OnePlus Watch: mysterious slab

As we deal with the fallout of the OnePlus event some devices fell through the cracks of mass media coverage. In this case the OnePlus Watch. The OnePlus Watch is the newest addition to the OnePlus wearable lineup. It's currently using and unknown processor and an unproven RTOS; is it's $150 price tag worth the risk? Let's take a look.  

 
  

Image Credit: OnePlus

 

The OnePlus watch is the OnePlus alternative in the smartwatch market that's set to release April 14th of this year. At first look it's basically the Android smartwatch template we've come to expect, round design, double buttons on the side, and your basic rubber/polycarbonate wristband. However, OnePlus begs to differ. We have a 1.39-inch OLED screen with 326 pixels-per-inch (PPI), on that screen we also have sapphire glass, an alternative to gorilla glass that should provide ample protection to the watchface (more important than you might think). As for specs we don't know what the processor is, all we know is that it has 1GB of RAM (a luxury for smartwatches), and up to 4GB of internal storage to store apps and music locally. The actual body of the watch is a 46mm stainless steel or cobalt alloy (coming soon) frame with 5ATM and IP68 water and dust resistance. Like Apple and others, OnePlus is allowing you to change watchbands, however it's unknown whether it's a proprietary format or a known third-party format similar to what Fossil uses. 

 
 

Software is more of a wildcard. OnePlus has decided to bypass Wear OS and go with what they call a Real-Time-OS based on Android, similar to what Fitbit and Garmin use in their watches. I really wish they hadn't bypassed Wear OS, it's important to improving Wear OS that more high-profile companies invest in the platform, without further investment Wear OS will continue in the spiral that it's currently in. Another unknown is the amount of apps currently available on the watch, we'll have to wait to see if there's any progress on a third-party app store. It can connect to WI-FI and Bluetooth; much like Wear OS it also connects to your Android (soon iPhone according to OnePlus) phone via an app. 

Image Credit: OnePlus

 
 

 Functionality includes basic receive + reply to notifications, basic call functions (not sure if there's a microphone or speaker in the watch), and several health features and sensors. With a RTOS like this one we really can't predict how stable or reliable the software will be, we'll have to wait on the review to make sense of this one. On the plus side OnePlus claims up to 2 weeks of battery life which is really exiting; although battery life might be the reason the frame is a massive 46mm instead of a more reasonable 42mm.  

Image Credit: OnePlus

 
 

On the fitness side we have your usual heart rate monitor, GPS for walks and hikes, and the ability to track your blood oxygen levels. They also include over 110 workout modes, breathing exercises, and stress level monitoring (via the heart rate sensor). I'm not sure if there's sleep tracking on the way either but it is a possible feature for the next generation of this watch. Most of these features, especially blood oxygen monitoring, are modern staples of great smartwatches. I'm glad OnePlus decided to include them.  

 
 

 

Image Credit: OnePlus(apparently doing the apple big picture)

 

Overall, the OnePlus watch looks to be an amazing smartwatch. Processor and OS aside, we have tons of features that, provided they work, are an amazing value for a $150 watch. I didn't even mention warp charge support that brings one week of charge in 20 minutes or integration with the OnePlus TV. However, it really takes more testing, use, and reviews to make any type of assertion or opinion about the OnePlus watch. The way it sandwiches the health features, classic notifications, and battery life makes this watch one of the more intriguing devices OnePlus has ever made. I hope it lives up to the hype.  

 
 

 

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