When you really, really long for something, be it the next Avengers release or a new iPhone, the expectations are extremely high. It is a huge responsibility to win over eager fans and live up to their expectations - time and again. With the OnePlus 9 Pro, the household brand that people have grown to love and trust knocked it out of the park. But it didn't stop there. OnePlus Watch was launched to finally answer the prayers of some inquisitive fans. More than that, it was time for OnePlus to join the smartwatch bandwagon when all of its competing rivals had one already.
Given how fierce the wearable segment has gotten in the past year, there's little room left for brands to impress fans. In fact, going with the trend with a few signature moves might just be the magic potion. Does OnePlus Watch tick all the right boxes to earn a place on your wrist? Moreover, does it live up to the hype? Let's find out.
Design & Display
OnePlus Watch, right off the box, is a poser. Looks stunning at first glance, you'll be wowed by its appearance. But that's not something we second-guessed when it comes to OnePlus. The brand has always mastered the art of design and the engineers at its workshop surely know their way around the craftmanship. The attention to detail is again OnePlus' forte and it reflects loudly on the Watch.
The 1.39-inch OLED display is bright, beautiful and round, sitting comfortably inside that fine stainless steel case, which adds just the right amount of weight. The Silicone strap has a nice texture, which gives a sporty look to the smartwatch. And it's hard to miss the Apple Watch inspiration in the clasp design. Overall, it fits perfectly on the wrist, even though some might find it a tad big for their taste. The bands can be swapped, so that's a good thing, but the dial will still take that much space on your wrist.
There are two physical buttons on the side, one of them has "ONEPLUS" written on it. OnePlus could have easily gone with its iconic logo, which fans have grown to love and recognise from afar. But those letters are not too loud as they hide behind the glare of the steel most of the times. Even though OnePlus took a page out of Apple's book for the strap, it chose to leave out the rotating crown. But that's not a deal-breaker at this stage.
Due to lockdown restrictions, our tests were mostly limited. But the times when we were outdoors, the display shone bright. The readability was not hampered by the summer sun. But the lack of Always-on display, tap-to-wake were certainly missed. The raise to wake function did work as designed, but there were times when that wrist twist had to be more aggressive to wake up the Watch. But what we absolutely loved about the display is that the smartwatch gives the impression that the display has curved glass. It's just a visual trick using those fine lines surrounding the display. That's a good one!
Diving into UI
OnePlus OxygenOS is by far the best custom Android ROM out there for smartphones and in some cases even better than the stock Android. Naturally, we had high (like really high) expectations from a custom OS powering the Watch, which does build on Google's Wear OS. Most of it is familiar, like swipe down to access quick settings, go up for notifications, left to browse through various customizable tiles and long-press the home screen to switch watch faces. Nothing fancy here, but coming from the excellence of OxygenOS, it's hard to settle for this.
We liked the watch faces pre-installed on the Watch, but we wish there were more. The UI is still intuitive and responds well to touches. Strangely enough, there's no 12-hour/24-hour toggle. That will change soon, we're told. Also, the notifications are still not sorted, especially when you're getting a lot of them from different apps.
But there are some limitations that OnePlus needs to address, like no access to third-party apps, limitations when it comes to replies. But OnePlus tries to fill that void by going the extra mile on certain aspects, which users will be thankful for. For instance, you can make a call, accept, reject them too without having to snap your phone out of the pocket, which for us came in really handy. Most watches don't do that. In indoor settings, the Watch's speaker and microphone worked quite well.
Given the UI design, OnePlus has focused a lot on fitness. The Watch is surely more than a fitness tracker, but not fully evolved to be a smartwatch. To give a Pokemon reference, it is still a Pikachu and with upgraded software, it can well be a Raichu.
If we have to be optimistic, it's just software, it can go from dull to fancy if OnePlus software wizards to their magic and push out some crucial updates. Given OnePlus' history, it's highly unlikely of the company to not address user feedback.
Activity and tracking
OnePlus Watch offers a wide range of fitness tracking capabilities, which once the lockdown is over, its users are free to explore in its truest potential. But to give you a fair idea, the Watch can track workouts and has 14 different modes right out of the box with 96 more to join the race. For now, it covers running, cycling, walking, swimming, badminton, cricket, mountaineering, yoga, and freestyle training. We loved the auto-detection feature, which prompts the user to start tracking if it notices physical activity for few minutes.
OnePlus Watch gives detailed statistics of your workout time, calories burnt and other metrics related to the workout. The built-in GPS gives its users the freedom to leave the phone behind, which can take off that extra weight while the Watch tracks all the data. If you're concerned about missing out on music, there's 2GB on-board and the music player is only a swipe away, so all your favourite workout tracks can go right in. Pair with OnePlus earphones or any other brand TWS to fully enjoy your morning jogs.
All of the data that is tracked can be viewed on the Health app on your phone. From whatever data we gathered, we found the tracking to be accurate with the slightest margin of error. It is through the app that you can add devices, set your fitness goals, track vitals, and more.
OnePlus Watch also does the usual health monitoring of a fitness tracker, including SpO2, which is essential during the COVID times. There's also heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, stress levels, which seem to work in accordance with acceptable accuracy. To top it all off, OnePlus Watch has IP68 and 5ATM, which should keep you going without a worry in showers and rains.
Battery life
With all this, OnePlus Watch manages to last days on a single charge. It has a 402mAh battery, which is pretty standard, but the RTOS technology keeps that battery going for days. With mild use, one-week battery life was consistent, but with activity tracking and vitals monitoring, it is still good for 5-6 days. With good battery comes the goodness of Warp, it's like icing on the cake. The magnetic charger included in the box can fully charge the smartwatch in under an hour and if you're running late for a meeting (in a post-COVID era sense), a five-minute charge can go a full day.
Should you buy?
OnePlus Watch is priced at Rs 14,999, which makes it fall in the premium category. For that price, OnePlus Watch offers a long-lasting battery with super-fast charging, a classy design and a big, beautiful display. If only the software was as good as OxygenOS, OnePlus Watch would be so easy to recommend. In hopes that OnePlus has expertise in the software field, and some major patches are in the offing, OnePlus fans can take that leap of faith. The limitations of the OnePlus Watch can be annoying, especially when other - more affordable watches have a strong game in that field. If you think you can wait out your urge to buy, the OnePlus Watch 2 might even be a sensible choice or considering looking for cheaper alternatives.
But if you're not too demanding on the software front, the OnePlus Watch makes a good pair for your OnePlus Watch at this point for the love of the brand. After all, the OnePlus Watch is one beautiful-looking smartwatch. We'll revisit the OnePlus Watch when those software kinks have been fixed.
