Something unexpected has happened. There’s a fantastic smartphone and smartwatch combination available to buy right now that I think you’d be mad to pass by, and it’s not an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 10. It’s not a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and a Galaxy Watch 7 either. It’s the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus Watch 3, and I think it’s the best Android phone and watch pairing I’ve come across in ages.
Brilliant products
I should explain why this was unexpected, at least to me. The OnePlus Watch 3 is the first OnePlus smartwatch I’ve used, and what I’d heard about previous models from colleagues didn’t really make me feel as if I was missing out. From poor quality health tracking results to a crown that rotated by didn’t actually do anything, I was always confident in recommending Samsung’s trusty Galaxy Watch or a Mobvoi TicWatch as the smartwatch to get if you owned an Android phone.
I went into the OnePlus Watch 3 not really expecting anything more than averageness, and to look forward to wearing one of my favorite watches again once the review was finished. I was surprised, almost shocked by what happened once I started using it. The OnePlus Watch 3 is brilliant, and I gave it both a 9/10 score in my glowing review, and slapped an Editor’s Choice award on it for good measure.
You can get all the details about why I loved it by reading the full review, but in summary it’s really good-looking, comfortable enough to wear all day and all night for sleep tracking, the performance is probably the best on any recent smartwatch I’ve used, and the battery lasted for more than four days on a single charge, even with all the functions other brands prefer you to switch off to save battery activated.
Pair it with the OnePlus 13
I scratched around to find problems with it, and those that made it on the Cons list are fairly inconsequential. It was as I finished the review I realized I’d done exactly the same with the last OnePlus product I’d used, the fantastic OnePlus 13. I spent almost a month with the phone ahead of finishing my review, and never once felt the need to swap to another phone out of boredom or because the OnePlus 13 was lacking in some way.
I struggled to find downsides with it, and even when my review had been published I didn’t want to change to another phone. The OnePlus 13 did everything I wanted. It looks brilliant in the navy shade of my review device, the battery lasts for more than two days with my fairly modest use, it has more performance than I’ll likely ever use, and the camera takes fantastic photos. I even fell for a OnePlus/Hasselblad camera feature I’d disliked in the past.
Sound familiar? It’s essentially the same response I had to the OnePlus Watch 3. Neither are flawless, but they both represent the pinnacle of OnePlus hardware and software — which is also excellent on both watch and phone — and I don’t think the brand has ever made devices as well-rounded and polished as these two. I know it’s high praise, but in the same way I didn’t really want to stop using the OnePlus 13, I haven’t taken the OnePlus Watch 3 off yet, despite my review already being published.
Reasonable prices too
Recommendations like this often come with a caveat around price. Sometimes the things I like most cost a lot more, and I have to qualify the recommendation with a phrase like, “if you aren’t worried about the cost,” or something like that. It’s not the case with the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus Watch 3, as neither are the most expensive in their class.
The OnePlus 13 is superb value. It starts at $900, and while this price puts it against phones like the Galaxy S25 Plus and the Google Pixel 9 Pro, I’d say it’s probably a shrewder buy than the over-priced Galaxy S25 Ultra, which under-delivers in desirability for it’s $1,300 price. The OnePlus Watch 3 costs $330, which is around the same price as the 44mm Galaxy Watch 7, but much cheaper than the expensive (and shockingly dull-looking) Google Pixel Watch 3.
You can buy both the phone and the smartwatch for less than the price of a base model Galaxy S25 Ultra, and not only is this great value, but you’re genuinely getting class-leading, highly desirable, long-lasting products. I recall writing about the Tecno Phantom V Fold and V Flip folding phones, and how the pair together cost less than a Galaxy Z Fold 5, but you’d be compromising on quite a lot if you bought them. There’s no such compromise if you buy the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus Watch 3.
Has OnePlus beaten Apple?
Keen-eyed readers will notice I’ve side-stepped around the Apple Watch Series 10 and iPhone so far. The OnePlus Watch 3 only works with Android phones, so it’s not competing with Apple’s smartwatch, but anyone shopping for a new phone and smartwatch would be foolish not to consider going for the Apple combo. So which is better?
I love the Apple Watch Series 10, especially the titanium version, and its incredible integration with the iPhone and iOS puts it ahead of any Android-based pairing. The Apple Watch is so versatile, so effortlessly cool, and in its current guise so perfectly refined no other brand can get close. Given the choice between an iPhone and Apple Watch, or the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus Watch 3, I’d still go for a pair of Apples. However, the OnePlus devices are a close second, and the top of the tree in Android world.
It’s often hard to put into words why we recommend certain products, especially when not discussing features or technical prowess. Saying I haven’t felt the need to stop using the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus Watch 3 during and after the review period is perhaps more important, and useful buying advice, than any numbered score or benchmark test. If you want a new Android phone and fancy a smartwatch to go with it, my wholehearted recommendation is to buy the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus Watch 3.
