We loved the OnePlus Watch 3, it’s our best Android smartwatch, but for all its excellent attributes there was one disappointment. The size.
More specifically, the lack of size options. The Watch 3 arrived in a single, 47mm body size. Great for those with large wrists looking for a sizable timepiece, but it alienated buyers looking for a compact offering.
The major smartwatch makers all offer two sizes of their wrist worn wearables, giving consumers the choice they’re looking for.
OnePlus has heard the feedback and addressed the issue with the introduction of the smaller 37.8g, 43mm OnePlus Watch 3.
It’s comfortably smaller and lighter than its sibling, but it’s not as small or light as the the 41mm Google Pixel Watch 3 (at 31g), 40mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (28.8g), or the 42mm Apple Watch 10 (29.3g-34.4g, depending on configuration).
OnePlus says it could have gone smaller, but opted not to. We spoke to EU PR Product Lead at OnePlus, Aske Kjaer, to find out why.
“We’ve got the dual engine architecture when you’re running two chipsets, and that takes up some space,” Kjaer told Digital Trends when talking about the reasoning for the 43mm size. He also noted the firm “wanted to make sure we get a proper sensor suite in there.”
The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm does miss out on the ECG monitor of it’s larger sibling – there just wasn’t enough space – but all the other sensors are present and correct.
Another issue when reducing the size of a smartwatch is dealing with a smaller screen. OnePlus didn’t want to go any smaller than the 1.32-inch screen it’s settled with here, for fear it would become too “finicky.”
“And so when you combine all those things together, what you get is 43mm being the sweet spot” Kjaer added.
“You can still get that 60 hour battery life in smart mode [which is less than the larger variant, but still good] and up to seven days in power save mode.”
So the main compromises of the 43mm Watch 3 over the 47mm variant are screen size, battery life and lack of ECG monitoring.
The screen is still well proportioned though and easy to navigate – as I experienced it briefly during a preview event – and 60 hours battery life is impressive if accurate. Plus, the compact size will likely outweigh these minor shortcomings for folk after a smaller wearable.
If a smaller version of the best Android smartwatch sounds like your perfect wearable, the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm is available now in Europe and the UK, priced at £269.
We’ll update this report with the watch’s US release date and price once we receive it.
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.