OnePlus figured out smartwatch chargers

Summary

• The OnePlus Watch 2’s charger is small, convenient, and compatible with various USB-C cables for easy charging at home and on-the-go.
• With a staggering 100-hour battery life, the OnePlus Watch 2’s charger may not be needed for overnight or weekend trips, making it ideal for travel.
• Despite some software and fitness tracking issues, the OnePlus Watch 2 sets a new standard for smartwatch chargers with its fast charging capabilities.

Keeping smartwatches charged is a pain. Even the best of them need to be charged about once a day, and their chargers are hardwired to USB cables, which means traveling with a smartwatch requires packing yet another spooled-up cord.

Smart rings have this figured out. Rather than having fixed cables, wearable chargers like the Oura Ring are pocket-friendly pucks with USB input. Early this year, I wrote about how I wish smartwatches would take a similar approach — and apparently, somebody was listening. You’ll probably read plenty about the watch’s killer battery life, but the new OnePlus Watch 2‘s charger is just about perfect, too.

The smartwatch charger of my dreams

It ticks all my boxes

The OnePlus Watch 2’s charger is a small square with USB-C input; you can attach it to any old USB cable to charge. I don’t know about you, but in my home, there are way more USB-C chargers around than open USB-C ports. That makes the OnePlus Watch 2’s charger way more convenient than those that come with other watches: I can use it in any room without having to reach behind furniture to find an open outlet or USB port.

OnePlus’s smartwatch charger is also excellent for travel. I wear a Pixel Watch 2 most of the time, but I have its charger plugged into a USB port behind my desk, and getting back there to unplug it is a pain. I ended up getting a second charger just for travel — it stays spooled up in a bag with my tiny travel toothpaste and shampoo. But the OnePlus Watch 2’s charger (again, a small magnetic puck with USB-C input) is easy to stash in a luggage pocket on my way out the door.

Funnily enough, you’ll probably be able to leave OnePlus’s charger at home more often than not. Despite running full Wear OS, the OnePlus Watch 2 lasts a staggering 100 hours on a charge, so you won’t need a charger for overnight or weekend trips at all. As I noted in my full review, I had about 50 percent charge remaining when I got the watch set up last Friday and didn’t see a low battery warning until the following Sunday evening, a full two days later.

And in true OnePlus fashion, it’s fast, too: the OnePlus Watch 2’s charger can push up to 7.5 watts, which, depending on how full the watch’s battery is, can deliver enough power for a full day’s use in about 10 minutes.

Give me this charger for every watch

I’m going to miss this charger when I swap out wearables

As happy as I am with the OnePlus Watch 2’s battery life and charger, overall, I don’t think it’s a great smartwatch. It runs Wear OS, but the parts of the software that deviate from the stock experience feel a little awkward, and OnePlus’s fitness tracking seems underbaked compared to what you’ll get from similarly priced Wear OS watches.

Still, I don’t want to discount how great the battery and charging situation is on the OnePlus Watch 2. I really hope the rest of the wearable industry follows the Watch 2’s lead here — OnePlus nailed it.