The OnePlus Watch 2: A Smartwatch with Promise and Some Caveats

I've always been excited to try out new smartwatches, especially those from popular brands like OnePlus. With its promise of long battery life and impressive performance, I was eager to see how the OnePlus Watch 2 would fare in my testing.

One of the first things I noticed about the OnePlus Watch 2 was its size. While it may be a bit large for some wrists, I've found that I can wear it comfortably on mine, albeit with some adjustments to get it just right. The watch is also surprisingly lightweight, making it easy to slip on and off throughout the day.

The OnePlus Watch 2 comes equipped with two different chips: a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chip for running Google's Wear OS software, and a Bees 2700 chip for background activity. This dual-chip setup allows for smooth performance and efficient battery life, which is a major plus in my book. The watch also features Google's Wear OS 4 platform, providing access to popular services like Google Wallet, Google Maps, and YouTube Music, as well as all the third-party apps available on the Google Play Store.

I was impressed by how seamless the performance of the OnePlus Watch 2 felt during my testing. Scrolling between different screens on the watch was effortless, and apps opened quickly and smoothly. Exercise tracking is an important aspect of any smartwatch, and I was pleased to find that the OnePlus Watch 2 delivered in this area as well.

However, I did experience some issues with heart rate tracking at first. The watch's heart rate monitor seemed inaccurate, and it took some fiddling to get accurate results. After installing a software update and tightening the watch on my wrist, I found that the accuracy improved significantly, but I still had some concerns about its reliability.

I also noticed that the OnePlus Watch 2's sleep tracking was initially off by hours compared to my Ora ring. However, after installing a software update and making some adjustments to the watch's position on my wrist, I got better results with only a difference of about 20 minutes compared to my aura ring and similar sleep scores.

One of the standout features of the OnePlus Watch 2 is its long battery life. According to my testing, it lasted for about a day and a half with typical usage. While this may not be as impressive as some other smartwatches on the market, it's still a major plus in my book. The watch also has a customizable button, which I found was very useful during my testing.

However, there are some caveats to consider when using the OnePlus Watch 2. For one, its large size can make it less comfortable to wear during exercise or other physical activities. Additionally, while the watch has over 100 sports tracking modes available, it seems to be particularly catering towards runners with this watch, which may not appeal to everyone.

Another issue I had was with safety features like fall detection and ECG monitoring, which are commonly found on more flagship smartwatches. However, at its current price point, the OnePlus Watch 2 is positioned as a mid-range option rather than a full-fledged flagship device.

In conclusion, while the OnePlus Watch 2 has some impressive features and benefits, it's not without its drawbacks. The large size can be a drawback for some users, and while the heart rate tracking was improved after installing a software update, I still had some concerns about its reliability. However, if you're looking for a smartwatch with long battery life and seamless performance, the OnePlus Watch 2 might be worth considering – especially at its current price point.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enExcuse me give have the time the OnePlus Watch 2 which cost $300 and Launches on March 4th has one big thing going for it battery life while watches from Samsung Google and apple typically last for 1 to two days on a single charge the OnePlus Watch 2 can last for days plural but you'll have to be willing to cope with some compromises for one this watch is big and it only comes in one size and it's missing some health and safety features that have become common in recent years like fall detection temperature sensing and the ability to take an ECG from your wrist the bigger issue however is that I had to fiddle with the way the watch fit in order to get accurate heart rate readings while working out if you can get past that the OnePlus Watch 2 seems ideal for those who want a big watch with long battery life primarily for measuring workouts and activity the that's especially true for outdoor Runners since the OnePlus Watch 2 has dual frequency GPS a rarity on SmartWatches in this price range the OnePlus Watch 2 also runs on Google's we OS operating system which means it's compatible with a wide variety of apps and has Google's Services baked in that alone gives it a leg up over oneplus's previous Smartwatch which ran on the company's own software overall the OnePlus Watch 2 is a step up over the original but like the original in some ways it's more impressive on paper than it is in practice the first thing you'll