OnePlus Watch 3
Rating: 4 Stars
The OnePlus Watch 3 is a well-designed and full-featured smartwatch, and it’s a great choice for anyone who doesn’t mind its size.
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Pros
- Strong, stylish design
- Great-looking scree
- Huge battery life
- Good health-tracking features
Cons
- ECG unavailable in North America
- Only available in one (large) size
| OnePlus | $329.99 | $329.99 | See It |
OnePlus is taking its approach to smartwatches a little more seriously. The OnePlus Watch 2 from last year represented a pretty massive improvement over its predecessor, but it still wasn’t a perfect device. Notably, it was missing some fitness-focused features and some design issues, like a crown that didn’t actually do anything when rotated. Now, however, OnePlus is back with a follow-up in the form of the OnePlus Watch 3.
Beyond basic improvements, the OnePlus Watch 3 aims to cement itself as the go-to smartwatch for Android users. Notably, OnePlus boasts a battery life of up to five days, improved fitness tracking features, and finally, a crown that actually controls the software when it rotates. It also goes up against tough competition. Google dramatically improved the Pixel Watch for the Pixel Watch 3, and Samsung’s wearable devices are getting better too.
Does the OnePlus Watch 3 make a case for itself as a great smartwatch in the Android ecosystem, or should only the most dedicated OnePlus fans buy it?
OnePlus Watch 3 specs
| Dimensions | 47 x 12.3mm |
| IP rating | IP68 |
| Display resolution | 311 ppi |
| Display type | LTPO AMOLED |
| Display refresh rate | 1Hz-60Hz |
| Display brightness | 1-2200 nits |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 + BES2800BP |
| Memory | 2GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Health sensors | Compass, altimeter, SpO2, ECG, heart rate (8-channel optical), 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light, skin temperature, barometer, magnetometer, vascular health monitoring |
| Battery size | 631mAh |
| Charging | VOOC Fast Charging (magnetic pin charger) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS |
| Colors | Emerald Titanium, Obsidian Titanium |
| Price | $329.99 |
OnePlus Watch 3 review: Design
OnePlus is seemingly going all in on big watches. The OnePlus Watch 2 was 46mm, and the OnePlus Watch 3 is very similar at 47mm. While I don’t mind this size, the device is unfortunately only available in one size option. So if you have smaller wrists, you might find that the OnePlus Watch 3 looks oversized. This is an issue that Google solved for the Pixel Watch 3, and it’s a little frustrating to see OnePlus avoiding the issue. I would love to see a smaller OnePlus Watch for the OnePlus Watch 4.
That said, size issues aside, I do quite like the design of the OnePlus Watch 3. It has a circular build with a flat side on the right, and while it’s somewhat thick, it isn’t overly so. The device is available in two colorways: Emerald Titanium and Obsidian Titanium. I’m reviewing the Obsidian Titanium model, which I prefer.
On that flat edge on the right side of the device, you can find a crown and a button, both of which can be used to control the OnePlus Watch 3. Thankfully, for this generation, OnePlus has updated the crown to actually control software when you rotate it, so it isn’t just another button that looks like a crown, as it was on the OnePlus Watch 2. You’ll get nice haptic feedback when you rotate it too, like you do on the Apple Watch. It’s responsive, it works well, and I think it’s a great way to control the device.
The OnePlus Watch 3 is relatively rugged as well. It boasts military-grade durability with an MIL-STD-810 rating, plus it’s rated at 5ATM, meaning it can withstand water pressure at up to 50 meters. Lastly, OnePlus has added a new 2D sapphire crystal glass, which is said to improve scratch resistance.
The OnePlus Watch 3 comes with a rubber strap, which is black when you buy the Obsidian Titanium model. The strap is a little basic, but it looks and feels fine. It can also be replaced with other 22mm straps if wanted, which helpful — you don’t have to buy propriety straps.
Generally speaking, the OnePlus Watch 3 looks good. Again, I wish it was available in two different sizes. But, if you don’t mind the size, you’ll find the device to look and feel like a high-quality smartwatch.
