OnePlus Watch 3 assessment: Really aggressive

OnePlus is taking its method to smartwatches somewhat extra critically. The OnePlus Watch 2 from final yr represented a fairly large enchancment over its predecessor, however it nonetheless wasn’t an ideal system. Notably, it was lacking some fitness-focused options and a few design points, like a crown that didn’t truly do something when rotated. Now, nonetheless, OnePlus is again with a follow-up within the type of the OnePlus Watch 3.

Past primary enhancements, the OnePlus Watch 3 goals to cement itself because the go-to smartwatch for Android customers. Notably, OnePlus boasts a battery lifetime of as much as 5 days, improved health monitoring options, and eventually, a crown that truly controls the software program when it rotates. It additionally goes up towards powerful competitors. Google dramatically improved the Pixel Look ahead to the Pixel Watch 3, and Samsung’s wearable units are getting higher too.

Does the OnePlus Watch 3 make a case for itself as a terrific smartwatch within the Android ecosystem, or ought to solely essentially the most devoted OnePlus followers purchase it?

OnePlus Watch 3 specs

OnePlus Watch 3 assessment: Design

OnePlus is seemingly going all in on large watches. The OnePlus Watch 2 was 46mm, and the OnePlus Watch 3 could be very comparable at 47mm. Whereas I don’t thoughts this measurement, the system is sadly solely out there in a single measurement possibility. So when you’ve got smaller wrists, you would possibly discover that the OnePlus Watch 3 appears outsized. This is a matter that Google solved for the Pixel Watch 3, and it’s somewhat irritating to see OnePlus avoiding the problem. I might like to see a smaller OnePlus Look ahead to the OnePlus Watch 4.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

That stated, measurement points apart, I do fairly just like the design of the OnePlus Watch 3. It has a round construct with a flat aspect on the best, and whereas it’s considerably thick, it isn’t overly so. The system is obtainable in two colorways: Emerald Titanium and Obsidian Titanium. I’m reviewing the Obsidian Titanium mannequin, which I choose.

On that flat edge on the best aspect of the system, you will discover a crown and a button, each of which can be utilized to manage the OnePlus Watch 3. Fortunately, for this era, OnePlus has up to date the crown to truly management software program once you rotate it, so it isn’t simply one other button that appears like a crown, because it was on the OnePlus Watch 2. You’ll get good haptic suggestions once you rotate it too, such as you do on the Apple Watch. It’s responsive, it really works properly, and I feel it’s an effective way to manage the system.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

The OnePlus Watch 3 is comparatively rugged as properly. It boasts military-grade sturdiness with an MIL-STD-810 ranking, plus it’s rated at 5ATM, which means it might probably stand up to water stress at as much as 50 meters. Lastly, OnePlus has added a brand new 2D sapphire crystal glass, which is alleged to enhance scratch resistance.

The OnePlus Watch 3 comes with a rubber strap, which is black once you purchase the Obsidian Titanium mannequin. The strap is somewhat primary, however it appears and feels wonderful. It can be changed with different 22mm straps if wished, which useful — you don’t have to purchase propriety straps.

Typically talking, the OnePlus Watch 3 appears good. Once more, I want it was out there in two totally different sizes. However, when you don’t thoughts the dimensions, you’ll discover the system to feel and appear like a high-quality smartwatch.

OnePlus Watch 3 assessment: Show

The OnePlus Watch 3 encompasses a 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED show, which has a 466 x 466 decision. The truth that it’s an LTPO display signifies that the watch can differ in refresh fee between 1Hz and 60Hz, which helps protect battery when a excessive refresh fee isn’t wanted. Typically, it regarded crisp and detailed, and I by no means actually had a difficulty with the decision.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

The show’s peak brightness sits at a hefty 2,200 nits, which is a reasonably large enchancment over the OnePlus Watch 2. To be honest, I didn’t actually have a difficulty with the brightness on the OnePlus Watch 2, however certainly the OnePlus Watch 3’s show does get fairly vivid, and I discovered it simply vivid sufficient to see what was on the display, even outside.

