The OnePlus Watch 3 is launching on February 18, and TechRadar can exclusively reveal that it’s packing some features Wear OS fans have been clamoring for. Running Wear OS 5 alongside a secondary operating system, it’s packing 120 hours of battery life, beating many of the best Android smartwatches, including the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.
As with the OnePlus Watch 2, that extra battery life is made possible via dual chipsets, with Wear OS 5 powered by the Snapdragon W5, and the Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) powered by a secondary BES2800 MCU chip. By switching from the high-power to low-power operating systems as required, the OnePlus Watch 3 is able to optimize battery life.
Bigger battery life
In an exclusive interview with TechRadar, Celina Shi, Chief Marketing Officer for OnePlus Europe, told me: “Our software seamlessly switches operations between these two chipsets enabling the OnePlus Watch 3 to run with maximum efficiency and strike the perfect balance between peak performance and extended battery life.
“Furthermore, we have increased the battery capacity to 631mAH and equipped it with the OnePlus Silicon NanoStack Battery, the same technology used in our latest flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 13, which significantly boosts energy density for long-lasting power.”
When asked about what the longer battery life means for those looking to track their sleep (a key sticking point for watches with shorter battery lives), Shi hinted at an increased focus on sleep-tracking this go-round. “We are bringing more accuracy to our sleep-tracking features to provide people rich data about their sleep patterns and quality,” she told me. “Sleep underpins your daily activities and energy levels so […] we're offering an accurate picture of [users] sleep quality to help improve their health and wellness.”
New digital crown
Hardware-wise, the OnePlus Watch 3 has introduced a rotating digital crown, as found on the best Apple Watches, alongside its titanium bezel (upgraded from the 2’s stainless steel) and sapphire crystal face. The rotating crown is sure to please Wear OS users, as it’s a feature that's missing from the best Samsung watches.
“We put much focus on design with the OnePlus Watch 2 and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive,” added Shi. “But we did hear calls from our community to develop the rotating crown to offer functionality and an alternative way to navigate the device.”
“With the ability to both press and rotate, the rotating crown makes navigating through apps and menus efficient and intuitive – and ultimately the user experience even better.”
Adventure and fitness features
Shi couldn’t tell me much about the OnePlus Watch 3’s health and fitness features, but the trend in modern smartwatches is bigger and more rugged, as evidenced by the success of the Apple Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch Ultra and innumerable Garmins. The OnePlus Watch 3 is big and chunky like its predecessor, and nods to this trend with its harder titanium and sapphire crystal components. The two colors in which it's available at launch, Obsidian Titanium (black) and Emerald Titanium (green), are very much outdoors-coded too.
In terms of health and fitness, Shi said: “Ultimately our focus for the OnePlus Watch 3 has been to provide a highly accurate fitness and sleep-tracking tool that lasts longer than you need it – and looks great whilst doing so.
“We have plenty to share at launch for durability, but for now we're confident in saying that it will be able to keep up with you for any activity you're planning, in any condition.”
We can’t yet reveal pricing, but at the moment we know the OnePlus Watch 3 will be launching in North America and the EU.
UPDATE: 17:00 GMT: The OnePlus website has revealed a first look at the OnePlus Watch 3, with a few scant specs that we already knew about, such as the five-day / 120 hours battery life, and confirmed the watch's February 18 launch date. Stay tuned for TechRadar's full review of the watch then!
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