OnePlus Watch 3 review: Display
The OnePlus Watch 3 features a 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display, which has a 466 x 466 resolution. The fact that it’s an LTPO screen means that the watch can vary in refresh rate between 1Hz and 60Hz, which helps preserve battery when a high refresh rate isn’t needed. Generally, it looked crisp and detailed, and I never really had an issue with the resolution.
The display’s peak brightness sits at a hefty 2,200 nits, which is a pretty big improvement over the OnePlus Watch 2. To be fair, I didn’t really have an issue with the brightness on the OnePlus Watch 2, but indeed the OnePlus Watch 3’s display does get quite bright, and I found it easily bright enough to see what was on the screen, even outdoors.
The display can, of course, vary that brightness depending on whether you’re actively using it or not. There is an always-on display mode which is off by default but easy to enable. That mode does, of course, impact battery life, so you’ll have to decide if you want the screen always on or if you prefer the battery life to be longer. I’m good at charging smartwatches regularly, and I like an always-on display, so I enabled it. For the most part, it was easy to see what was on the screen even at wider viewing angles, but it wasn’t quite as impressive as the Apple Watch Ultra.
OnePlus Watch 3 review: Health-tracking
The OnePlus Watch 2 wasn’t bad when it came to fitness tracking, but it did lack some notable health tracking features. Perhaps the biggest of these was an EKG sensor, which, as someone who has had atrial fibrillation in the past, seemed like a big miss. The good news is that OnePlus has added the ECG sensor for the OnePlus Watch 3, but there’s still a major caveat to that. Unfortunately, the ECG sensor doesn’t work in the US or Canada as OnePlus hasn’t received FDA clearance for the feature. To make matters worse, the company says that it isn’t going to be pursuing FDA clearance. So if you buy the OnePlus Watch 3 in North America, don’t expect to be able to take ECGs.
Thankfully, there are some other handy new health tracking features, though. For example, the device has a new wrist temperature monitor, as well as a new 8-channel optical heart rate sensor. Like the OnePlus Watch 2, it can track blood oxygen, but it has an upgraded sensor to be able to do so. So it should be more accurate. The device has a “60S Health Check-In” feature that looks at your heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep quality, and mental well-being. I’m not exactly sure how it comes up with its scores, but I was told that I have a vascular age that’s the “same as my peers” and an “excellent” mind and body. I’ll take it.
I was surprised by some of the health tracking features offered by the watch in a good way. For example, I tracked a casual tennis match with the device and loved seeing information about my playing, like the types of strokes I was playing and my swing speed. It wasn’t 100% accurate; for example, it detected some standard overhead shots as serves, but that’s a very forgivable mistake. I suppose from the point of view of health and fitness, they’re functionally the same thing anyway. Beyond tennis, the watch has over one hundred different workout modes, and 11 of these offer the so-called pro-level metrics, including running, swimming, and climbing.
There’s also a revamped sleep tracking system. On top of the basic measurements that you’d expect, like sleep stages and heart rate, the watch can now track things like snoring patterns and assess any sleeping disturbances through the night. Additionally, the device will use metrics like heart rate variability to give you an overall 360 mind and body score. It’s kind of cool, but again, it’s hard to tell what these scores actually mean. One sleep metric that is missing is sleep apnea detection. This is a bit of a shame considering the fact that competitors do offer sleep apnea detection.
Data seemed to be very similar to that collected by an Apple Watch Ultra that I was wearing at the same time as reviewing the OnePlus Watch 3. My average heart rate was only different by a few beats per minute during workouts between the two devices. While sleep stages were slightly different between the two, overall sleep times were essentially the same to within a few minutes. Like any consumer health tracker, the OnePlus Watch 3’s data shouldn’t necessarily be taken as gospel, but it should be able to track trends over time decently well.