probably notice about the OnePlus Watch 2 is its striking design it has a sapphire crystal display and a stainless steel chassis giving it a premium feel the problem is that the watch is simply too big for my wrist it's noticeably larger than other watches like the pixel Watch 2 or Apple Watch series 9 although it's not as chunky as the withing scan watch Horizon I normally wouldn't fixate on size this much but for a smartwatch it really matters if something is going to be on my wrist every day it should look like it belongs there the OnePlus Watch 2 just looks a little out of place on my tiny wrist the upside is that you do get a lot of space on your wrist for viewing things like graphs that show your stress levels your heart rate your sleep and other health metrics and also a map of your walk after you're done taking a walk outside which is really nice because it doesn't get cut off or anything like that plus the screen is bright enough to see comfortably in direct sunlight there are two buttons along the side of the watch one near the top which functions as a home button and then another one near the bottom that serves as a shortcut button kind of like the Apple watch ultra's action button it's set to launch the workouts app by default which I like but you can change it to another app you can also push this multi-purpose button twice to open a different app the home button is also customizable by default it's set so that pressing it twice launches your most recent app and holding it down pulls up the Google Assistant I love love that you can customize both of these buttons to your liking it provides enough flexibility without making navigation too hard to remember but since the home button is round I keep mistaking it for a crown like the one on the Apple watch and pixel watch I instinctively want to twist it although nothing happens when I do it's not a deal breaker but having a crown for scrolling would make it even easier to take advantage of that big screen but the big thing that stands out about this watch aside from its large size is the battery life OnePlus claims that the battery can last for one 100 hours in Smart Mode 48 hours with heavy use or up to 12 days with power savings mode I haven't been able to put all of those claims to the test just yet since I've had to charge it occasionally to install software updates but I'm pretty impressed with what I've seen so far on two separate occasions I had about 30% of my battery left after two full days of use using features like GPS on the always on display will typically drain battery a little bit faster during my time with the watch I usually turned on the always on display here and there during a workout so that I could see my heart rate consistently and I used the GPS to record some outdoor walks that were about 10 minutes in length during my commute I'm used to wearing watches like the Apple Watch series 9 and pixel Watch 2 which typically lasts for about a day and a half with similar usage while battery life is a bright spot for the OnePlus Watch 2 it's not the only watch that can last for days the Garmin venue 3 which is more expensive than oneplus's new watch at $450 lasted for about a week on a single charge in my testing OnePlus attributes that battery life to the fact that it uses two different chips Each of which handles different tasks there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chip for running Google's we OS software and a bees 2700 chip for background activity since it runs on Google's we OSS 4 platform you'll have access to popular services like Google Wallet Google Maps and YouTube music as well as all of the third party apps available in the Google Play Store that gives it a leg up over some watches that run on their own operating systems like Garmin when it comes to the smart side of smart watches I was also really impressed by how smooth and snappy performance was scrolling between different screens on the watch felt effortless and apps opened fairly quickly exercise tracking is an important part of any Smartwatch and that includes the OnePlus Watch 2 I have mixed feelings about how the OnePlus Watch 2 performs as a fitness tracker when I first started using it the heart rate tracking felt inaccurate but after installing a software update and moving the watch higher up on my wrist it definitely improved it was about 20 beats off when compared to my chest wrap heart rate monitor before I tightened the watch and moved it up on my wrist after making that change it was only usually around 5 to 7even beats off which is more in line with what I've experienced with other smart watches still it took more fiddling than I would have liked to get accurate results certainly more than other smart watches I've tested while I love how easy it is to see my fitness metrics on such a large screen the OnePlus Watch 2 size also makes it less comfortable to wear during a workout there are more than 100 Sports tracking modes to choose from with the OnePlus Watch 2 but it seems like OnePlus is particularly catering towards Runners with this watch since it supports metrics like ground contact