The show can, in fact, differ that brightness relying on whether or not you’re actively utilizing it or not. There may be an always-on show mode which is off by default however straightforward to allow. That mode does, in fact, influence battery life, so that you’ll need to determine if you need the display all the time on or when you choose the battery life to be longer. I’m good at charging smartwatches repeatedly, and I like an always-on show, so I enabled it. For essentially the most half, it was straightforward to see what was on the display even at wider viewing angles, however it wasn’t fairly as spectacular because the Apple Watch Extremely.

OnePlus Watch 3 assessment: Well being-tracking

The OnePlus Watch 2 wasn’t unhealthy when it got here to health monitoring, however it did lack some notable well being monitoring options. Maybe the most important of those was an EKG sensor, which, as somebody who has had atrial fibrillation up to now, appeared like an enormous miss. The excellent news is that OnePlus has added the ECG sensor for the OnePlus Watch 3, however there’s nonetheless a significant caveat to that. Sadly, the ECG sensor doesn’t work within the US or Canada as OnePlus hasn’t obtained FDA clearance for the characteristic. To make issues worse, the corporate says that it isn’t going to be pursuing FDA clearance. So when you purchase the OnePlus Watch 3 in North America, don’t count on to have the ability to take ECGs.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

Fortunately, there are another helpful new well being monitoring options, although. For instance, the system has a brand new wrist temperature monitor, in addition to a brand new 8-channel optical coronary heart fee sensor. Just like the OnePlus Watch 2, it might probably monitor blood oxygen, however it has an upgraded sensor to have the ability to achieve this. So it ought to be extra correct. The system has a “60S Well being Test-In” characteristic that appears at your coronary heart fee, blood oxygen, sleep high quality, and psychological well-being. I’m not precisely positive the way it comes up with its scores, however I used to be advised that I’ve a vascular age that’s the “similar as my friends” and an “wonderful” thoughts and physique. I’ll take it.

I used to be shocked by a few of the well being monitoring options provided by the watch in a great way. For instance, I tracked an informal tennis match with the system and liked seeing details about my enjoying, just like the sorts of strokes I used to be enjoying and my swing pace. It wasn’t 100% correct; for instance, it detected some normal overhead pictures as serves, however that’s a really forgivable mistake. I suppose from the viewpoint of well being and health, they’re functionally the identical factor anyway. Past tennis, the watch has over 100 totally different exercise modes, and 11 of those provide the so-called pro-level metrics, together with operating, swimming, and climbing.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

There’s additionally a revamped sleep monitoring system. On high of the fundamental measurements that you just’d count on, like sleep levels and coronary heart fee, the watch can now monitor issues like loud night breathing patterns and assess any sleeping disturbances by means of the evening. Moreover, the system will use metrics like coronary heart fee variability to provide you an total 360 thoughts and physique rating. It’s form of cool, however once more, it’s laborious to inform what these scores truly imply. One sleep metric that’s lacking is sleep apnea detection. This can be a little bit of a disgrace contemplating the truth that opponents do provide sleep apnea detection.

Knowledge appeared to be similar to that collected by an Apple Watch Extremely that I used to be sporting concurrently reviewing the OnePlus Watch 3. My common coronary heart fee was solely totally different by just a few beats per minute throughout exercises between the 2 units. Whereas sleep levels have been barely totally different between the 2, total sleep instances have been primarily the identical to inside a couple of minutes. Like all client well being tracker, the OnePlus Watch 3’s knowledge shouldn’t essentially be taken as gospel, however it ought to have the ability to monitor traits over time decently properly.

OnePlus Watch 3 assessment: Efficiency

The OnePlus Watch 3 is constructed for an extended battery life, and a method that it achieves that longer battery life is thru a dual-processor method. The system has a Snapdragon W5 for normal processing, together with a BES2800 for background features or to course of duties in power-saving mode.

Regardless, the watch was responsive and quick the overwhelming majority of the time. It was in a position to scroll by means of apps and knowledge with ease, and it by no means hung up when opening apps, beginning exercises, and so forth. That’s an enormous enchancment over smartwatches from just some years in the past, which have been utilizing processors that have been as much as 4 or 5 years outdated.

