The OnePlus Watch 3 is getting a new, smaller size which will be music to the ears of those wanting to experience the best Android smartwatch, but who are wary of the original’s size and heft – and we now have more information on it.
OnePlus previously confirmed it would be launching a smaller, 43mm Watch 3 as part of its bumper July 8 event – but it was light on details about the wearable then.
Now though, we’ve been given more insight into what the smaller watch will offer, and the good news is there appears to be minimal compromise over the larger, 47mm watch.
Our major gripe with the original OnePlus Watch 3 was the fact it was only available in a single size, when the likes of Apple, Google and Samsung all offer two size variants of their smartwatches. It left those with smaller wrists having to look elsewhere for a smartwatch, but OnePlus has now righted that wrong.
Unsurprisingly, with a reduced size comes a reduced weight, and the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm tips the scales at a dainty 37.8g (without strap).
That’s not quite as light as the Google Pixel Watch 3 41mm (at 31g), 40mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (28.8g), or the 42mm Apple Watch 10 (29.3g-34.4g, depending on configuration), but it’s comfortably lighter than the 47mm OnePlus Watch 3 variant at 49.7g.
To enable the smaller frame, OnePlus has reduced screen size from 1.5 inches on the 47mm model to 1.32 inches on the Watch 3 43mm.
Yet OnePlus claims the reduced size doesn’t mean a reduction in functionality, with the 43mm watch still delivering “a fully-featured smartwatch experience”.
That includes the health tracking features such as OnePlus’ ‘Mind & Body Evaluation’ for a physical and psychological wellbeing overview, and a barometer for real-time mental state readings.
We’ll find out more come July 8, including the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm price and release date.
What we know already is that it will be available in the US, as it’s being advertised on the OnePlus website alongside the OnePlus Buds 4 which will also launch during the event.
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.