Are you excited about the two hot new products OnePlus has already confirmed for a big January 7, 2025 global launch event? What if I were to tell you that the company could unveil a surprise third device on the same date as well?
That's still far from an officially established fact, but it's pretty hard to believe that the OnePlus Watch 3 has just so happened to leak out today with no connection whatsoever to this upcoming OnePlus 13 and 13R announcement.
Same same but different
The long-awaited sequel to the exceptionally well-reviewed OnePlus Watch 2 has been in the news for roughly six months, making however just a handful of headlines in this period and only now showing its presumably true face in an almost certainly reliable Smartprix report.
This is based on the inside information gathered by not one but two generally trustworthy social media leakers, painting this next-gen Apple Watch alternative a picture that's somehow both familiar and new.
The OnePlus Watch 3 looks more or less identical to the OnePlus Watch 2 at first glance.
The unchanged part is, well, the overall design language, at least according to a product render purportedly made to resemble a OnePlus Watch 3 "prototype" that may or may not have been final. The biggest revision, both from a cosmetic standpoint and as far as functionality is concerned, could be a rotating crown that... actually does something when you rotate it.
For some reason, the OnePlus Watch 2's crown is simply a decorative component of the otherwise decidedly feature-packed timepiece, which the OnePlus Watch 3 reportedly aims to change, allowing its wearers to interact with the user interface in a more convenient and natural way.
The new and improved smartwatch is also expected to come with at least one key under-the-hood upgrade, finally embracing the ECG technology that's been present on Apple, Samsung, and even Garmin wearables for a while now. Of course, that's not going to work everywhere, requiring complicated regional certifications, and for the time being, it's not clear if the OnePlus Watch 3 will launch with the life-saving feature enabled and approved for stateside use.
Other expected OnePlus Watch 3 specs and features
Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor;
2GB RAM;
32GB storage;
Dual OS setup with Wear OS 5 and RTOS;
500mAh battery;
Optional 4G LTE connectivity.
Wait a minute, wasn't the OnePlus Watch 3 supposed to come packing a significantly larger battery than its predecessor? Somehow, that's no longer on the table, at least according to this new report... unless, of course, there are two different variants coming and the one leaked today carries a smaller case and cell.
The OnePlus Watch 2 is already a battery life champion, and the same will likely be true for its sequel. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
That seems unlikely, but certainly not impossible, so all we can really do is wait, hope for the best, and be psychologically prepared for disappointment. Then again, the 500mAh battery-packing OnePlus Watch 2 is by no means a disappointment, keeping the lights on for up to 100 hours between charges in "Smart Mode" and an incredible 12 days or so in "Power Saver Mode" (aka Dumb Watch Mode with the Wear OS interface essentially switched off).
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Another underwhelming but unsurprising OnePlus Watch 3 specification would be that unchanged Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chipset, although the good thing about this general lack of upgrades and radical improvements is that it should allow the device manufacturer to retain that reasonable $299.99 price point as well.
That's at least without 4G LTE support because a potential cellular-capable model would obviously start a bit higher. Perhaps at $399.99 or hopefully $349.99 in the US... if a US release is in the cards, which doesn't feel guaranteed for now.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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