time and vertical oscillation there's also dual frequency GPS which should allow for more precise location tracking when mapping out routes we'll have more details on this in my written review when it comes to sleep tracking there are some pros and cons for one the long battery life certainly works in the OnePlus watch 2's favor and the watch can also look for potential signs that you might be at risk of breathing problems during sleep which isn't as common on smart watches but again the watch is large size means it's not always the most comfortable to wear to sleep similar to the issue I had with heart rate sleep tracking also seemed inaccurate at first the watch was off by hours compared to my Ora ring the first couple of nights I wore it but after installing a software update and tightening the watch on my wrist I got better results with only a difference of about 20 minutes compared to my aura ring and similar sleep scores on the upside OnePlus does provide a sleep score for assessing the quality of your sleep unlike the Apple watch however sleep scores are pretty common on most SmartWatches these days so that's not as much of a standout feature when I heard about the OnePlus watch 2's super long battery life and customizable button I really wanted to fall in love with this watch and I do like it overall the fact that I rarely have to charg it is a huge plus and I love how buttery smooth the operating system feels and as much as I may complain about the large size I can appreciate being able to see charts and maps on my wrist after a workout but there are also a lot of caveats to consider even though the issues I experienced with heart rate and sleep tracking seem to be addressed they still give me some Paw it's also just too large for my wrist and OnePlus doesn't offer another size option in terms of price and features the OnePlus Watch 2 Falls in a funny place it has more than a mid-range watch since it has dual frequency GPS but not everything you'd expect from a flagship Smart Watch since it's missing ECG monitoring a temperature sensor and safety features like fall detection if you want a giant screen on your wrist that you won't have to charge very often the OnePlus Watch 2 might be for you but you'll likely find a more complete package of Health tracking features from Samsung and Google although you won't get that same battery life check out my full written review for more details thanks for watching and I'll see you next time timeExcuse me give have the time the OnePlus Watch 2 which cost $300 and Launches on March 4th has one big thing going for it battery life while watches from Samsung Google and apple typically last for 1 to two days on a single charge the OnePlus Watch 2 can last for days plural but you'll have to be willing to cope with some compromises for one this watch is big and it only comes in one size and it's missing some health and safety features that have become common in recent years like fall detection temperature sensing and the ability to take an ECG from your wrist the bigger issue however is that I had to fiddle with the way the watch fit in order to get accurate heart rate readings while working out if you can get past that the OnePlus Watch 2 seems ideal for those who want a big watch with long battery life primarily for measuring workouts and activity the that's especially true for outdoor Runners since the OnePlus Watch 2 has dual frequency GPS a rarity on SmartWatches in this price range the OnePlus Watch 2 also runs on Google's we OS operating system which means it's compatible with a wide variety of apps and has Google's Services baked in that alone gives it a leg up over oneplus's previous Smartwatch which ran on the company's own software overall the OnePlus Watch 2 is a step up over the original but like the original in some ways it's more impressive on paper than it is in practice the first thing you'll probably notice about the OnePlus Watch 2 is its striking design it has a sapphire crystal display and a stainless steel chassis giving it a premium feel the problem is that the watch is simply too big for my wrist it's noticeably larger than other watches like the pixel Watch 2 or Apple Watch series 9 although it's not as chunky as the withing scan watch Horizon I normally wouldn't fixate on size this much but for a smartwatch it really matters if something is going to be on my wrist every day it should look like it belongs there the OnePlus Watch 2 just looks a little out of place on my tiny wrist the upside is that you do get a lot of space on your wrist for viewing things like graphs that show your stress levels your heart rate your sleep and other health metrics and also a map of your walk after you're done taking a walk outside which is really nice because it doesn't get cut off or anything like that plus the screen is bright enough to see comfortably in direct sunlight there are two buttons along the side of the watch one near the top which functions as a home button and then another one near the bottom that serves as a shortcut button kind of like the Apple watch ultra's action button it's set to launch the workouts