Is OnePlus Watch 2 Worth It?  in 2024 – Lets Dive

Is OnePlus Watch 2 worth it? The original OnePlus wristwatch was horrible. Although the OnePlus Watch’s hardware was sleek and its battery life was excellent, the proprietary software was a bit clumsy, and the activity monitoring was tricky to say the least. The second-generation OnePlus Watch takes a different approach than the previous model by running Wear OS. This means it can access a plethora of apps from the Play Store, including Google Wallet, the Google Assistant, and many more. Additionally, it achieves an unprecedented level of battery life in Wear OS, with capabilities such as an always-on display and sleep tracking enabled all while maintaining a single charge lasting up to four days.

I find it all really fascinating. Durability is an issue with smartwatches from all the big brands, and Wear OS requires variety. However, similar problems to the original OnePlus Watch persist in the second iteration: the software isn’t perfect, and the activity monitoring isn’t always reliable. So, I’m not overly thrilled with the OnePlus Watch 2 per se, but I am enthusiastic about the possibilities it holds for Wear OS and smartwatches in general.

OnePlus Watch 2 Design and display

Comparing the OnePlus Watch 2 to the bigger Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, which has a 1.43-inch display instead of Samsung’s 1.5-inch OLED, you’ll notice that both watches are quite large, with 47mm cases.

Impressive hardware. In general, the case’s design is reminiscent of the distinctive camera bumps seen on recent phones from OnePlus; it is spherical in shape with one flat border that houses two buttons. My review unit, the Radiant, has a case that is a discreet combo of brushed and polished steel, which adds an air of quality befitting an accessory in this price range.

While I really appreciate the green band and silver case combination, I was hoping for more subdued hues from a wearable of this price point. However, as it is compatible with regular 22mm bands, the amount of personalization choices is practically endless.

One peculiarity of the hardware is that the home button of the watch mimics the design and functionality of a conventional watch crown. However, this rotation has no effect on the watch’s functionality, in contrast to Apple and Google watches. This is intentional, according to OnePlus. I believe OnePlus definitely messed up with the design of the home button because many people have grown accustomed to utilizing spinning crowns to scroll on smartwatches.

According to OnePlus, the sapphire crystal in the glass covering the 60Hz OLED display makes it more scratch-resistant than normal old glass watches. The display is colorful and smooth. Its 1,000 nits peak brightness is on par with that of the Pixel Watch 2 but lower than that of the Galaxy Watch 6, which has an extra-bright 2,000 nits peak. Even when outdoors, it retains a sufficiently bright light to be seen.

Though it’s hardly a dealbreaker, the OnePlus Watch 2’s audio isn’t great—even when compared to other smartwatches. If you hold your hand incorrectly, blocking becomes a breeze as well.

OnePlus Watch 2 Health tracking

The OnePlus Watch 2 monitors your sleep and activity levels and provides targeted feedback for certain tasks. Your running form can be evaluated and suggestions for improvement can be provided in a number of areas. For example, it rates your left-right balance as Excellent, while it rates your “vertical oscillation” as a more plausible Poor.

Another feature of the OHealth app is an attempt to predict how much time it would take for your “energy to recover to optimal status” following an exercise. I don’t trust features like these in wearables, particularly when they come from up-and-coming companies like OnePlus. There just isn’t enough data for them to make that kind of estimate.

The OnePlus Watch 2, like other smartwatches I’ve used recently, shows a graph of your heart rate as you exercise, with an arrow pointing to one of several zones. Not only that, but the Pixel Watch 2 has this feature as well, and it’s great for running.

However, while Google’s heart rate graph’s indicator can freely move to show your current position in each zone, the OnePlus Watch 2’s arrow simply snaps to the middle of the zone your heart rate is in, without providing any easily interpretable indication of how close you are to the top or bottom of that range. The point of having such an interface is somewhat undermined by the absence of legible detail.

Though the variety is strange, the OnePlus Watch 2 does provide a few specialized interfaces for other forms of activity, such as badminton, tennis, and skiing.

Although badminton mode does record useful information, such as the longest period of time a player went without the shuttlecock touching the ground during a game, I find it hard to believe that there are enough badminton enthusiasts to justify purchasing a smartwatch just for this feature. In light of the fact that other parts of the program are still unfinished, I find it to be an odd use of development resources.

There are a lot of discrepancies between the OnePlus and the Oura Ring activity trackers that I’ve been using simultaneously, and I generally get the impression that OnePlus’s tracking isn’t particularly precise. On one occasion, Oura recorded 10,015 steps while OHealth showed 7,981. A few days later, Oura had me at 5,839 steps while OHealth showed 6,966. While my experience with the OnePlus Watch 2 is limited, I have found that other wearables and smartwatches I’ve worn have provided step counts that are comparable to Oura. The OnePlus Watch 2 appears to be miscounting, unless every other wearable is doing the same.

Compared to the data in the Oura app, OHealth reveals identical times for falling asleep and waking up, as well as similar sleep stage patterns, suggesting that sleep tracking is more consistent. An additional stress score of 100 is provided by OnePlus, which is calculated using your heart rate variability in addition to “other physiological parameters.” The stress tracking feature on my OnePlus has not provided any helpful insights. From what we can tell, it’s just trying to mimic physiological arousal, which can happen in response to stress and many other things that aren’t scary at all.

