Main improve
Whereas different Android smartwatches launch extra iterative annual updates, OnePlus knew it had numerous fixes to make with the OnePlus Watch 3. This watch has vital upgrades throughout the board, primarily battery life, well being knowledge, and the show, however with extra delicate enhancements, too.
For
- Bigger, smoother show with titanium bezel
- Redesigned well being sensor with ECG, pores and skin temp
- Crown is now purposeful
- Additional day of industrial quality use
- Quicker co-processor for background duties
Towards
- Nonetheless no smaller possibility, LTE
- ECG not accessible in North America
- Solely two years of software program assist
Work in progress
OnePlus’s first Put on OS watch made a splash due to its lengthy battery life, however we discovered minor points in areas like efficiency and well being monitoring that made it more durable to advocate. This watch will nonetheless beat rivals for battery life and technically matches the Watch 3 for efficiency, nevertheless it’s more durable to advocate now.
For
- Wonderful battery life solely a day wanting Watch 3
- Quick VOOC charging
- Identical Snapdragon chipset, reminiscence
- Equally sturdy design
Towards
- Nonfunctional crown
- Unreliable last-gen MCU
- No ECG, pores and skin temp
- Arguably much less trendy
- Had documented points with exercise monitoring
While you weigh the OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Watch 2, you will discover there’s rather more that is modified than simply the additional battery life. The design has purposeful and stylistic modifications, the efficiency has a delicate increase, new sensors offer you a wider vary of well being metrics, and the show has a noticeable increase in a number of areas.
That stated, the OnePlus Watch 2 takes after the Watch 3 in predictable methods, and for those who’re attempting to find a deal and contemplating the last-gen watch, this OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Watch 2 information will allow you to make your determination!
Beginning with every little thing that is unchanged between the 2, let’s dive by the important thing variations between these two wonderful Android smartwatches, based mostly on our hands-on time with the OnePlus Watch 3 and the official specs.
|
Class |
OnePlus Watch 3 |
OnePlus Watch 2 |
|---|---|---|
|
Supplies |
Titanium bezel, stainless-steel case, sapphire crystal glass |
Stainless-steel case/bezel, sapphire crystal glass |
|
Safety |
MIL-STD-810H, IP68, 5ATM |
MIL-STD-810H, IP68, 5ATM |
|
Dimensions |
46.6 x 47.6 x 11.75mm |
46.6 x 47.0 x 12.1mm |
|
Weight (with out/ with strap) |
49.7g / 81g |
49g / 80g |
|
Show |
1.5-inch (466×466) LTPO AMOLED, 2,200 nits brightness |
1.43-inch (466×466) AMOLED, 600 nits brightness |
|
Processor |
Snapdragon W5 SoC, 6nm BES2800 MCU, 32GB |
Snapdragon W5 SoC, 12nm BES2700 MCU |
|
Reminiscence |
2GB RAM, 32GB storage |
2GB RAM, 32GB storage |
|
OS |
Put on OS 5 (+ 2 model updates) and RTOS |
Put on OS 4 (+ 2 model updates) and RTOS |
|
Battery |
631mAh; 120 hours (good mode); 72 hours (heavy use); 16 days (energy saver mode) |
500mAh; 100 hours (good mode); 48 hours (heavy use); 12 days (energy saver mode) |
|
Charging |
24 hours in 10 minutes; 100% in 60 minutes |
24 hours in 10 minutes; 100% in 60 minutes |
|
Sensors |
Optical HR, SpO2, ECG, wrist temperature, accelerometer, barometer, geomagnetic, gyroscope, gentle |
Optical HR, SpO2, accelerometer, barometer, geomagnetic, gyroscope, gentle |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 2.4/5GHz, NFC, |
Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 2.4/5GHz, NFC |
|
Monitoring |
GPS (L1 + L5), Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS |
GPS (L1 + L5), Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS |
OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Watch 2: What’s the identical?
These are the important thing options and design parts which are both unchanged or just about similar between the OnePlus Watch 3 and Watch 2:
Processor and reminiscence: Each watches use the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1, a chip that launched in 2022, with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. They do have completely different coprocessors, however we’ll focus on that later. Primarily, you will get the identical efficiency pace as different Put on OS watches just like the Pixel Watch 3 and TicWatch Professional 5 Enduro.
Updates: Though the OnePlus Watch 2 and three launched with Put on OS 4 and OS 5, respectively, each watches will obtain two model updates and two years of safety updates and can share the identical options as soon as the Watch 2 updates. This places OnePlus behind Google (3 OS updates) and Samsung (4 OS updates).
Straps: Each watches use 22mm fluororubber straps with stainless-steel buckles; not like different Android watches, the OnePlus Watch 3 and a pair of use normal 22mm lugs, so you should utilize whichever appropriate bands you need. We’ll ask OnePlus whether or not its fluoroelastomer materials has any points with toxicity and replace if we hear again.
