The OnePlus Watch might not come running Wear OS

Fossil Sport
The Fossil Sport with Wear OS. (Image credit: Future)

After years of rumors, we're expecting the OnePlus Watch to appear in the not-too-distant future – but according to a well-placed tipster it won't be running the Google Wear OS software when it does arrive.

Max Jambor, who has been right in the past with advance OnePlus information, took to Twitter to reveal that the upcoming wearable will not be a Wear OS device, as had been expected considering the partnership with OnePlus and Google on Android.

Of course this isn't official yet, but it would be an interesting move from OnePlus, and a blow for Google. There are some decent Wear OS watches on the market, but there's certainly plenty of room for more as well.

We're assuming that OnePlus will indeed develop its own bespoke software for the OnePlus Watch, in the same way that other manufacturers like Samsung, Garmin and Fitbit have done up to this point.

Watch this space

We were originally expecting to see the OnePlus Watch in October, but that launch date got pushed back: production or software issues may have been to blame, which wouldn't be a surprise given the ongoing global pandemic.

It's been a busy year for OnePlus, with the OnePlus 8T just one of several phones that the manufacturer has pushed out this year. If work on the wearable has had to be put on the backburner for a period of time then that would be perfectly understandable.

Other rumors point to a round display for the upcoming wearable, so think more along the lines of a Samsung Galaxy Watch rather than an Apple Watch. At the moment the market is pretty evenly split between round and rectangular designs.

OnePlus itself hasn't confirmed that it has a smartwatch on the way, although this tweet would seem to suggest that's the case. If and when a OnePlus-branded wearable arrives to go with the company's smartphones and television sets, we'll let you know.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

Latest in Smartwatches
Garmin Instinct 3 next to the Apple Watch Ultra 2
New figures claim the smartwatch market just shrunk for the first time ever, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is to blame
Garmin Forerunner 965 on wrist in the dark
New Garmin leak suggests a release is days away, but don't get your hopes up for the Forerunner 975
Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED watch on wrist
Garmin owners were confused about 13.35 software update for Fenix 8, here's what actually happened
UNA Watch
UNA Watch is the sustainable wearable that wants to replace your Apple Watch
The Apple Watch Series 10 on a pink background with text saying Don't Miss next to it.
The beautiful Apple Watch Series 10 drops to its lowest-ever price at Amazon
Amazfit Active 2
I ditched all my strength training plans for a $99 smartwatch – here's what happened
Latest in News
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Struggling with slow Google Messages photo transfers? Google says new update will make 'noticeable difference'
Elayne, Egwene, and Nynaeve dressed regally and on horseback in The Wheel of Time season 3
'There's a reason why we do it': The Wheel of Time showrunner responds to fans who are still upset over the Prime Video show's plot alterations
Google Pixel 9
Android 16 could bring an improved Samsung DeX-style desktop mode to more phones
An Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
Nvidia could unleash RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti GPUs on PC gamers tomorrow, but there’s no sign of rumored RTX 5050 yet
AI writing
ChatGPT just wrote the most beautiful short story, and I wonder what I'm even doing here
Google Chrome dark mode
Google updates Chrome extension rules to ban affiliate link injection without user action or benefit