app by default which I like but you can change it to another app you can also push this multi-purpose button twice to open a different app the home button is also customizable by default it's set so that pressing it twice launches your most recent app and holding it down pulls up the Google Assistant I love love that you can customize both of these buttons to your liking it provides enough flexibility without making navigation too hard to remember but since the home button is round I keep mistaking it for a crown like the one on the Apple watch and pixel watch I instinctively want to twist it although nothing happens when I do it's not a deal breaker but having a crown for scrolling would make it even easier to take advantage of that big screen but the big thing that stands out about this watch aside from its large size is the battery life OnePlus claims that the battery can last for one 100 hours in Smart Mode 48 hours with heavy use or up to 12 days with power savings mode I haven't been able to put all of those claims to the test just yet since I've had to charge it occasionally to install software updates but I'm pretty impressed with what I've seen so far on two separate occasions I had about 30% of my battery left after two full days of use using features like GPS on the always on display will typically drain battery a little bit faster during my time with the watch I usually turned on the always on display here and there during a workout so that I could see my heart rate consistently and I used the GPS to record some outdoor walks that were about 10 minutes in length during my commute I'm used to wearing watches like the Apple Watch series 9 and pixel Watch 2 which typically lasts for about a day and a half with similar usage while battery life is a bright spot for the OnePlus Watch 2 it's not the only watch that can last for days the Garmin venue 3 which is more expensive than oneplus's new watch at $450 lasted for about a week on a single charge in my testing OnePlus attributes that battery life to the fact that it uses two different chips Each of which handles different tasks there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chip for running Google's we OS software and a bees 2700 chip for background activity since it runs on Google's we OSS 4 platform you'll have access to popular services like Google Wallet Google Maps and YouTube music as well as all of the third party apps available in the Google Play Store that gives it a leg up over some watches that run on their own operating systems like Garmin when it comes to the smart side of smart watches I was also really impressed by how smooth and snappy performance was scrolling between different screens on the watch felt effortless and apps opened fairly quickly exercise tracking is an important part of any Smartwatch and that includes the OnePlus Watch 2 I have mixed feelings about how the OnePlus Watch 2 performs as a fitness tracker when I first started using it the heart rate tracking felt inaccurate but after installing a software update and moving the watch higher up on my wrist it definitely improved it was about 20 beats off when compared to my chest wrap heart rate monitor before I tightened the watch and moved it up on my wrist after making that change it was only usually around 5 to 7even beats off which is more in line with what I've experienced with other smart watches still it took more fiddling than I would have liked to get accurate results certainly more than other smart watches I've tested while I love how easy it is to see my fitness metrics on such a large screen the OnePlus Watch 2 size also makes it less comfortable to wear during a workout there are more than 100 Sports tracking modes to choose from with the OnePlus Watch 2 but it seems like OnePlus is particularly catering towards Runners with this watch since it supports metrics like ground contact time and vertical oscillation there's also dual frequency GPS which should allow for more precise location tracking when mapping out routes we'll have more details on this in my written review when it comes to sleep tracking there are some pros and cons for one the long battery life certainly works in the OnePlus watch 2's favor and the watch can also look for potential signs that you might be at risk of breathing problems during sleep which isn't as common on smart watches but again the watch is large size means it's not always the most comfortable to wear to sleep similar to the issue I had with heart rate sleep tracking also seemed inaccurate at first the watch was off by hours compared to my Ora ring the first couple of nights I wore it but after installing a software update and tightening the watch on my wrist I got better results with only a difference of about 20 minutes compared to my aura ring and similar sleep scores on the upside OnePlus does provide a sleep score for assessing the quality of your sleep unlike the Apple watch however sleep scores are pretty common on most SmartWatches these days so that's not as much of a standout feature when I heard about the OnePlus watch 2's super long battery life and customizable