there and in development.

also read: The best smartwatches you can buy right now

Besides the official sightings TechRadar also quoted a former OnePlus employee who stated that the company “has been actively working on a smartwatch for a year”.

However, OnePlus has not whispered a word about it. There are no teasers, as is the case before the company usually reveals a new product. We assume that a possible start date is October 14th, when the manufacturer announces the OnePlus 8T. However, there is still a long way to go as the company is not dropping clues. For all we know, OnePlus has a completely different start timeline for the OnePlus Watch.

Rumors about the design and specifications of OnePlus Watch

There is not a single leak about the specifications of the so-called OnePlus watch. The only information so far comes from tipster Max J. on Twitter who posted a cryptic teaser about the smartwatch with a round dial instead of a square face.

The tipster doesn’t even mention the name of the smartwatch. It just alludes to its possible circular design that instantly sets it apart from the Apple Watch-like Oppo Watch. However, it does open up the possibility that the OnePlus watch could be similar to the Vivo round watch or the Realme Watch S Pro.

In this case, OnePlus may not need to create a smartwatch case from scratch. It could just borrow the design from Vivo or Realme and put the preferred hardware on top. On the other hand, OnePlus could take a completely new approach for its first watch.

OnePlus Watch: what we want to see

While we don’t have a clue about the specs and software of the OnePlus Watch, there are a few things we’d like to see. Whether OnePlus has already thought about it or not is unclear, but this is what a OnePlus watch looks like in our heads.

Bright AMOLED display that is always on

An OLED or AMOLED display is currently the gold standard for smartwatches. We’d love to see the OnePlus Watch offer a bright and crisp AMOLED screen like that of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 or even the Oppo Watch. Sure, that means you won’t have weeks of battery life, but no full-fledged smartwatch can promise you that these days. The Galaxy Watch 3 is up to date after about three days with the AOD switched off, while the Oppo Watch easily lasts 24 hours with the function activated.

Not many AMOLED advertising watches can last a week or more, although some Fitbit and Garmin devices do. I would love if the OnePlus Watch could take calls, receive notifications, run apps, track workouts, and basically do anything that is expected of a smartwatch. With an AMOLED screen that is always on, of course, that doesn’t kill the clock until noon and ticks for at least 24 hours.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus

OnePlus and Qualcomm have formed a great partnership when it comes to smartphones, and we expect the same to be true of the company’s launch of smartwatches. Unlike the Oppo watch that houses the two-year-old Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset, we hope that the OnePlus watch will be updated to the Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus.

The new 12 nm chip promises the fastest clock speed to date (1.7 GHz) on all Snapdragon Wear platforms from Qualcomm. Compared to the clock rate of 1.1 GHz in the Wear 3100, this should feel like a significant boost. The new generation chip also improves the performance of the memory, GPU and camera and has a co-processor that promises a significant improvement in battery life. When you combine this with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage, you have the powerful watch on your wrist.

Wear the operating system with some improvements

Let’s face it, Google’s Wear OS platform hasn’t really managed to dominate the smartwatch ecosystem. It’s based mostly on Qualcomm’s hardware, and that door has been closed for the past two years. With the new Wear 4100 chipset, there is new hope for the future of Wear OS watches. Now there is also a new version of Wear OS based on Android 11 that supports the latest Snapdragon Wear chips. It promises faster app launches, faster access to information, a simplified pairing process, improved support for LTE and much more. For top-notch smartwatch performance, the OnePlus Watch should immediately combine the Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus with the latest Wear OS software.

Also read: The best Wear OS apps for Android

That said, we wouldn’t mind seeing some smart software improvements on the OnePlus Watch. OnePlus could include things like a revamped ZenMode for watches or custom battery modes like the Fossil Gen 5. Perhaps the company can even come up with some ridiculous watch features built into Wear OS. It all depends on what Google allows, but the latest Wear operating system would be a great start for the OnePlus Watch.

Customize the features of the rivals

We don’t want OnePlus to hide behind a staggering number of fitness / sport modes like some other watches while compromising the accuracy of the core sensors (see Amazfit Stratos 3). What we want to see is an accurate heart rate and GPS sensor, NFC for long distance payments, wireless charging, OnePlus’ signature warp charging, and blood oxygen monitoring. Things like Google Assistant support are provided automatically if the watch has the Wear OS platform. All of this ensures that the OnePlus Watch is on par with other current smartwatches such as the Apple Watch 6 or the Galaxy Watch 3.

A measured price

What we covered above might sound like the perfect Wear OS smartwatch, and you could say that all of this can’t possibly get cheap. You would be right We don’t expect the OnePlus Watch to go under $ 200 with all of these features and the latest Qualcomm chipsets. If the leaked Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 price is an indicator, the OnePlus watch could cost around $ 400. That will make it difficult as the prices for the Galaxy Watch 3 and Apple Watch 6 are in the same stadium.

There’s also the Apple Watch SE, which retails for $ 199, which OnePlus should probably beat. Both Apple and Samsung are leaders in the smartwatch ecosystem, and OnePlus is committed to it. Perhaps a $ 250 to $ 300 price tag could make the OnePlus watch the best Wear OS watch. I think we’ll have to wait and see.