OnePlus Watch 2 Software and performance

OnePlus’s Watch 2 is a masterstroke: it has two processors—one, the more powerful Snapdragon W5, which runs Wear OS 4, and the other, the less powerful BES2700, which runs a real-time operating system (RTOS). The Snapdragon chipset is responsible for intensive operations like operating Wear OS apps, according to OnePlus, while the less intensive RTOS is in charge of background duties like interacting with your phone and monitoring your health sensors.

The combination of hardware and software achieves outstanding battery life, which will be discussed further below, and most importantly, it does not appear to affect the user experience in any way. Based on my experience with other smartwatches powered by Qualcomm’s W5 series, such as the TicWatch Pro 5 and the Pixel Watch 2, the OnePlus Watch 2 has been just as responsive. I wouldn’t have suspected anything out of the ordinary if I hadn’t been aware of the dual-OS business.

Although Wear OS 4 is identical across all devices, the OnePlus watch’s customizable parts aren’t as refined as those on Samsung or Google watches. Take the OnePlus Watch 2, for instance. A lot of its watch faces seem like they were made during the Android Wear period.

While I do appreciate a few, the most of them use garish skeuomorphic gradients to imitate analog watch faces or have simple, out-of-date digital layouts. Additionally, for some reason, my watch face color changes every so often. The fact that it occurs at all is strange, yet it always fixes itself in the end.

The OnePlus Watch 2’s app drawer is particularly terrible. Similar to Apple’s watch faces, the default “Planet” mode lets you traverse a two-dimensional array of bubbles. The design is appealing, but the practicality is lacking. In addition to the usual list view, you have the option to switch to a grid view, similar to the one on Samsung watches. While those are improvements, they still have the same strange, slick scrolling mechanics as the rest of the operating system; I often find myself accidentally throwing the app list up and down. It’s simply not very obvious.

OnePlus Watch 2 Battery life and charging

The Watch 2 from OnePlus boasts an unbelievable 100 hours of mixed use on a single charge. However, it succeeds because to its innovative dual-OS design and powerful 500mAh battery cell combination. The OnePlus Watch 2 has an incredible battery life.

By the time I had my review device set up on Friday afternoon, the battery life had dropped to around half. Over the course of the day and weekend, I continued using it as usual (with the always-on display enabled), and it wasn’t until Sunday night—more than 48 hours later—that I received a low battery alert.

This kind of endurance from a Wear OS wristwatch’s battery is unique. The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5, which is comparable in size to Garmin’s simpler wearables and purpose-built watches, managed to last approximately 72 hours on a single charge. This was made possible, in part, by utilizing an additional low-power display layer to handle activity-based alerts (AOD). According to OnePlus, the Watch 2 can last for a full day even when subjected to heavy GPS use. Indeed, I do.

OnePlus Watch 2 Competition

You can’t beat the pricing of the OnePlus Watch 2 at $300. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and the Google Pixel Watch 2 are two of its main competitors.

The bigger 44mm Galaxy Watch 6 usually sells for less than $280. Although it has a somewhat smaller screen than the OnePlus Watch 2, its brightness increases significantly when used outside. The overall software experience is more polished and unified, and Samsung’s fitness tracking feels more accurate as a result. However, the OnePlus Watch 2 easily lasts three or four days on a charge, whereas the Watch 6 probably won’t last more than a day or two.

At 41 mm compared to 47 mm, the Pixel Watch 2, which costs $350, is noticeably smaller than the OnePlus Watch 2. The Pixel Watch has a more refined user experience because to its stock Wear OS and excellent watch faces. Additionally, the health tracking, which is powered by Fitbit, is more trustworthy than OnePlus’s. On the other hand, the OnePlus Watch 2 has a battery life that is three times longer than the Pixel Watch 2’s 30 hours or so.

Is OnePlus Watch 2 worth it?

Very cool, the OnePlus Watch 2. Competing with the new Wear OS duopoly between Samsung and Google, it offers a reasonably good alternative that, with any luck, will make the current market leaders improve their game. Impressively, its battery life outshines that of any other Wear OS smartwatch available, even rival high-end alternatives like the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2. Additionally, the charger is top-notch.

On the other hand, the OnePlus Watch 2 isn’t great at anything other than its charging and battery capabilities. The experience isn’t as strong or unified as what you’d get from a Google or Samsung watch, even though it runs Wear OS and has access to all the apps that come with it. There are a lot of ugly preinstalled watch faces from OnePlus, activity tracking isn’t always accurate, and even the app drawer isn’t always easy to use.

Conclusion

The OnePlus Watch 2 is an upgrade over its predecessor in terms of hardware and battery life. It runs on Wear OS and gives you access to a plethora of apps. A 1.43-inch display and changeable bands give to the stylish design. The software and activity tracking still have a ways to go, and there’s room for improvement in the watch faces and app drawer. The outstanding battery life, which may last up to four days on a single charge, is the main feature. When compared to rivals like the Google Pixel Watch 2 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, the OnePlus Watch 2 isn’t perfect, but it does have its advantages.

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