button I really wanted to fall in love with this watch and I do like it overall the fact that I rarely have to charg it is a huge plus and I love how buttery smooth the operating system feels and as much as I may complain about the large size I can appreciate being able to see charts and maps on my wrist after a workout but there are also a lot of caveats to consider even though the issues I experienced with heart rate and sleep tracking seem to be addressed they still give me some Paw it's also just too large for my wrist and OnePlus doesn't offer another size option in terms of price and features the OnePlus Watch 2 Falls in a funny place it has more than a mid-range watch since it has dual frequency GPS but not everything you'd expect from a flagship Smart Watch since it's missing ECG monitoring a temperature sensor and safety features like fall detection if you want a giant screen on your wrist that you won't have to charge very often the OnePlus Watch 2 might be for you but you'll likely find a more complete package of Health tracking features from Samsung and Google although you won't get that same battery life check out my full written review for more details thanks for watching and I'll see you next time timeExcuse me give have the time the OnePlus Watch 2 which cost $300 and Launches on March 4th has one big thing going for it battery life while watches from Samsung Google and apple typically last for 1 to two days on a single charge the OnePlus Watch 2 can last for days plural but you'll have to be willing to cope with some compromises for one this watch is big and it only comes in one size and it's missing some health and safety features that have become common in recent years like fall detection temperature sensing and the ability to take an ECG from your wrist the bigger issue however is that I had to fiddle with the way the watch fit in order to get accurate heart rate readings while working out if you can get past that the OnePlus Watch 2 seems ideal for those who want a big watch with long battery life primarily for measuring workouts and activity the that's especially true for outdoor Runners since the OnePlus Watch 2 has dual frequency GPS a rarity on SmartWatches in this price range the OnePlus Watch 2 also runs on Google's we OS operating system which means it's compatible with a wide variety of apps and has Google's Services baked in that alone gives it a leg up over oneplus's previous Smartwatch which ran on the company's own software overall the OnePlus Watch 2 is a step up over the original but like the original in some ways it's more impressive on paper than it is in practice the first thing you'll probably notice about the OnePlus Watch 2 is its striking design it has a sapphire crystal display and a stainless steel chassis giving it a premium feel the problem is that the watch is simply too big for my wrist it's noticeably larger than other watches like the pixel Watch 2 or Apple Watch series 9 although it's not as chunky as the withing scan watch Horizon I normally wouldn't fixate on size this much but for a smartwatch it really matters if something is going to be on my wrist every day it should look like it belongs there the OnePlus Watch 2 just looks a little out of place on my tiny wrist the upside is that you do get a lot of space on your wrist for viewing things like graphs that show your stress levels your heart rate your sleep and other health metrics and also a map of your walk after you're done taking a walk outside which is really nice because it doesn't get cut off or anything like that plus the screen is bright enough to see comfortably in direct sunlight there are two buttons along the side of the watch one near the top which functions as a home button and then another one near the bottom that serves as a shortcut button kind of like the Apple watch ultra's action button it's set to launch the workouts app by default which I like but you can change it to another app you can also push this multi-purpose button twice to open a different app the home button is also customizable by default it's set so that pressing it twice launches your most recent app and holding it down pulls up the Google Assistant I love love that you can customize both of these buttons to your liking it provides enough flexibility without making navigation too hard to remember but since the home button is round I keep mistaking it for a crown like the one on the Apple watch and pixel watch I instinctively want to twist it although nothing happens when I do it's not a deal breaker but having a crown for scrolling would make it even easier to take advantage of that big screen but the big thing that stands out about this watch aside from its large size is the battery life OnePlus claims that the battery can last for one 100 hours in Smart Mode 48 hours with heavy use or up to 12 days with power savings mode I haven't been able to put all of those claims to the test just yet since I've had to charge it occasionally to install software updates but I'm pretty impressed with what I've seen so far on two separate occasions I had about 30% of my battery left