OnePlus did say it applied a “new curved strap design that enhances the wraparound match” for extra correct sensor knowledge, however in any other case, it ought to really feel pretty comparable; our examined discovered that he did not discover an actual distinction in consolation.
General dimension, really feel, and colours: We’ll focus on what’s modified, design-wise, within the subsequent part, however usually talking, you are getting a 47mm stainless-steel watch that weighs about 80g/2.8 ounces and measures about 13mm thick if you take the sensors under consideration. OnePlus did not announce a smaller mannequin for the Watch 2 or 3, which could possibly be a deal-breaker for these with smaller wrists.
Additionally, the OnePlus Watch 2 and three are available in two comparable finishes. They’ve completely different names — Obsidian Titanium/ Black Metal and Emerald Titanium/ Radiant Metal — nevertheless it’s basically the identical black and silver choices as earlier than.
Sturdiness: Each watches have the identical mud and water resistance (IP68), although not on the similar IP69 score because the OnePlus 13. OnePlus lists a variety of military-grade sturdiness assessments that the Watch 3 (and a pair of) handed, together with excessive/low temperature, photo voltaic radiation, 96-hour salt spray, vibration, influence, acidic environment, and freezing rain. It isn’t bulletproof however as rugged as you’d hope for in an Android watch.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Watch 2: Design and show
Regardless of being the identical common dimension, the OnePlus Watch 3 has a brand new titanium bezel as an alternative of stainless-steel, including a metallic sheen across the edge the place the OnePlus Watch 2 had a “sizeable bezel” enveloping the show that irritated our reviewer.
Eradicating that wasted house, OnePlus gave the Watch 3 a 1.5-inch show, a slight visible increase over the 1.43-inch Watch 2. That matches bigger Android watches just like the Galaxy Watch Extremely. We’re somewhat stunned that OnePlus did not improve the decision to match the dimensions improve; each watches have 466 x 466 decision, so the Watch 2’s pixels per inch ratio is barely extra dense (~15ppi).
Nonetheless, the OnePlus Watch 3 show has extra vital upgrades that make it the clear winner: It hits a peak brightness of two,200 nits as an alternative of 600 nits and makes use of an LTPO AMOLED materials able to dipping as little as 1Hz to save lots of battery life.
Curiously, our OnePlus Watch 3 tester discovered there wasn’t a lot visible distinction between the 2 in direct daylight. He as an alternative appreciated that the Watch 3 makes use of DC dimming in any respect brightness ranges as an alternative of PWM, which might trigger complications for inclined folks.
General, the OnePlus Watch 3 design appears extra like a sports activities watch because of its 60-second scale across the titanium bezel, much like the OnePlus Watch 2R. The latter did nicely in our latest smartwatch magnificence pageant, and I believe it is no shock that OnePlus realized that this model would make its mainline watches look extra distinct.
OnePlus irritated some Watch 2 house owners by including an ornamental crown with no precise navigational skills. Listening to that criticism, it transformed the OnePlus Watch 3 crown to be purposeful: you’ll be able to rotate by menus and press it to pick out choices, so that you’re now not absolutely touch-dependent.
The crown has a “tapered, pyramid-pattern” texture that is simple to twist. Our tester praised it because the “finest crown I’ve used on any watch to this point,” noting that it is giant sufficient to your finger to relaxation comfortably on it, it has a pleasant tactility, and the haptics really feel nice when twisted.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Watch 2: Efficiency, battery life, and charging
Though these watches share a essential processor and RAM, the Watch 3 switches to a brand new coprocessor referred to as the BES2800 for background RTOS duties. Constructed on 6nm FinFET tech, it is speculated to have a 200% CPU increase and 400% NPU increase over the 12nm BES2700 within the Watch 2.
When reviewing final yr’s Watch 2, our reviewer complained that issues did not work reliably due to the dual-OS answer; we’ve got cause to hope that this improve on the Watch 3 will clear up a few of his issues, like health-tracking inaccuracies and dropped notifications.
By way of battery life, there’s an apparent 131mAh capability improve, however OnePlus pulled this off whereas making the Watch 3 barely skinnier due to the brand new silicone-carbon battery tech, which OnePlus calls Silicon NanoStack Battery. It makes your battery denser, which means you get extra capability and higher sturdiness in opposition to excessive temperatures whereas utilizing much less house.
To date, we have discovered the OnePlus Watch 3 can simply final an estimated 5 days, together with with every day exercises, however our preliminary hands-on take a look at did not embrace sleep monitoring. Your private battery mileage might fluctuate, however usually talking, each watches are a lot longer-lived than the common smartwatch; the Watch 3 merely offers you a bit extra leeway for those who’re an influence person who ceaselessly makes on-wrist calls, streams music to Bluetooth earbuds, or does numerous GPS exercises.
