OnePlus Watch 2 vs. OnePlus Watch: All-round improvement

• 

  OnePlus Watch 2

  Best overall

  Better in almost every way

  The OnePlus Watch 2 is miles better than the original OnePlus Watch, offering more features, watch faces, and a more refined design. It’s a major improvement over its predecessor, sporting the more capable and feature-rich Wear OS platform. On top of that, the watch can track more sports activities, albeit it’s not the most accurate tracker.

• 

  OnePlus Watch

  Not the Watch you want

  Keep it for the battery, that’s it

  The OnePlus Watch features a large AMOLED display, and while it lacks a lot of features, it still makes for a decent watch today with excellent battery life. If you don’t need all the new software features and shiny new hardware, it still makes for a sporty tracker that’s ideal for basic tasks.

OnePlus’s first smartwatch was decent in terms of price, but it offered little extra value and provided most of the same generic features as other cheap smartwatches. However, the brand arranged a new approach with the OnePlus Watch 2, attempting to enter the higher-end smartwatch business. The new watch is one of the best smartwatches for Android users, offering a high-resolution display, WearOS, as well as essential features. But are the upgrades good enough to warrant an upgrade?

Price, availability, and specs

The OnePlus Watch 2 is available from the manufacturer’s website and Amazon. It retails for $299.99 in the US and is available in Black Steel and Radiant Steel colors.

The original OnePlus Watch was unveiled in 2021. It’s no longer offered at retailers but is still available from second-hand stores and places like eBay. Depending on the condition, it usually costs between $100 and $200.

In terms of specifications, the OnePlus Watch 2 is a clear winner. It’s not only powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip but also has double the memory and 32GB of storage. It’s an excellent smartwatch for receiving notifications and tracking your health metrics. The wearable also has an extra processor that completes low-level tasks, enabling the device to run much longer on a single charge.

• 	OnePlus Watch 2	OnePlus Watch
  Case size	47mm	46mm
  Case Material	Stainless steel	Stainless steel
  Display	1.43″ 60Hz AMOLED	1.39″ AMOLED
  Display resolution	466 x 466	454 x 454
  CPU	Snapdragon W5, BES2700	ST32 + Apollo 3 + Cypress
  RAM	2GB	1GB
  Storage	32GB	4GB
  Battery	500mAh	402mah
  Cellular connectivity	No	No
  Wi-Fi connectivity	Yes	No
  Software	Wear OS 4	Proprietary OS
  Health sensors	Heart rate, SpO2	Heart rate, SpO2
  Dimensions	47 x 46.6 x 12.1mm	46.4 x 46.4 x 10.9 mm
  Weight	80g (with strap)	45g (without strap)
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Strap size	22 mm	22 mm
  Colors	Black Steel, Radiant Steel	Midnight Black, Moonlight Silver, Cobalt
  Price	$300	$159

Design

Similar circles

The OnePlus Watch has a 1.39-inch OLED display, while the OnePlus Watch 2 has a slightly larger, 1.43-inch AMOLED display. The Watch 2 also has a 60Hz refresh rate, which makes it far more enjoyable. That said, both screens will provide a great overall experience, offering a bright, colorful, and seamless experience.

In terms of build quality, both smartwatches feature a stainless steel chassis, and a plastic back. While the original Watch has a simple glass display, the Watch 2 swaps it for the far more durable, and scratch-resistant Sapphire crystal front glass, helping prevent scratches and scuffs. The devices feature IP68 ingress protection, allowing the smartwatches to be water-resistant for up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. They’re also 5ATM rated, meaning they can be used for swimming; however, only the Watch 2 supports the MIL-STD-810H military standard, which offers more robust durability.

The difference in size is fairly minimal, although the Watch 2 is slightly thicker, which is likely done to fit the larger battery. The Watch measures 46.4 x 46.4 x 10.9 mm, while the Watch 2 has the dimensions of 47 x 46.6 x 12.1 mm.

