WatchTech

OnePlus has confirmed that it is launching a new smartwatch on February 26. This is the company’s second attempt at a smartwatch, and it will need to work a little (a lot) harder to make this one work.

Three years after OnePlus launched its first-ever smartwatch, the company announced that it is ready to launch its second smartwatch, the OnePlus Watch 2. OnePlus announced that it will unveil the watch at the Mobile World Congress 2024 on February 26. After its first attempt at a smartwatch –– which was a bit of a miss –– it’s exciting to see what the company will do this time. But the good thing is that OnePlus knows and has acknowledged that the Watch 1 did not work out.

Why is that good? Because, like they say, the first step is acknowledging where you went wrong, and the next is fixing that wrong. The company COO and President, Kinder Liu, said in the announcement that after the OnePlus Watch 1 the company took a “reflective pause” and the Watch 2 is not just “improved, but transformed”. Transformation is really what the Watch 2 needs.

“After a three-year hiatus and a reflective pause following the OnePlus Watch 1, the Watch 2 re-emerged, and we are more confident than ever about this product. This confidence is not unfounded, it’s built on a foundation of substantial advancements in our technological ecosystem and capabilities. Watch 2 indicates our determination to transform from Flagship Killer to Ecosystem builder. It will provide you with experience that’s not just improved, but transformed.” said Liu.

Right now, the company is demonstrating some high level of confidence in the product. In the announcement, OnePlus shared its ambitious goal for the Watch 2, expressing its aim to win the “Best Flagship Smartwatch” award this year.

But will it? I think it might if it gets a few key things right.

The big focus on the new watch is going to be on battery, with OnePlus claiming up to 100-hours battery life in Smart Mode –– which just sounds like another name for a low power mode. OnePlus says it is going to “set a new industry standard” with the Watch 2’s battery, but we would only know about that once we put the device through some real world testing. Because even with the Watch 1, OnePlus promised a 10-day battery, which it did offer, but that was at the cost of the smartwatch missing out on some basic features like third party app support or even a voice assistant.

Having said that, we are not even looking for a 10-day battery. A 100-hour battery would actually be great –– considering Apple Watch, which has come to become a benchmark for a good smartwatch, offers somewhere between 50 to 60 hours of battery life. That is if, along with the promised battery, it also has most of the basic features.

OnePlus has already confirmed that the Watch 2 will come with a stainless-steel chassis and a round dial, but we would like to see the Watch 2 work a little harder. We would like to see the OnePlus Watch 2 come with seamless support for third-party apps like WhatsApp, a reliable fitness tracker, a good sleep tracker, and some exclusive functionalities with OnePlus phones.

The anticipated showcase of the OnePlus Watch 2 is just days away now, and we can’t wait to see what the company brings this year. We honestly thought that OnePlus had given up on its smartwatch dream after the Watch 1. However, it’s interesting to see the company take another shot at a smartwatch. The market might seem saturated with a myriad of smartwatch options, but if you practically look at what’s out there, there is a serious lack of good, well-rounded options that aren’t exorbitantly priced. Maybe the OnePlus Watch 2 will be this smartwatch.

This article was originally published on India Today.

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