First teased back in 2016, expected to launch alongside the OnePlus 8 series and leaked time and again, the wait has been long but the OnePlus Watch is finally here.
Arriving alongside the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, the OnePlus Watch is the company’s second-ever wearable (after the OnePlus Band) and its first smartwatch. It’s a circular-faced timepiece that boasts fitness tracking and smart features, toting interoperability with other products in the OnePlus ecosystem, and not just phones.
Here’s all you need to know about the OnePlus Watch, from its release date to pricing, functionality and more.
When does the OnePlus Watch launch?
While talk of a OnePlus smartwatch stretches back years and its launch has been heralded (incorrectly) at least once before, OnePlus finally pulled the trigger and actually unveiled the Watch during its 23 March 2021 launch event, which also saw the arrival of the company’s OnePlus 9 series smartphones.
As for retail availability, in the UK the company originally cited a release date of 1 April, however, that was promptly adjusted to pre-order availability starting 14 April and general purchase kicked off from 26 April.
The limited-edition variant, meanwhile, arrives in Europe on 7 June, available exclusively via Instagram, locked behind a competition for fans of the brand.
The official press release for the competition reads, “OnePlus will host on its local Instagram pages an Invite Code hunt, where community members in Europe will have the chance to participate in a series of special virtual games to get their code for this limited-edition device. The event will then continue on June 17th, when users will have 1 hour to find the hidden website link, on the OnePlus Instagram channels, to buy the OnePlus Watch Cobalt on OnePlus.com.”
How much does the OnePlus Watch cost?
While an exact price never formally leaked, expected pricing looks to have been accurate, with an official RRP of £149/US$159/€159/₹16,999, placing it in the same region as the Amazfit GTR 2/GTS 2, while undercutting the likes of the Apple Watch Series 6, Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro.
Pricing for the limited edition variant is yet to be revealed.
We’re separately looking at where to buy the OnePlus Watch here.
What features does the OnePlus Watch offer?
OnePlus’ Pete Lau laid out the design philosophy for the OnePlus Watch prior to its unveiling. “Our priority for devices that are part of the OnePlus ecosystem is to offer fashionable designs, provide seamless connectivity and deliver a best-in-class user experience. And the new OnePlus Watch is no exception. It will encompass:
- A stunning and burdenless design that separates itself from the crowd. To us, no detail is too small;
- Seamless connectivity between OnePlus smartphones, audio peripherals, smartwear devices, and even OnePlus TVs, making smart control over all these devices simple and intuitive;
- A best-in-class experience at an affordable price point, so that more of our global OnePlus users can enjoy our signature burdenless, seamlessly connected experience.”
While aspects like chipset remain under wraps, it’s obvious that OnePlus didn’t go the route of Google’s Wear OS, with the Watch instead running RTOS, which brings everything from fitness tracking to remote TV control to the table.
It boasts support for over 110 workout modes, as well as automatic workout detection, can switch off your OnePlus TV at bedtime and has storage space for up to 500 songs, with Bluetooth support for wireless headphones and offline playback.
OnePlus actually introduced two variants, the Classic model and the Cobalt limited edition, which upgrades the casing material to a cobalt alloy and the cover glass to sapphire glass – beyond these changes, however, specs and functionality remain the same across both variants.
Here’s a full rundown of the OnePlus Watch’s feature set:
- 1.39in circular AMOLED (454×454) display w/ 326ppi
- 316L stainless steel casing (Classic), cobalt alloy casing (Cobalt limited edition)
- Fluoroelastomer strap (Classic), Leather strap with butterfly buckle (Cobalt limited edition)
- 4GB ROM (about 2GB user-accessible)
- Supports Android, not iOS
- Integrated speaker and microphone
- Bluetooth 5.0
- GPS
- 402mAh battery
- 2 pogo pin charger
- 5ATM water resistance
- IP68 certified
- 45 grams w/o strap, 76 grams w/ strap) – Classic
- 45 grams w/o strap, 67 grams w/ strap) – Cobalt limited edition
- 46.4mm x 46.4mm x 10.9mm
- Colours: Midnight Black, Moonlight Silver, Cobalt limited edition (gold)
If you want to know what it’s up against, take a look at our roundup of the best smartwatches available right now.