OnePlus when entered the Tech space it made a unique space for itself. They distinguished themselves by giving a premium product at an affordable price. Now for sure you can debate about its smartphones not being as competitively priced as they use to be. Now it is time for another offering and that is a smartwatch. I was expecting them to enter space much earlier but then better late than never. Is the OnePlus watch as unique as their smartphones use to be or is it just another addition in the array of products? Let’s find out.
DESIGN & DISPLAY
The very first look of the watch is beautiful. I got the Silver variant with a steel grey strap and the watch looks dainty the very first instance doesn’t give a regular smartwatch feel. The all black would be a more unisex option.
While the watch id big it is not uncomfortable to wear. The only downside is the strap. It is way too big and stiff and is not uniformly designed. Being a 22mm strap the good part is it can be easily replaced.
Comes with a 46mm watch face with a 1.4-inch screen, making it one of the biggest smartwatches around. The display is surrounded by a curved black bezel and offers a comfortable smooth touch.
The display is nice and bright. It responds well and quick. The display being large helps you read well on it. It is crisp.
Along with the touch screen, there are two physical pushers on the right side. By default, the top one is to open the app while the one on the bottom starts workouts. Its function can be customized from the settings.
The touch response is great, and the OnePlus Watch has been further optimized to run at over 50Hz on most occasions being better than the rest in class.
HEALTH & FITNESS
The 2 main reasons for someone to get a smartwatch is ease and fitness. Health & fitness being the most common reason for people in indulging into smartwatches. OnePlus watch is bang on in this section. It is a complete fitness watch.
It might not appeal to the real hard-core trainer but would appeal to the mass at large.
Currently, the watch has some 14 workout-tracking modes included, with a future OTA update taking that to over 110. For now, it has running, cycling, walking, swimming, badminton, cricket, mountaineering, yoga, and freestyle training.
With in-built GPS, you can leave your phone behind while going on a run to continue tracking the data.
Details of each exercise can be viewed on the watch as well as the companion app. I have personally been wearing a smartwatch for years now and this one has left me pleasantly surprised how well the OnePlus watch monitored and calculated the entire workout and how accurate it was.
The auto-detection features are also effective as soon as it senses you walking longer than a minute it asks if you want to start the workout.
It also has the usual set of sensors to keep an eye on the vitals. Heart-rate tracking and SpO2 readers. You can also track your sleep well through this watch. Once you get up in the morning you will have a detailed information about your sleep cycle which is very useful.
The OnePlus Health app is the hub for all things OnePlus Watch. You’ll be able to add devices, set your fitness goals, track vitals and workouts in real-time and a lot more. It is well-designed and easy to navigate.
The watch is IP68 and 5ATM which means it can be used in all conditions.
SMART FEATURES
OnePlus Watch works on Real-time operating system (RTOS) with customizations enabled with help from Google.
It is one of the only watches of its kind to be able to initiate, accept, reject and conduct entire calls where most others only allow for rejecting or silencing an incoming call. You can add up to 30 contacts on the watch from the app and use contact directly. The microphone and speaker are good and do the job well.
Music is also under your control through your watch and so is messaging. But the response via the message is limited. We would have preferred more reply to options.
With the recent update you do get an addition on watch faces.
BATTERY
The biggest highlight for this watch is the battery. For me a single charge went as far as one week. This was for sure before the update. Now that they have the always on option the testing shows a drop of 50%. Which honesty is still very good as it gives you around 3- 4 days on a single charge.
VERDICT
OnePlus watch is meant for those who are looking for a smartwatch with a good battery life good fit and finish with a bright display and screen. It is for sure meant for someone who appreciates its calling features. Someone who enjoys a lot of watch faces and is looking for a multi tracking fitness watch then this wouldn’t be your pick. Priced at Rs 14,999 OnePlus watch is surely a good smartwatch option.
