OnePlus’ first attempt at making a smartwatch was mostly a meh attempt, even though it looked extremely sleek. The biggest drawback, of course, was the software. It was essentially a bare-bones software reskinning atop a very basic real-time operating system (RTOS) foundation.
Put simply, it was a not an app-loving operating system and was far away from the deep functional goodness that the likes of Google’s Wear OS and Apple’s watchOS have to offer. The second attempt, which just surfaced online, could atone for those sins.
Leaker OnLeaks (via MySmartPrice) has shared alleged renders of the second-generation OnePlus Watch. Instead of mimicking what Samsung and Fossil have done with their smartwatches, OnePlus seems to be chasing an original design that blends a round dial and a flattened right edge reminiscent of Casio’s G-Shock series timepieces.
The metallic arms extend a little further from the main frame compared to what we’ve seen on Samsung’s recent Galaxy Watches. It’s a subjective aesthetic deviation, but from the top, it seems the arms could offer a more secure grip on the strap attachments.
But the juiciest elements of the latest leak are the chip inside and the software shift it could bring to the table. OnePlus will reportedly go for the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip, a wearable platform that is a familiar name in the Wear OS territory.
The leaked report doesn’t explicitly go into the details of a OnePlus-ified Wear OS experience on the smartwatch, but that Qualcomm chip is a little too overpowered for RTOS, so there’s that. There’s also a separate report from leaker Max Jambor, who claims that the OnePlus Watch 2 will indeed be powered by Wear OS — specifically, Wear OS 4.
Embracing Wear OS not only saves OnePlus the trouble of managing an entirely custom software experience on its own — it also adds a whole dimension of convenience for users. The biggest and most notable advantage would be the availability of apps and seamless cross-device linking with Android phones.
Before we dig deeper into the tentative specifications sheet, keep in mind that these renders are based on “actual images of a prototype in the testing phase.” However, brands often test multiple versions of the same product that don’t always look identical.
The leaker is predicting a 1.43-inch OLED display on the OnePlus Watch 2. Underneath the screen sits what looks like a unified biosensing module similar to the one seen on Samsung’s recent smartwatches, like the Galaxy Watch 6.
Unfortunately, that’s all leaks have to say about the OnePlus Watch 2’s internal hardware or health-centric features. The second-generation OnePlus smartwatch is rumored to hit the shelves next year, and it won’t be surprising to see it break cover alongside the upcoming OnePlus 12 flagship smartphone.
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