OnePlus Watch 2

The OnePlus Watch 2 is a Wear OS smartwatch that tries to solve the platform's best-known weakness, short battery life, with hardware rather than a compromise. It carries two processors that share the work, a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 for the full Wear OS 4 experience and a BES2700BP low-power chip that handles everyday tasks, and OnePlus claims up to 100 hours of use in its Smart Mode. Add a 1.43-inch AMOLED screen under sapphire glass, a stainless-steel case, dual-frequency GPS and military-standard durability testing, and the Watch 2 looks like a serious rival to the established names. This review is based on the published specifications and manufacturer information; it explains how the two-chip idea works, where the claims have limits and who the watch suits.

Where it sits in the range

The Watch 2 is OnePlus's second full smartwatch and the first to run Google's Wear OS, with the dual-chip design as its signature. OnePlus also lists a Watch 2R among its wearables. The successor, the OnePlus Watch 3, moves to a larger screen, a titanium bezel and a newer low-power chip, and the Watch 2 versus Watch 3 comparison lays out the differences. The OnePlus pages we read do not state an on-sale date or a US price. The date on this page, February 2024, is the announcement date; no US price is given because none was found on an official page.

The two-chip design explained

OnePlus calls the arrangement Dual-Engine Architecture. The BES2700BP efficiency chip is always on and runs a lightweight real-time operating system (RTOS). It handles background activity and many frequent tasks: telling the time with OnePlus's own watch faces, checking notifications, using the control centre, swiping through the first-party tiles, starting the official workout app, and measuring sleep, heart rate and blood oxygen. The Snapdragon W5 runs Wear OS 4 and wakes only for heavier jobs, such as launching Wear OS apps, using third-party watch faces and tiles, or listening for the 'Hey Google' wake word in standby. The watch picks the engine by itself in Smart Mode, which is the default.

There is a catch that OnePlus is open about. Choosing a third-party watch face disables the dual-engine saving, because the Snapdragon chip must stay active; the quoted heavy-use figure of 48 hours assumes exactly that scenario, with the always-on display lit. Switching to Power Saver Mode shuts down the Snapdragon chip and leaves the efficiency chip running core functions only, including calling, notifications, a compass, media control, some workouts and sleep tracking. In this mode OnePlus claims up to 12 days. You lose Wear OS apps, third-party watch faces and Google Assistant while it is active.

Battery life and charging

The battery is 500 mAh. OnePlus quotes up to 100 hours in Smart Mode with an official watch face and the always-on display off, up to 48 hours with heavy use and up to 12 days in Power Saver Mode. The company publishes the test scenario in detail, down to 220 wrist raises per day, 130 notifications, 20 minutes of screen time and 30 minutes of outdoor running with GPS. These are lab numbers, and the more you lean on third-party faces, always-on display and navigation, the lower the result. Even the heavy-use figure is a good result by Wear OS standards. Charging is quick: OnePlus says ten minutes gives about 24 hours of power, and roughly an hour fills the battery.

Design, display and build

The case is stainless steel with a bottom made of plastic, and it measures 47.0 x 46.6 x 12.1 mm, or 13.65 mm if you include the heart-rate sensor. It weighs around 49 g without the strap and 80 g with the fluororubber strap, so it is a substantial watch that suits larger wrists, and it fits wrists from 140 to 210 mm. Any standard 22mm strap will fit. Two finishes exist, Black Steel and Radiant Steel, and OnePlus says the design echoes its OnePlus 12 phone.

The screen is a 1.43-inch AMOLED with 466 x 466 pixels (326 ppi) and a default maximum brightness of 600 nits, covered by 2.5D sapphire crystal rated 8 or more on the Mohs scale. Durability claims are extensive: IP68, 5ATM (50 metres of water pressure under ISO 22810) and MIL-STD-810H testing. OnePlus adds the usual caveats that hot showers, saunas and diving are not recommended, and that the low-temperature and high-temperature results were obtained with the watch switched off in a lab.

Health and fitness

The watch tracks heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep (stages, score, breathing, snoring risk) and stress, and it offers VO2 Max and more than 100 sports modes. Running metrics include cadence, stride length and ground contact time, and the list covers badminton, tennis, skiing, swimming and rowing. Positioning uses dual-frequency L1 plus L5 for GPS, BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS and QZSS. OnePlus says the watch is not a medical device. The OHealth companion app is required for the full picture, and the watch itself shows data for only seven days.

Software and compatibility

This is where the Watch 2 differs from many rivals: it only pairs with Android phones running Android 8.0 or later with Google Mobile Services version 23.45.23 or newer. iPhones and Android (Go edition) phones are not supported. In return you get the Google ecosystem: Google Wallet over NFC, Maps, Assistant, Calendar and Gmail, the Play Store, and OnePlus's 80 downloadable and 20 custom watch faces. Memory is 2GB of RAM plus 32GB of storage, with a further 4GB reserved for the RTOS.

Who should buy it

The OnePlus Watch 2 is a good fit for Android users who want Wear OS apps but are tired of charging every night, and for people who want a tough, large watch. It is a poor fit for iPhone users. If you prefer a longer-lasting but simpler watch, the Xiaomi Watch S3 claims up to 15 days of typical use without app support, while the Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch8 offer a different Wear OS experience in the Samsung ecosystem. See the rankings for battery and display comparisons.

Compromises

• It works only with Android phones that have Google services, not with iPhones.
• The 100-hour figure applies to an official watch face and default settings; a third-party face cuts it sharply.
• Power Saver Mode gives up Wear OS apps, Assistant and third-party faces.
• The watch is large and fairly heavy, at about 49 g without the strap.
• Health data on the watch is shown for only seven days, with history kept in the app.
• No cellular option is listed.

In summary, the OnePlus Watch 2 makes a credible case that a Wear OS watch can last for days. Its smart handling of two chips is genuinely different, as long as you accept the Android-only compatibility and the mode trade-offs.