after two full days of use using features like GPS on the always on display will typically drain battery a little bit faster during my time with the watch I usually turned on the always on display here and there during a workout so that I could see my heart rate consistently and I used the GPS to record some outdoor walks that were about 10 minutes in length during my commute I'm used to wearing watches like the Apple Watch series 9 and pixel Watch 2 which typically lasts for about a day and a half with similar usage while battery life is a bright spot for the OnePlus Watch 2 it's not the only watch that can last for days the Garmin venue 3 which is more expensive than oneplus's new watch at $450 lasted for about a week on a single charge in my testing OnePlus attributes that battery life to the fact that it uses two different chips Each of which handles different tasks there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chip for running Google's we OS software and a bees 2700 chip for background activity since it runs on Google's we OSS 4 platform you'll have access to popular services like Google Wallet Google Maps and YouTube music as well as all of the third party apps available in the Google Play Store that gives it a leg up over some watches that run on their own operating systems like Garmin when it comes to the smart side of smart watches I was also really impressed by how smooth and snappy performance was scrolling between different screens on the watch felt effortless and apps opened fairly quickly exercise tracking is an important part of any Smartwatch and that includes the OnePlus Watch 2 I have mixed feelings about how the OnePlus Watch 2 performs as a fitness tracker when I first started using it the heart rate tracking felt inaccurate but after installing a software update and moving the watch higher up on my wrist it definitely improved it was about 20 beats off when compared to my chest wrap heart rate monitor before I tightened the watch and moved it up on my wrist after making that change it was only usually around 5 to 7even beats off which is more in line with what I've experienced with other smart watches still it took more fiddling than I would have liked to get accurate results certainly more than other smart watches I've tested while I love how easy it is to see my fitness metrics on such a large screen the OnePlus Watch 2 size also makes it less comfortable to wear during a workout there are more than 100 Sports tracking modes to choose from with the OnePlus Watch 2 but it seems like OnePlus is particularly catering towards Runners with this watch since it supports metrics like ground contact time and vertical oscillation there's also dual frequency GPS which should allow for more precise location tracking when mapping out routes we'll have more details on this in my written review when it comes to sleep tracking there are some pros and cons for one the long battery life certainly works in the OnePlus watch 2's favor and the watch can also look for potential signs that you might be at risk of breathing problems during sleep which isn't as common on smart watches but again the watch is large size means it's not always the most comfortable to wear to sleep similar to the issue I had with heart rate sleep tracking also seemed inaccurate at first the watch was off by hours compared to my Ora ring the first couple of nights I wore it but after installing a software update and tightening the watch on my wrist I got better results with only a difference of about 20 minutes compared to my aura ring and similar sleep scores on the upside OnePlus does provide a sleep score for assessing the quality of your sleep unlike the Apple watch however sleep scores are pretty common on most SmartWatches these days so that's not as much of a standout feature when I heard about the OnePlus watch 2's super long battery life and customizable button I really wanted to fall in love with this watch and I do like it overall the fact that I rarely have to charg it is a huge plus and I love how buttery smooth the operating system feels and as much as I may complain about the large size I can appreciate being able to see charts and maps on my wrist after a workout but there are also a lot of caveats to consider even though the issues I experienced with heart rate and sleep tracking seem to be addressed they still give me some Paw it's also just too large for my wrist and OnePlus doesn't offer another size option in terms of price and features the OnePlus Watch 2 Falls in a funny place it has more than a mid-range watch since it has dual frequency GPS but not everything you'd expect from a flagship Smart Watch since it's missing ECG monitoring a temperature sensor and safety features like fall detection if you want a giant screen on your wrist that you won't have to charge very often the OnePlus Watch 2 might be for you but you'll likely find a more complete package of Health tracking features from Samsung and Google although you won't get that same battery life check out my full written review for more details thanks for watching and I'll see you next time time\n"