The ranks of the Android smartwatch market is increasing as OnePlus appears ready to reenter the fray with the forthcoming OnePlus Watch 2.
The Chinese developer announced the new device Tuesday, marking the company’s first new smartwatch offering since 2021’s tepidly received OnePlus Watch. Despite the time gap, the few details shared by the company so far show a similar focus on very long battery life and building an “ecosystem” of mobile devices similar to its competitors Samsung and Google.
The announcement touted the Watch 2 as having up to 100 hours of battery life in what OnePlus calls “Smart Mode,” which may just be company branding for a low-power mode. The company also revealed the first images of the new device, showing off its stainless steel chassis and sapphire crystal watch face. The device will come in two colors: black steel and radiant steel.
🩶 Radiant Steel
🖤 Black Steel
Introducing our flagship #OnePlusWatch2, built with stainless steel and sapphire crystal for rugged elegance— OnePlus (@oneplus) February 20, 2024
OnePlus’ first smartwatch was heavily criticized for its lack of third-party app support and underwhelming health and fitness tracking, two features that have been key in the viability and use of smartwatches for years. In many ways, smartwatches live and die based on these two factors, and OnePlus appears to have learned that lesson.
OnePlus president and COO Kinder Liu addressed those lessons, saying the Watch 2 comes after the company took a “reflective pause” following the OnePlus Watch’s release. “We are more confident than ever about this product and this confidence is not unfounded,” he added.
The note that the Watch 2 will feature “meticulous health monitoring” gives some added credence to Liu’s statement, though no details about the device’s health and fitness systems have been shared yet.
The company also didn’t provide details about third-party app support, which they are likely holding until the full reveal of the device during Mobile World Congress on Sunday. Considering the introduction of the OnePlus Pad, the company’s first tablet, and the OnePlus Open, OnePlus’ first foldable smartphone, last year, the addition of a new smartwatch falls directly in line with that stated desire to create a device ecosystem as the company increases its reach in the Android mobile space. Hopefully battery life won’t be the only aspect OnePlus can hang its hat on this time around.