The Watch has two buttons on the side, one that acts as a power and home key and the other programmable to perform several functions, including opening apps, activities, or workouts. The overall hardware has held up well, and while it lacks a rotating crown, it makes up for it with its great looks and water-resistant chassis. In contrast, the Watch 2 only sports a single rotating crown that doesn’t offer additional functional features other than a more stylish and elegant look.

When it comes to straps, both watches support standard 22mm bands, enabling you to easily pick and choose your favorite, effectively giving you limitless customization options.

Software

Worth it for Wear OS

The original OnePlus comes with a proprietary OS that isn’t as well-formed as the hardware, and the company cut many corners when it came to providing features. There’s a limited selection of watch faces, and since it doesn’t run WearOS or a well-established system, customizing the watch faces isn’t as simple as downloading one from the app store.

In terms of day-to-day usage, the Watch handles the basics well. Users can get notifications, reply to certain alerts using a small selection of supported apps, and track a number of health metrics.

In contrast, the OnePlus Watch 2 opens the door to more apps, features, and possibilities. Thanks to the Google Wear OS platform, users can download third-party apps from the Play Store, although OnePlus limited the device to only supporting the watch faces provided by its own dedicated app. Most watch faces look like they’re from the Android Wear era, and offer too few customization options to truly make them yours.

Performance-wise, the watch runs everything with ease. Cleverly, it runs both Wear OS 4 and a real-time operating system (RTOS) side-by-side, switching to the latter to consume less power when the watch isn’t being used. This lets users conserve battery and achieve the Watch 2’s impressive three to four-day battery life without sacrificing features, stability, or overall performance.

Health & fitness

You might want to look elsewhere

OnePlus always offered health tracking, and the ability to track sports activities, heart rate, and even sleep duration. The original watch works fine for the most part, though the physical activity tracker is a little less impressive. We found that the watch doesn’t automatically detect workout activities. Still, at least it offers to share data with Google Fit, enabling you to see your health data and log your exercises.

The OnePlus Watch 2 tracks the same sports activities, sleep, and heart rate, and has a bonus, blood oxygen. The watch can analyze your performance during running sessions, and provide feedback to improve your form in several ways. The OHealth app also provides estimates on how long it will take to recover to optimal status.

The only issue we found is that the health metrics are inaccurate compared to the Oura Ring and other smartwatches. The data provided is often inconsistent and miscounts various activities, making it less than ideal for those looking to track their health and exercise. Fortunately, sleep tracking is more consistent, but OnePlus has some way to go and fix the problems if it wants to become a true competitor to the likes of Galaxy, Google watches, and other more affordable fitness trackers.

Battery life

Solid battery life and quick charging

The OnePlus Watch sports a 402mAh battery, while the Watch 2 has a larger 500mAh cell. On paper, you’d think the newer watch lasts longer, but it’s the other way around. Thanks to the proprietary software and limited features, the original OnePlus Watch can last up to a week on a single charge.

The Watch 2 is almost as impressive though, lasting up to 3 days on a single charge, depending on usage, well ahead of the competition. Charging is relatively quick, too, and the wearable charges 25% in just about 10 minutes.

Which is right for you?

While the OnePlus Watch 2 retails at a much higher price tag than its predecessor, it offers better value and far more features, allowing it to compete against the Galaxy Watch series and even the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5. So, it’s a better smartwatch in just about every respect.

The Watch 2 offers health tracking, provides reliable phone notifications, and has a stunning, classic-looking design. While it’s not perfect, it’ll do a much better job than the OnePlus Watch, despite the battery not lasting as long as the original smartwatch, so it’s easy to recommend as an upgrade.

The OnePlus Watch is still an okay, basic watch if you have one. But if you’re looking to step into the future, upgrading to the Watch 2 is a no-brainer — as long as you don’t mind the semi-accurate health tracking features.