Latest news with #OnePlusWatch3R
Android Authority
05-05-2025
- Android Authority
Forget the Pixel Watch 4, this is the Wear OS watch I'm looking forward to the most
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority While the Pixel Watch 4 is generating plenty of buzz, the Wear OS watch I'm actually looking forward to the most is a potential OnePlus Watch 3R. The Watch 2R showed up about six months after the OnePlus Watch 2. If the current generation follows the same pattern, we should be seeing a 3R soon. With tariffs driving up prices across the board, a well-priced budget smartwatch (that doesn't compromise on essentials) is more appealing than ever. Would you be interested in a budget-friendly, OnePlus Wear OS watch over the Pixel Watch 4? 0 votes Yes, definitely. NaN % No, definitely not. NaN % Maybe. NaN % Still relatively fresh off my review of the OnePlus Watch 3, I'm itching to see the company launch a budget model follow-up. Last year, the OnePlus Watch 2R landed at $229, instantly making it one of the most affordable Wear OS watches available. What was most impressive, though, was how little OnePlus sacrificed to hit that price point. Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority The 2R keeps the same powerful dual-chip architecture found in the company's flagship model, and during my review, that translated to solid performance and fantastic multi-day battery life (more than twice the Pixel Watch 3). While I hope to see battery life improvements on the Pixel Watch 4, I do not anticipate Google catching up to OnePlus quite yet. The Watch 2R also boasts a symmetrical, circular design that I find much more attractive than the odd shape of the Watch 2. Built from lightweight aluminum, it doesn't feel cheap on the wrist, and the buttons make more sense than the 2's non-functional rotating crown. OnePlus Watch 2R offers a robust user experience and fantastic battery life at a very attractive price. That isn't to say the 2R was perfect. It launched with an older version of Wear OS and lacks LTE. Yet, if a OnePlus Watch 3R is on the way, I'm hoping OnePlus sticks to the formula that made the 2R such a sleeper hit, with some improvement. In short, I'm looking for a competitive price that undercuts premium Wear OS rivals, a clean and functional design (hopefully bringing back the symmetrical case), and most importantly, the same unmatched battery life. Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority There's also plenty of room for OnePlus to improve its affordable lineup. For starters, the Pixel Watch 3 introduced a second case size to Google's smartwatch roster, and the Pixel Watch 4 is likely to maintain that offering. OnePlus can feel oversized on smaller wrists, so offering a second case size would broaden the line's appeal. I want to see the OnePlus Watch 3R land with LTE support and mulitple case sizes. I'd also love to see the 3R launch with the latest version of Wear OS out of the box, instead of lagging behind like the 2R. Paying for outdated software is a tough pill to swallow, especially when the Pixel Watch 4 will almost certainly ship with the newest version. Likewise, OnePlus needs to refine its health and fitness tracking. At launch, the Watch 3's ECG support wasn't certified for use in the U.S. or Canada, effectively nullifying the company's new '60-Second Health Check-In' feature in key markets. Hopefully, those certifications are sorted out before a potential 3R arrives so users can access all of the device's features right out of the box. Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority Finally, I'm crossing my fingers we will see LTE support added to the lineup, though that may be a long shot on a budget-friendly model. Thanks to LTE on the Pixel Watch line, I can head out without my phone, making Google's watches highly convenient. If OnePlus were to offer even optional LTE on the 3R, it would instantly make the watch a more competitive daily driver. Rumors about a potential Watch 3R are sparse, but I'm still hopeful. With all of that said, we've yet to hear any concrete rumors about a OnePlus Watch 3R on the horizon. That doesn't mean it isn't coming; it just might not be anytime soon. If a launch was imminent, we'd have heard some murmuring by now. The OnePlus Watch 2R quietly proved that a budget Wear OS watch doesn't have to feel like a compromise. If OnePlus keeps that momentum going with the 3R, it could go toe-to-toe with the Pixel Watch 4.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
OnePlus promises two major Watch 3 changes, but they may not arrive until the Watch 4
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. In an interview with Wareable, a OnePlus rep acknowledged that the one-size Watch 3 "remains heavy for a small wrist." He promised that they will "fix" the lack of a small option this year, which could suggest a smaller OnePlus Watch 3R or Watch 4. He also discussed the reason why the OnePlus Watch 3 only has an LTE version in China. As much as the OnePlus Watch 3 has impressed us so far with its incredible battery life, we don't know how long it would last with a lighter, more comfortable case size. But based on statements from Dr. Leo Zhang, the Head of R&D at the OnePlus Health Lab, they're "working on" a smaller OnePlus Watch that should answer that question soon. PULSE by Wareable, which interviewed Zhang, quotes him as saying, "It's true that the [46mm OnePlus Watch 3] remains heavy for a small wrist and that this typically affects women, but we will fix that this year. We value our customer's voice and we're working on that." As much as the OnePlus Watch 3 improved on the Watch 2, a smaller model was one of the few requested changes that OnePlus didn't deliver this year. The Watch 3 weighs about 50g without the strap or 80g with it; that's lighter than the 60g Galaxy Watch Ultra, but significantly heavier than the 34g Galaxy Watch 7 or 37g Pixel Watch 3 with comparable display sizes. Given that OnePlus will "fix that" in 2025, we could theoretically see a smaller OnePlus Watch 3R this summer — a successor to the sporty Watch 2R — but the Watch 4 in 2026 seems more likely. Either way, we think plenty of people would lose a day or two of battery life and swap from a 1.5- to 1.3-inch display to make the OnePlus Watch 4 less distractingly hefty. In this same interview, Wareable asked Zhang about the lack of an LTE option in North America and Europe. "The technology isn't a problem, that part is quite simple," Zhang explained. "In China's domestic market, we have an LTE version. In an overseas market, we need to work with the carriers—and that's a big hurdle. We need to work with carriers so users can put in an eSIM and have a data plan." Zhang continued on to tell the site that they're also "working on" adding LTE by speaking with carriers, "especially in Europe." Unlike his promise about a smaller OnePlus Watch, he didn't give a timetable for adding LTE, whether to the Watch 3, Watch 4, or a later model. And based on his words, it appears OnePlus's first priority will be to bring LTE to Europe before it focuses on the United States, where its wearable sales may be lower. OnePlus has had a slightly messy Watch 3 launch week, given its "Meda in China" typo and a disappointingly short update promise. Despite this, we're highly encouraged to see OnePlus prioritizing a smaller watch design, in order to make its watches more competitive with the other best Android smartwatches.
