OnePlus Watch 2 battery impressions: The best yet

The OnePlus Watch 2 takes a fascinating approach to wearables, combining the power of Wear OS with an RTOS platform to handle the less power-intensive tasks in a way no other watch to date has. OnePlus says this approach allows the Watch 2 to offer “market-leading” battery life — but does it deliver, and how does it compare to the flagship wearables from Apple, Samsung, and Google?

OnePlus claims that the OnePlus Watch 2 can deliver 48 hours of battery life with heavy usage, 100 hours on “smart mode,” and 12 days on power-saver mode. This is far better than the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Pixel Watch 2, although the OnePlus Watch 2 does have a larger battery than these devices.

How does it shape up in our testing? Let’s find out!

OnePlus Watch 2 charging test

How fast does it top up?

As I covered in my smartwatch battery showdown, the idea of charging a smartwatch every night is inherently flawed. Modern batteries are designed to be charged between 20% and 80%, and as a result, a quick top-up charge is better than letting your smartwatch drain to empty and fully charge. Granted, this is easier said than done, as I’ve often found with the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

To understand how effective a top-up charge is, I measured the time it takes to charge to full (from empty) and the effectiveness of a 15-minute charge from empty. Having done the same testing on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Pixel Watch 2, and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, I’ve included those results below so you can compare all four devices.

Unlike the rest of the competition, the OnePlus Watch 2 is extremely fast to charge to full, and it only takes 15 minutes to charge to 50%. This means a quick top-up while in the shower is all you’ll need for a full day’s usage, even with heavy usage.

The OnePlus Watch 2 is undoubtedly the smartwatch charging champion, but what about the battery life?

OnePlus Watch 2 battery life

More or less unbeatable

When testing the OnePlus Watch 2, I kept all the battery life settings as default. When the battery ran low, I didn’t enter the vaunted power saver mode and kept the default Smart Mode settings. The OnePlus Watch 2 was paired with a OnePlus 12 roaming with a strong network connection, and I didn’t start any specific workouts, although the OnePlus Watch 2 was tracking my steps and heart rate as default. Workout tracking and active use of sensors, as well as tweaking the settings, will all have an impact on your battery life.

Here’s how the OnePlus Watch 2 shapes up when testing a single charge from full to empty, with average usage:

The OnePlus Watch 2 delivers on the promise of excellent battery life. It exceeds the 48-hour heavy usage promise, although it fell slightly short of OnePlus’ 100-hour Smart Mode promise. Granted, this is with default settings and while roaming, so these factors may affect the overall battery life, and it’s more than good enough compared to other smartwatches on the market.

Regardless, three days of solid battery life with no discernable effect on features used is impressive, especially given that the power-drawing Wear OS platform kicks in every time there’s a notification.

OnePlus Watch 2 vs. Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, Pixel Watch 2

How does that compare to the competition? Here’s how it stacks up to the best Wear OS watches:

The OnePlus Watch 2 has a larger battery than the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and the Pixel Watch 2, so it’s unsurprising that the battery outperforms those devices. It’s hard to determine how much the dual-system architecture makes a difference. However, given the battery life is nearly double that of its competitors, we suspect that the low-power RTOS architecture greatly impacts battery life.

OnePlus Watch 2 vs. Apple Watch Ultra 2

The OnePlus Watch 2 outpaces its Wear OS competition comprehensively, with the advanced dual architecture setup helping to manage the Watch’s power requirements and circumvent the inherent power-intensive nature of Wear OS. However, how does it compare to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which has a larger battery and an ecosystem where Apple can control the integration and power requirements between the hardware and software?

The dual-architecture setup does, indeed, deliver market-leading battery life. I’ve never found a reason to complain about battery life since I’ve been using the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (and the previous generation). However, the OnePlus Watch 2 has set up a new benchmark for battery life that only non-Wear OS watches with few smart features and no app store support seem to come close to.

OnePlus Watch 2: The battery life champion

You won’t get this experience anywhere else on Wear OS today

Excluding the rest of the Watch 2, which we’ve covered in our OnePlus Watch 2 review, it’s clear that this watch is the best Wear OS-powered smartwatch for battery life and charging speeds. Ten minutes of charging really is enough for a day in Smart Mode, and a full charge in under an hour is outstanding.

During MWC in Barcelona last week, I charged my OnePlus Watch 2 once on Monday. I didn’t need to charge it again until mid-way Thursday, with OnePlus’s Smart Mode delivering the notifications and watch-like features I needed during the show.

Most importantly, the OnePlus Watch 2 sets a benchmark for what we should expect from Wear OS-powered websites going forward. The first OnePlus Watch three years ago left a lot to be desired, and the OnePlus Watch 2 now sets the benchmark for wearable battery life that we desire. With any luck, future generations of Wear OS watches will make similarly good use of the platform’s Hybrid Interface.

Nirave is a creator, evangelist, and founder of House of Tech, which focuses on covering the best health and technology products. Following a heart attack at the age of 33, he’s been focused on how we can use data to improve our health and ultimately live a long and more fruitful life. Follow him on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube for live updates on his Sleep and Health journeys. He can also be found at HoT.tech.