OnePlus’ initial smartwatch was many things. They weren’t especially excellent or memorable. You must stand out to join a field as established as smartwatches. Do something distinctive to persuade prospective customers outside your obsessive fans that your product is what they need, not Apple, Samsung, or Google.
The OnePlus Watch 2 was launched this morning at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona following months of teasing. As I said, the battery is key. It’s more than simply a good battery—that was one of the original’s strengths.
So take this with a grain of salt, but OnePlus claims “up to 100 hours in full Smart Mode.” This may be a jab at Apple’s Low Power Mode, which sacrifices critical functionality to survive more than a day on a charge.
Smartwatch batteries remain the lowest-hanging fruit. Companies are emphasizing sleep-tracking features and the requirement for a 24-hour battery. Having to fill the watch slowly before bed isn’t convenient. Apple must prioritize it with its next smartphone.
OnePlus bases its 100-hour number on “regular use.” Change to “heavy use,” and the time halves to 48 hours. Mind you, that’s no joke. Some smartwatches can’t last two days on a charge. OnePlus’ definitions of “regular” and “heavy” are unclear. To understand all that, wait until the review units are out.
Apparently, Google’s Wear OS team helped with these statistics. “We’ve made significant updates to Wear OS’ hybrid interface to support new capabilities that run on OnePlus’ innovative dual-engine architecture,” says Google’s John Renaldi. “This collaboration allows the OnePlus Watch 2 to transparently switch between the low-power and high-performance engines for a feature-rich, premium smartwatch experience with optimized battery life.”
The crucial word in that statement is “hybrid.” The watch switches between two chips to maximize its life. The Pixel Watch 2 and other gadgets use the Snapdragon W5, whereas the BES 2700 MCU is more power-efficient.
Like the Apple Watch, OnePlus’ Watch 2 offers Power Saving Mode. However, it disables more than Apple. Company notes:
Power Saving Mode disables WearOS applications and the Always On Display. Power Saving Mode will still allow calling, messaging, and workout modes; however, Smart Reply in Messages, call records, and voice guidance when jogging will be disabled to save battery life.
The watch gets smarter, I guess.
The $300 tablet is available for presale today, roughly doubling its predecessor’s $159 price. OnePlus is targeting a new market at a price closer to that of Apple and Samsung. Shipping begins next month.
