OnePlus has just announced its newest smartwatch offering, the OnePlus Watch 2. Available to pre-order from 26th February 2024, the Watch 2 promises useful features and a decent upgrade from the now discontinued OnePlus Watch.
How does the OnePlus Watch 2 compare with the original OnePlus Watch? Has OnePlus given the watch a substantial enough upgrade? Keep reading to learn more about the key differences between each OnePlus Watch.
The OnePlus Watch was cheaper
Unsurprisingly as the OnePlus Watch 2 is a new launch, the OnePlus Watch is available for much cheaper. The OnePlus Watch retailed for £149/$159/€150.
The OnePlus Watch 2 is currently only available for pre-order, officially launching on 4th March and prices will start at £299/$299/€329.
The OnePlus Watch 2 uses the Wear OS interface
Controversially the OnePlus Watch did not use Wear OS, a version of Android’s operating system that is designed specifically for smartwatches and wearables. This means that the OnePlus Watch didn’t utilise any Google or third-party apps, which most Android smartwatches do, and instead only features OnePlus native apps.
A clear upgrade, the OnePlus Watch 2 is powered with the latest version of Wear OS and comes with all the necessary Google apps you’d expect, such as Maps, Wallet and Calendar, and support for third-party apps. The OnePlus Watch 2 also has Fast Pair, which allows you to connect your watch with any other supported Android smartphone quickly.
It is possible for the OnePlus Watch 2 to use Wear OS thanks to its dual-engine architecture that’s powered by two different flagship chipsets. The Snapdragon W5 is utilised for more powerful tasks, such as running Google apps, whereas the BES2700 Efficiency Chipset is used for handling background activity.
The OnePlus Watch 2 offers more health and fitness features
Although the OnePlus Watch was compatible with the OHealth app, the OnePlus Watch 2 goes one step further and can support Health Connect on Android. This is where users can securely sync their health data with other Health Connect-compatible apps. This is a key upgrade as it means there’s no longer a reliance on the OnePlus Watch.
The OnePlus Watch featured just 14 workouts, which trails behind the Watch 2’s offering of over 100. Missing from the OnePlus were popular workouts including strength training and HIIT and only two sports were available to be tracked, which are cricket and badminton.
The OnePlus Watch had a longer battery life
Both watches offer fairly speedy charging, with the OnePlus Watch 2 claiming battery can be fully charged in just 60 minutes, thanks to the 7.5W VOOC fast charging. The OnePlus Watch also claimed that you could charge to 80% in just under an hour.
The OnePlus Watch 2 promises up to 100 hours of battery life with regular use, or up to 48-hours with heavy use, although we are yet to test this.
Although the OnePlus Watch 2’s offering is still decent, the OnePlus Watch in comparison, promised an eye-watering 14-day battery life, and we found in our tests that we still had 17% of battery after 10 days.