OnePlus Watch 3 assessment: Battery and charging

The OnePlus Watch 3 isn’t the primary smartwatch to take the dual-processor method. OnePlus’ personal OnePlus Watch 2 and the Pixel Watch 3 each have the same system, however in all three, it’s made for a for much longer battery life.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

Actually, in the usual sensible energy mode, the OnePlus Watch 3 is alleged to have the ability to last as long as 5 days on a single cost. In case you maintain it in energy saver mode, you’ll get an enormous 16 days. That’s fairly enormous, and OnePlus’s estimates appeared about correct.

That stated, I didn’t essentially use the watch from the attitude of eager to make it final so long as doable. I wished to make use of all of the options that make issues extra handy, just like the always-on show. Even with these options enabled, nonetheless, the system was good at lasting lengthy quantities of time, and I used to be nonetheless in a position to get by means of two days of use with out having to cost. Once more, I’m somebody who is nice at charging repeatedly, in order that lengthy battery life primarily simply offered peace of thoughts.

Once you do need to cost, you’ll plop the system down on the magnetic charging puck, which makes use of pogo pins to ship energy. The charging puck has a USB-C port as an alternative of a completely hooked up cable, which is a pleasant contact and signifies that you should use it with any cable you might have helpful. The OnePlus Watch 3 is ready to totally cost in round 80 minutes, however when you cost greater than you essentially have to, you’ll clearly have the ability to cost for decrease quantities of time.

OnePlus Watch 3 assessment: Software program

The OnePlus Watch 3 options Google’s Put on OS 5 working system, which is usually well-designed and simple to navigate. You’ll swipe right down to entry fast settings, as much as entry notifications, and aspect to aspect to entry different data as wanted. It essentially represents a whole revamp of the software program, however it presents all of the options that Android customers will want entry to. Moreover, for Put on OS 5, the watch is ready to change between telephones with out the necessity to utterly reset, which is a pleasant contact.

The system additionally comes with a stable number of watch faces that you would be able to change between and customise as wanted. Most of the watch faces have area for just a few totally different problems, so you may entry totally different data with out having to ever contact the display.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

After all, additionally vital is the software program in your telephone. To entry the watch’s settings and well being monitoring options, you’ll use the OHealth app. This app is fairly properly designed and has a house display that permits you to see all primary well being knowledge at a look — plus it allows you to tweak a wide range of totally different watch settings and customise watch faces.

There are some options which might be accessible to those that use the system with a OnePlus telephone, however far fewer than you would possibly assume. The principle characteristic that you just gained’t get and not using a OnePlus telephone is the power to make use of the system as a distant digicam controller.

Conclusions

The OnePlus Watch 3 is a well-rounded, well-designed smartwatch with a wide range of useful options and good health monitoring. It isn’t essentially for everybody although. The truth that it’s solely out there in a single massive measurement signifies that these with smaller wrists will probably wish to think about one thing else first. Not solely that, however there isn’t a LTE possibility for the OnePlus Watch 3, so you may’t purchase a variant that has its personal mobile connectivity. Lastly, it’s a disgrace that some well being monitoring options, just like the ECG sensor, are unavailable in North America.

That stated, loads of individuals don’t thoughts a bigger watch and don’t need an LTE model anyway — and when you’re a kind of individuals, and don’t care about accessing ECG sensing within the U.S., you then’ll discover the OnePlus Watch 3 to be a compelling alternative.

That stated, when you’re prepared to look previous all of these points, you then’ll discover the OnePlus Watch 3 to be a superb smartwatch.

The competitors

Considered one of OnePlus’s largest opponents on this area comes from the Pixel 3. If you’d like a barely smaller system and one which has a extra intricate design, then the Pixel Watch 3 might be a more sensible choice. That stated, the Pixel Watch 3’s battery isn’t wherever close to so long as the OnePlus Watch 3, so if that’s of use to you, the OnePlus system is the way in which to go.

Ought to I purchase the OnePlus Watch 3?

Sure. It’s a superb smartwatch with a spread of useful options.