OnePlus Watch 3

The gap between the {OnePlus Watch} and the {OnePlus Watch 2} was relatively large. A lot happened there, plenty of changes, a lot of news, a lot of upgrades, a lot of improvements. The jump between {OnePlus Watch 2} and {OnePlus Watch 3} is clearly smaller... The new watch has a rotating crown that works largely as it does on an {Apple Watch} and there are now new health features that were missing in the last model but that users of {Apple} or {Google} smartwatches have been spoilt with. Overall, OnePlus has put together a very attractive package at a very attractive price.

In terms of design, at first glance it is not very easy to see the difference between {OnePlus Watch 2} and 3. A larger screen, a rotating crown that takes up a little more space, a slightly different presence on your wrist, all things that are only positives. The case (made of titanium, which makes it super light) measures 46.6 x 47.6 x 11.75 millimetres this time, and the screen is 1.5" (the previous one was 1.43"), based on an AMOLED panel (466 x 466 pixels) and emits a maximum of 2200 nits of peak brightness. The screen is, as you would expect, very good. The watch is IP68 rated, also has the same STD-810H rating as the previous model (extremely rugged, in other words), and it's very stylish. Personally, there's no doubt whatsoever that this is the kind of design a smartwatch should have rather than the rectangular thing that {Apple} in particular is doing.

A smartwatch that actually looks like a timelessly elegant wristwatch and not like a rectangular turd? Yes, please.

The biggest news beyond the rotating crown in this watch is the new features to monitor one's heart, something that {Apple Watch} has been gaining ground with for several hardware generations now. On this front, OnePlus promises more functions than its competitors in addition to being able to keep track of heart rate, sustained heart rate, blood oxygenation, and more. However, the {OnePlus Watch 3} can keep track of lots of other things related to your health too, including your sleep, just like in its predecessor, and everything works well here.

Otherwise, it's hard to say anything negative about Google's {Wear OS5}, which I think works very well. The GPS is noticeably improved, you can now control the camera in your OnePlus smartphone with the watch (which works surprisingly well too), and navigation between apps and functions is smoother than ever. It should be noted that I don't recommend anyone who doesn't have a OnePlus smartphone to get this because in my opinion there are too many really excellent exclusive OnePlus features that you otherwise wouldn't be able to take advantage of or use.

OnePlus should offer the Watch 3 in two different physical sizes, and with a leather/nylon strap too. Otherwise? An amazing effort.

The single biggest improvement over its predecessor is undoubtedly the battery life, because the {OnePlus Watch 3} offers a blazing good battery life thanks to the larger battery and enhanced battery technology that was borrowed from the OnePlus 13. The new battery offers 613mAh per charge and can be charged via Vooc fast-charging, which works just fine. During my tests, I got just over four days of use per charge, which is double that of the last {Apple Watch} model I used.

There's no doubt in my mind that OnePlus offers in many ways the most affordable smartwatch you can buy right now that comes with a superb design, an impeccable build quality, an excellent screen, great battery life, and all while sitting very well on your wrist.