OnePlus Watch 3 review: Performance
The OnePlus Watch 3 is built for a long battery life, and one way that it achieves that longer battery life is through a dual-processor approach. The device has a Snapdragon W5 for standard processing, along with a BES2800 for background functions or to process tasks in power-saving mode.
Regardless, the watch was responsive and fast the vast majority of the time. It was able to scroll through apps and data with ease, and it never hung up when opening apps, starting workouts, and so on. That’s a big improvement over smartwatches from just a few years ago, which were using processors that were up to four or five years old.
OnePlus Watch 3 review: Battery and charging
The OnePlus Watch 3 isn’t the first smartwatch to take the dual-processor approach. OnePlus’ own OnePlus Watch 2 and the Pixel Watch 3 both have a similar system, but in all three, it’s made for a much longer battery life.
In fact, in the standard smart power mode, the OnePlus Watch 3 is said to be able to last up to five days on a single charge. If you keep it in power saver mode, you’ll get a massive 16 days. That’s pretty huge, and OnePlus’s estimates seemed about accurate.
That said, I didn’t necessarily use the watch from the perspective of wanting to make it last as long as possible. I wanted to use all the features that make things more convenient, like the always-on display. Even with those features enabled, however, the device was good at lasting long amounts of time, and I was still able to get through two days of use without having to charge. Again, I’m someone who is good at charging regularly, so that long battery life essentially just provided peace of mind.
When you do have to charge, you’ll plop the device down on the magnetic charging puck, which uses pogo pins to deliver power. The charging puck has a USB-C port instead of a permanently attached cable, which is a nice touch and means that you can use it with any cable you have handy. The OnePlus Watch 3 is able to fully charge in around 80 minutes, but if you charge more than you necessarily need to, you’ll obviously be able to charge for lower amounts of time.
OnePlus Watch 3 review: Software
The OnePlus Watch 3 features Google’s Wear OS 5 operating system, which is generally well-designed and easy to navigate. You’ll swipe down to access quick settings, up to access notifications, and side to side to access other information as needed. It necessarily represents a complete revamp of the software, but it offers all the features that Android users will need access to. Additionally, for Wear OS 5, the watch is able to switch between phones without the need to completely reset, which is a nice touch.
The device also comes with a solid selection of watch faces that you can switch between and customize as needed. Many of the watch faces have space for a few different complications, so you can access different information without having to ever touch the screen.
Of course, also important is the software on your phone. To access the watch’s settings and health tracking features, you’ll use the OHealth app. This app is pretty well designed and has a home screen that lets you see all basic health data at a glance — plus it lets you tweak a variety of different watch settings and customize watch faces.
There are some features that are accessible to those who use the device with a OnePlus phone, but far fewer than you might assume. The main feature that you won’t get without a OnePlus phone is the ability to use the device as a remote camera controller.
Conclusions
The OnePlus Watch 3 is a well-rounded, well-designed smartwatch with a variety of helpful features and good fitness tracking. It isn’t necessarily for everyone though. The fact that it’s only available in one large size means that those with smaller wrists will likely want to consider something else first. Not only that, but there is no LTE option for the OnePlus Watch 3, so you can’t buy a variant that has its own cellular connectivity. Lastly, it’s a shame that some health tracking features, like the ECG sensor, are unavailable in North America.
That said, plenty of people don’t mind a larger watch and don’t want an LTE version anyway — and if you’re one of those people, and don’t care about having access to ECG sensing in the U.S., then you’ll find the OnePlus Watch 3 to be a compelling choice.
That said, if you’re willing to look past all of those issues, then you’ll find the OnePlus Watch 3 to be an excellent smartwatch.
The competition
One of OnePlus’s biggest competitors in this space comes from the Pixel 3. If you want a slightly smaller device and one that has a more intricate design, then the Pixel Watch 3 is probably a better choice. That said, the Pixel Watch 3’s battery isn’t anywhere near as long as the OnePlus Watch 3, so if that’s of use to you, the OnePlus device is the way to go.
Should I buy the OnePlus Watch 3?
Yes. It’s an excellent smartwatch with a range of helpful features.
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