The original OnePlus Watch had a rather disappointing start for the company in this segment. It had good looks, reliable battery life, and decent hardware, but the UI and fitness tracking were underwhelming. OnePlus took their sweet time and went back to the drawing board for a refreshing approach with their next iteration. It seems to be following the old adage; If you don’t succeed at first, try again. The OnePlus Watch 2 is a huge departure from their first try, rivalling the likes of the Samsung Galaxy watches. It implements a dual-chip system to produce impressive battery life, while also offering the flexibility that comes with WearOS.
OnePlus Watch 2
Rs 24,999What Is Good?
- Excellent and reliable battery life
- Good charging speeds
- Sharp and punchy display
- Good sleep and stress tracking
- Smooth performance
- Premium build
- Can download third-party apps
What Is Bad?
- Only available in a 47mm size
- No LTE variant
- No rotating crown
So, is it the perfect watch? Not really, there are some shortcomings, but despite that, I will still recommend this watch at Rs 24,999. Let’s find out why in this review.
OnePlus Watch 2 Review: Design and comfort
It is a hefty boy laced in stainless steel for its body — so durability should not be a concern.
It’s a bit more chunky than other watches, so trying it out at your nearest store is highly recommended, especially if you have a slender wrist — or you might find yourself in the same situation as the Avengers were when trying to pick up Thor’s hammer.
| Design | Specifications |
| Size | 47mm |
| Watch body material | Stainless-steel chassis |
| Strap quality | Fluor rubber and stainless steel buckle |
| Colours | Black Steel and Radiant Steel |
| Price | Rs 24,999 |
| Protection | 5ATM and IP68, MIL-STD-810H US |
| Weight | 49 grams (without strap), 80 grams (with strap) |
| Connectivity | NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi |
While the watch is available in two colour variants, OnePlus sadly only sells it in a single 47mm size.
The fluor rubber strap is a perfect companion for the watch as it does not collect sweat residue, and wearing it for longer periods is also not an issue. It follows the traditional approach for the strap buckle, unlike the Galaxy Watch 6 series. These are quick-release straps, so if you ever want to switch them for a third-party pair, look for the 22mm size.
Both the buttons on the right are responsive, customisable, and easy to reach. The top button is a rotating crown, but it does not function as a scroll wheel. Adding this functionality would have massively helped me navigate the infinite apps I installed on the watch.
It also skips out on an LTE variant, so you will need to be tethered to a phone for calls. It comes with 5ATM water resistance and an IP68 rating, which should help when going underwater for swimming sessions or when having a bath with the watch on.
OnePlus Watch 2 Review: Display
The durability factor extends to the display on the OnePlus Watch 2 which is made of 2.5D Sapphire Crystal. The same material can also be found on the Apple Watch Ultra, which costs as much as a new iPhone 15.
The 1.43-inch display is slightly smaller for my liking, after coming from the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. That said, the pricing difference between the two is also vast.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 1.43-inch |
| Type | AMOLED, 2.5D sapphire crystal face |
| Resolution | 466×466 pixels |
| Pixel density | 326ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz |
| Peak brightness | Claimed – 1000 nits, Tested – 861 nits |
It does not adopt the touch-sensitive bezel system from the Galaxy watches, and hence the prominent bezels seem a bit intrusive. Regardless, the panel is gorgeous and gets bright enough for outdoor tasks. It’s quite responsive and smooth, with no delays upon touch.
WearOS has a colourful UI, and the display can complement that well. The Watch 2 has a better resolution than the outgoing model. Text and other content on the display look sharp, and you won’t have to squint.
OnePlus Watch 2 Review: Software and performance
Unlike other smartwatches, the OnePlus Watch 2 runs on a dual-engine architecture system, wherein it houses two individual chips. This gives them the flexibility to run two different operating systems: WearOS 4.0 and RTOS.
The idea here is to have the high-intensive workloads of WearOS run on a Snapdragon W5 chip, while the lower-powered tasks of RTOS are taken care of by a BES2700 chip. This is a brilliant way to increase the battery life of the watch.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Chipsets | Snapdragon W5 + BES2700 |
| Operating systems | WearOS 4.0 and RTOS (Real Time Operating System) |
| GPS | Dual-frequency L1+L5 |
| Storage and RAM | 32GB + 2GB |
| Companion app | OHealth |
You also get two different modes to switch between the operating systems. This can be toggled from the notification bar. The watch sends you notifications in both modes, but the power saver mode does not let you reply from the watch. Notifications take some time to pop up even after raising the wrist — the transition between the two chipsets probably causes this delay, but I think OnePlus can get this fixed in the future.
It’s a WearOS smartwatch, so you get to see all the same elements but with a OnePlus twist. You get Google Assistant, Google Maps, and the flexibility to download apps or games straight from the Play Store.
Setting up the watch is also very easy since it supports Google Fast Pair. All your health and fitness data lives in the OHealth app.
OnePlus Watch 2 Review: Fitness and health tracking
The OnePlus Watch 2 has your usual set of workout modes for both indoor and outdoor sessions. OnePlus also seems to be specifically excited about the Badminton mode, which I believe is a first for a consumer watch.
While the cold winds of Delhi did not allow me to test this in full glory, I took five minutes to aimlessly swing a racquet in my home. The watch counted each swing accurately, while also breaking down the forehand and backhand count for me — very cool.
| Health Tracking | Yes/No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes |
| SpO2 | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes |
| Activity tracking | Yes |
| Stress tracking | Yes |
I manually counted 1000 steps with the watch on my wrist, and it fell short by seven steps. With the Apple Watch SE 2 on my left hand and the OnePlus Watch 2 on my right, the heartbeat counts were off by just one numeric. In terms of fitness and activity tracking, it works fine, but if you are a hardcore athlete who needs accurate findings, you might find solace in a dedicated fitness band.
Sleep tracking on the watch has been nothing but brilliant. It also gives you a breakdown of your sleep along with a score. The watch can also record SpO2, heart rate and snoring throughout your sleep cycle.
OnePlus Watch 2 Review: Battery life and charging
The OnePlus Watch 2 will be a reference for other upcoming WearOS smartwatches with its phenomenal battery life. OnePlus claims 100 hours of battery life with the smart mode. We got about two days’ worth of battery with the always-on display enabled. Disabling it can let you stretch for another day.
| Battery | Time |
| Smart mode | Tested: 2 days (with AOD), 3 days (w/o AOD) |
| Power saver mode | Tested: 10 days |
| Charging | 0-100 in 43 minutes |
These numbers are very, very impressive, considering the standards are set so low by other WearOS watches. The included pocketable puck charger is not tethered to a cable, so you can use any kind of USB-C cable to charge your watch, and this is a very good move.
OnePlus Watch 2 Review: Verdict
It’s been a good comeback season for OnePlus, and the Watch 2 is a further testament to that. The watch has a lot going for it, but the shortcomings I spoke about come in the form of a single available size, no LTE variant, and a half-baked rotating crown.
If you can look past that, the battery life and smooth performance in itself are a good reason to have this in your shopping cart. The display is good, the design is great for casual wear, the calling function also works as intended, and the activity tracking is decent if you are a casual fitness freak.
That said, I was hoping for OnePlus to price it a bit more aggressively — say, about Rs 19,999. It is after all a company that introduced us to the term — flagship killer.
Regardless, at the current price of Rs 24,999, it is still a great smartwatch that does everything it claims and doesn’t die on you midday.
