OnePlus has a small portfolio of wearables, particularly smartwatches. Despite its bankable hardware, the OnePlus Watch 2 that launched earlier this year had some evident cutbacks. These include the lack of LTE connectivity, the half-baked crown button, and the absence of now-standard health features such as ECG and body weight composition. With its next watch, OnePlus appears to be addressing some of those issues, a recent certification listing in China has revealed.
The OnePlus Watch 3 is being primed for launch and was recently spotted on Chinese electronics certification and regulatory body TENAA (via GSMArena). Besides giving us a glimpse of the familiar design, the listing also reveals the addition of LTE connectivity, which wasn’t an option on the OnePlus Watch 2. The OnePlus Watch 3 is confirmed to feature an eSIM, and while it is currently limited to certain Chinese operators, we can expect broader support with the global launch.
As for the design, OnePlus doesn’t appear to have reinvented the wheel. The OnePlus Watch 3 is set to retain a circular dial with two buttons on the side. The sole image available as part of the listing does not completely divulge the shape of the buttons, but it looks like there will be two circular buttons compared to just one last time — although the rotating functionality of the top button is still unconfirmed.
In addition to retaining the circular dial, OnePlus has tweaked the previously plain bezel. In its place, there is now a tachymeter dial inscribed with markings for hours, but without finer markings for seconds. Of course, it wouldn’t function like a tachymeter (although a few watch faces with chronographs wouldn’t hurt), so the lack of minute markings is not very objectionable.
Besides the design and the presence of LTE functionality, the TENAA listing confirms a 500mAh battery, which remains unchanged from the current generation. We can’t convey with confidence any upgrades to the charging mechanism or the sensors on the back of the smartwatch since it’s not visible. The silicone strap shown with the OnePlus Watch 3 appears to have a different diamond-cut pattern instead of straight lines and a seemingly slimmer body. The listing also confirms the OnePlus Watch 3 runs on Android, which translates to Wear OS.
Other details of the OnePlus Watch 3 are limited, but it is speculated to run an upgraded Snapdragon Wear W5 Gen 2 platform based on another listing on the Indian certifications platform BIS. As for its availability, despite a string of early certifications, the OnePlus Watch 3 may not launch soon. The exact timeline is unclear, but a trusted leaker recently remarked on a delayed launch.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.