Equally vital, each watches assist VOOC quick charging that offers you a few day of battery life in 10 minutes. Curiously, our OnePlus Watch 3 tester discovered he may cost it from 20% to 100% in simply half-hour, whereas the Watch 2 took about an hour to cost absolutely. OnePlus did not announce a charging pace improve, nevertheless it seems that the Watch 3 costs sooner regardless of its bigger capability.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Watch 2: Sensors and connectivity
Whereas each OnePlus Watches have 8-channel optical coronary heart price sensors and 16-channel blood oxygen (SpO2) sensors, OnePlus is promising rather more correct outcomes on the Watch 3. We discovered the Watch 2 wasn’t particularly correct for exercises, making this a much-needed enchancment.
Reportedly, the OnePlus Watch 3 has a brand new again cowl glass that improves LED effectivity and a redesigned sensor structure “to cut back the space between the LED and photodetector” to make sure “sign high quality.” OnePlus additionally says it improved its coronary heart price algorithm.
That is all on paper, however in our early testing, the OnePlus Watch 3 delivered exercise outcomes a lot nearer to that of different smartwatches, whereas the Watch 2 typically had curiously deflated outcomes.
Apart from improved accuracy, the OnePlus Watch 3 added an “ECG Analyzer” to guage your coronary heart well being; sadly, it will not be accessible in america or Canada as a result of OnePlus selected to not attempt to get FDA certification as a “enterprise determination” to economize.
OnePlus is including a 60-second well being check-in to the Watch 3 beginning in March 2025 that’ll analyze your vascular age, coronary heart price, SpO2, psychological wellness, sleep high quality, wrist temperature, and (in Europe and Asia) ECG knowledge. Your vascular well being, or arterial stiffness danger, will likely be a brand new main focus with its personal app and tile, aiming to catch hypertension points.
As well as, OnePlus is providing new sleep knowledge insights within the OHealth app — although we suspect a few of them will come to the Watch 2, as nicely. Primarily, you can verify your sleep rating/length, respiratory price, HRV, physique motion, loud night breathing ranges, and your resting coronary heart price in comparison with your typical baseline.
However the huge new addition is pores and skin temperature. It’s essential to put on the look ahead to a minimum of 4 hours of sleep monitoring per night time for 5 days; after that, OnePlus may have a temperature baseline to check in opposition to, warning you in case your well being verify or in a single day temperature seems elevated.
On the connectivity entrance, OnePlus upgraded the Bluetooth chip from 5.0 to five.2 for the Watch 3, however the Wi-Fi normal is unchanged. You get NFC for Google Pockets funds, however it seems that OnePlus as soon as once more will not provide an LTE improve possibility or ultra-wideband assist.
One delicate improve is to GPS monitoring. The OnePlus Watch 2 had dual-band GPS, however the OnePlus Watch 3 has a brand new “circular-polarized antenna” that is designed to seize weak indicators extra reliably and “cut back refraction brought on by tall buildings.” Plus, it added a brand new 7nm GPS chip that reportedly reduces energy consumption by “over 50%” whereas dashing up your satellite tv for pc search.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Watch 2: Must you improve?
OnePlus stored the identical rugged, basic design philosophy for the Watch 3 and a pair of, and Qualcomm’s subsequent Snapdragon chip probably will not be accessible till later this yr, so OnePlus had no improve possibility. However in any other case, this information ought to make clear simply what number of generational modifications OnePlus made with the Watch 3! Virtually nothing was left unchanged.
In case you purchased the OnePlus Watch 2, I can not inform you whether or not it is too quickly to improve or not, however OnePlus definitely made the Watch 3 tempting.
The upgrades to the background MCU and well being sensors, together with delicate OHealth modifications, make it extra dependable as a health watch. The battery life and charging boosts are vital, however the Watch 2 isn’t any slouch in both space. You may actually admire the brighter, smoother show, however chances are you’ll not admire the shortage of a 1.2- or 1.3-inch possibility.
Till our OnePlus Watch 3 evaluate lets us take a look at the battery, software program, and well being knowledge extra completely, we will not give a full-throated suggestion. However based mostly on our preliminary impressions, this can be a a lot stronger Android smartwatch than the Watch 2, and I might advocate paying further for the Watch 3 as an alternative of grabbing the Watch 2 on sale.
Subsequent-gen possibility
Select the OnePlus Watch 3 to prioritize battery life, behind-the-scenes upgrades to efficiency and well being/ health monitoring, and fashionable model. Skip it if you wish to look forward to the OnePlus Watch 4 so as to add a brand new Snapdragon processor or if you cannot deal with heavy watches.
Final-gen lonvevity
Preserve your OnePlus Watch 2 for those who’re happy with its present battery life and do not want a crown; or, purchase a brand new Watch 2 for those who’d quite get monetary savings and may compromise in areas like well being knowledge. In any other case, critically take into account the OnePlus Watch 3, because the variations are substantial.
