OnePlus Watch 2 Review A Solid Upgrade Over Its Predecessor

OnePlus Watch 2 Review A Solid Upgrade Over Its Predecessor

The OnePlus Watch 2 is the latest iteration of the company’s smartwatch lineup, building upon the success of its predecessor. With a flagship-level design, advanced fitness-tracking features, and competitive battery life, this watch is poised to be a top contender in the market. But does it live up to the hype?

Design and Display:

Design:

The OnePlus Watch 2 boasts a sleek and sturdy design, featuring a steel chassis paired with a sapphire crystal face. The watch is available in three attractive colors: Black Steel, Radiant Steel, and Nordic Blue. Its large dimensions (47 x 46.6 x 12.1 mm) and weight (80g, including strap) give it a substantial feel. The design is inspired by classic stopwatches, with a flat edge on the right-hand side and buttons offset at an angle. Notably, there is no functional rotating crown on this watch.

Display:

The OnePlus Watch 2 features a stunning 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels. The screen is bright enough to be easily readable in direct sunlight and is coated with scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. With a Mohs hardness rating of 8+, the display is highly resistant to scratches. Additionally, the watch has a MIL-STD 810H rating for durability and is water-resistant up to 5ATM, making it suitable for various outdoor activities.

Fitness Tracking and Health Features:

• The OnePlus Watch 2 supports over 100 sports tracking modes, including running, walking, cycling, swimming, rowing machine workouts, and elliptical machine workouts.
• It offers insightful recommendations based on personal data for running and badminton modes.
• The watch provides accurate step tracking and GPS tracking data, outperforming other smartwatches in its class.
• Running mode offers extensive data, including pace, elevation, heart rate, Vo2 Max, cadence, stride length, and running power.
• Additional features include tennis mode, skiing mode, and other sport-specific tracking options.
• Sleep tracking is accurate, providing data on different stages like REM, Light, and Deep sleep, along with average blood oxygen level.
• The watch can detect snoring by placing the phone near the face during sleep.
• Heart rate and SpO2 monitoring use LED lights and photo-diodes, offering accurate data, including Vo2 Max information.
• Stress monitoring is available throughout the day.
• The eHealth app manages notifications and offers various workout and health settings, enabling features like advanced sleep tracking.
• Installable apps include Strava, Audible, Spotify, WhatsApp, YouTube Music, and Google Maps, with offline music playback support.
• Google Fit Sync and Health Connect by Android are supported for managing data permissions from multiple health and fitness apps and devices.

Battery Life and Charging:

One of the standout features of the OnePlus Watch2 is its battery life. With up to 14 days of battery life on a single charge, this watch is perfect for those who want a device that can keep up with their active lifestyle. The watch also supports fast charging, allowing you to quickly top up your battery when you’re on the go.

Software and Performance:

Software:

• The OnePlus Watch 2 runs on Wear OS, offering seamless integration with Google services like Google Calendar, Google Fit, Google Wallet, and more.
• The watch has access to the Google Play Store, allowing users to download various apps, including fitness-tracking apps like Strava.
• It supports Google Home and IFTTT for smart home control.
• The watch comes with 32GB of onboard storage for offline music listening.
• It has a dual-system architecture, with a Snapdragon W5 chip running Wear OS and a low-power BES2700BP chip for basic functions like time-telling and health data tracking.

Performance:

• The watch offers excellent performance, with smooth navigation and responsive apps.
• It has a reliable connection with smartphones, with consistent notifications and tracking data sync.
• The watch supports multi-band GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, stress monitoring, and SpO2 monitoring.
• It has a long battery life, with up to 100 hours on a single charge in smart mode and 12 days in power-saving mode.
• Charging is quick, with 50% battery life achieved in just 15 minutes and a full charge in 50 minutes.

Decision:

The OnePlus Watch 2 is a solid upgrade over its predecessor, with a flagship-level design, advanced fitness-tracking features, and competitive battery life. While it may lack features like fall detection and LTE support, it’s a great option for those looking for a stylish and functional smartwatch.

Benefits:

• Flagship-level design: The OnePlus Watch 2 is a fashionable timepiece that rivals more expensive smartwatches. It has a digital crown and action button, both of which extend slightly from the chassis.
• Wear OS 4 software: OnePlus has adopted Google’s Wear OS software, which powers popular flagships like the Google Pixel Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. The result is a hybrid Wear OS 4 + RTOS experience powered by a pair of adaptive chipsets.
• Impressive fitness tracking: The watch supports activity tracking for dozens of sports types. The dual-frequency GPS makes sure your movement is monitored precisely.
• Great battery life and fast charging: OnePlus claims its second-generation smartwatch can last up to two weeks in power saver mode and up to 100 hours in normal ‘smart’ mode. The watch can juice up to 10 minutes for a day’s worth of battery, while just one hour of charging delivers a full battery.
• Dual-system architecture: The watch has two processors and two operating systems, one for basic functions like time-telling and step-tracking, and another for more complex tasks. This enables the watch to achieve remarkable battery life.
• Google apps: From the watch, you can use Google Calendar to check your meeting schedule, Google Maps to get transit directions, and Google Pay for your subway fare.
• Health sensors: The watch is loaded with a thorough suite of accurate health sensors. It supports activity tracking for dozens of sports types. Plus, there are perks for select sports modes, such as running.
• Durability: The watch has a MIL-STD-810H durability rating. It’s also IP68 water resistance rated and can withstand water pressure equivalent to 50 meters, so it’s safe for swimming. The display is even made of sapphire crystal, which is the same material used on the Garmin Epix Pro and Apple Watch Ultra watches that cost hundreds of dollars more.

Drawbacks:

• Limited app selection: Despite running Wear OS, the OnePlus Watch 2 has limited app support compared to other Wear OS smartwatches.
• No built-in Wi-Fi: The watch relies on Bluetooth connectivity, which can lead to slower data transfer and syncing issues.
• No speaker or microphone: The watch lacks a speaker and microphone, making it impossible to take calls or use voice assistants like Google Assistant.
• No mobile payment support: The watch does not support mobile payments like Google Pay or OnePlus Pay.
• Limited customization options: The watch faces and band options are limited, and users cannot customize the watch to their liking.
• No advanced health features: While the watch has basic health sensors, it lacks advanced features like ECG, blood glucose monitoring, or fall detection.
• No always-on display: The watch’s display turns off after a few seconds of inactivity, which can be inconvenient.
• Limited compatibility: The watch is only compatible with Android devices, leaving iOS users out.
• No built-in GPS: While the watch supports GPS tracking, it relies on the connected phone’s GPS, which can lead to inaccurate tracking.
• No support for third-party watch faces: The watch only supports OnePlus’ proprietary watch faces, limiting user customization.
• No built-in music storage: The watch lacks internal storage for music, requiring users to rely on streaming services or connect to their phone for music playback.

Comparison with Other Smartwatches:

The OnePlus Watch 2 competes with other popular smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. While it may not have all the features of these high-end smartwatches, it’s a great option for those looking for a more affordable option with advanced fitness-tracking features.

Price:

The OnePlus Watch 2 has a starting price of $300 in the US.

The OnePlus Watch 2 is a solid upgrade over its predecessor, with a flagship-level design, advanced fitness-tracking features, and competitive battery life. While it may lack some features, it’s a great option for those looking for a stylish and functional smartwatch at an affordable price.

Thank you for reading, and feel free to ask any questions in the comments!

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