The best Wear OS watch for battery life

I once watched a video of a herd of cows crossing a street, and as each cow approached a white-painted traffic line, it would do a little hop. Apparently, this behavior is related to poor depth perception, or cattle guards, or leadership issues — I’m not exactly sure. But it’s adorable, and it’s the image that’s been in my mind while testing the OnePlus Watch 3 (stay with me here…).

The newest model offers significant improvements and is a powerful Wear OS smartwatch that excels against the competition in one key way: phenomenal battery life. However, for North American shoppers, it’s tripped up by regulatory limitations that make some key features unavailable at launch. The cows eventually make it across the street, and the OnePlus Watch 3 will likely end up on plenty of wrists (and it should!), but the device faces a few hurdles.

One self-imposed shortcoming of the newest OnePlus watch is a design feature I lamented last year as well: it only comes in a single 47mm case size. While I’m not typically one to shy away from an oversized wearable, the OnePlus Watch 3 is truly massive. The bulk lands at 81g thanks to stainless steel construction (rather than a lightweight material like titanium). Recent rumors suggest alternative models may be heading our way, but for now, this device is just too big for my taste.

It also still features a protruding straight edge that I just can’t get behind, and the band still gapes at the wrist. In short, it’s chunky. I had hoped OnePlus would rework its asymmetrical design and, more importantly, offer a smaller case size for those with smaller wrists. Instead, we got minimal tweaks and a fit that won’t fit many wrists.

That said, the titanium detailing is a nice touch, as are the narrowed digital bezels and, subsequently, larger display space. Both the titanium bezel and sapphire crystal face help protect the device’s 1.5-inch display, which boasts a peak brightness of 2,200nits. The colorful and spacious screen is great for swiping tiles, exploring apps, and checking out new video watch faces. Flipped over, the watch reveals a material change in the back cover glass and reconfigured LEDs designed to improve sensor efficiency.

By far, the best design upgrade on the new model is the updated rotating crown. I was baffled by the nonfunctional crown on the Watch 2, which felt like a major oversight, so I’m glad to see that OnePlus listened to users’ feedback. Rotating crowns may be old hat for other brands, but that’s how this industry often works. The best features are widely duplicated. Compared to the previous model, the crown is now slightly more ergonomic, with a textured pattern for added control. It offers both press and rotate functionality, and the input is flawless. Scrolling the device’s UI is smooth and responsive.

The crown’s button capacity, along with the second button on the device, is fully customizable, just like in the previous generation. Unfortunately, the control panel — accessed with a downward swipe from your watch face — still can’t be customized. Again, a rotating crown may not be a novel feature in the smartwatch market, but it really elevates and differentiates the OnePlus line. Functionally, it puts the device on par with Google’s Pixel Watches, and for some shoppers, it might even be a deciding factor over the Galaxy Watch line. Personally, I find it incredibly useful, especially coming from an Apple Watch.

While we’re comparing devices, it’s worth noting that the OnePlus Watch 3 also lands with the latest Wear OS platform on board. Already seen on Samsung and Google’s watch lines, Wear OS 5 delivers a host of enhanced smart features, including updates to Google apps (like Maps, Wallet, and Gmail), and more efficient device syncing. The result is a powerful and personalized smartwatch experience, including customized tiles, Find My Device, and SOS services. Since it’s unclear when the OnePlus Watch 2 might receive an update, the new software is a distinguishing feature of the newest OnePlus watch, and that’s before discussing its battery efficiency.

Back to farm animals on the march, one area in which OnePlus certainly has its ducks in a row is battery life. The latest model leverages the same dual-chip architecture as the previous generation, this time pairing the Snapdragon W5 performance chipset with a new BES2800 MCU Efficiency chipset. The watch also packs a new OnePlus Silicon NanoStack Battery with a 631mAh capacity. These improved specs translate to power claims of up to three days in heavy-use mode, five days in smart mode, and 16 days in power-saving mode, claims I found broadly accurate during my review. My watch lasted through multiple days of recording workouts, managing notifications, and mindlessly puttering, plus multiple nights of tracking my stats while I counted sheep (running away with the animal imagery now). The watch even outlasted my Galaxy Watch Ultra.

Not every shopper will be blown away by power specs alone, and I agree. Battery life isn’t the end all be all. If it were, I’d never wear anything but Garmin. However, the latest OnePlus watches provide a powerful smartwatch experience, a robust third-party app store, and fantastic battery life. Sure, I can top up my watch daily while I take a shower or plug in every other day if I’m organized, but it is so refreshing not to. Three days with heavy use is fantastic. Five days in smart mode is amazing, and I personally wouldn’t miss the always-on display anyway. The only Wear OS brand close on battery is Mobvoi with its TicWatch range, but you don’t get the same up-to-date software that OnePlus offers.

I would, however, love to see OnePlus update its charging cable. Pin-style on the device end, the cable still features a USB plug at the other.

Yet, for all its power and performance specs, the OnePlus Watch 3 hasn’t had a perfect launch. The device adds ECG support this year, a staple of wearables at this price point and an important tool for health monitoring. However, the new sensor is not yet certified for use in the United States or Canada. This means the company’s new “60-Second Health Check-In” feature, which also relies on its ECG functionality, isn’t available for users in those regions either. The Health Check-in should be available by Q2 this year in other regions, but it is always disappointing to see headlining health and fitness tracking features unavailable at launch.

In the meantime, users can tap into other useful health-tracking upgrades, including enhanced sleep tracking and wrist temperature readings. However, the device doesn’t leverage temperature readings for cycle tracking, another major shortcoming for female users. Between this oversight and the sheer size of the watch, I’m starting to think I’m not its intended audience. Users will find basics like heart rate, stress, SpO2 monitoring, and activity tracking on board, with support for more than 110 sports modes. There is also a new Mind and Body metric featuring an emoji-like graphic to represent your overall wellness as tracked throughout the day (based on data like HRV). Each time I checked in on the tool, I got a “Moderate” wellness reading, which I felt was less than ideal. However, the limited analysis also described me as “dealing with stress like a pro!” I’m not sure what that says about me, the tool, or its accuracy, but for now, I’ll say Mind Body seems like it needs some more development.

Unfortunately, heart rate tracking also leaves room for improvement. I found the Watch 2 to be inaccurate compared to competitors, so I was eager to see OnePlus deliver on its supposed improvements. However, while the Watch 3’s tracking may be slightly better than the previous generation, it still can’t compete with industry leaders. As you can see in the graph above, the watch struggled to keep up with my Polar H10 heart rate strap or my Apple Watch Series 10 during a fairly straightforward interval workout. The most significant issues occur at major upticks in heart rate, so anytime I switched to a higher intensity interval. I did find the “too high” heart rate alerts quite useful during my workouts, but as you can see, they were likely often slightly late.

Android Authority contributor Joe Maring has also been testing the OnePlus Watch 3 and came away impressed with the watch’s running metrics. He also achieved slightly better heart rate results in a more controlled setting on an indoor treadmill, though distance tracking threw up some immediate discrepancies.

That tallies with my experience as, unfortunately, GPS accuracy has not been as accurate as I had hoped. I ran nearly the same routes I recorded while reviewing the previous generation, and the newer model proved equally inaccurate. Not only were my total distances off compared to my Apple Watch and Garmin devices, but many times, my routes were quite wonky. At a glance, the overall performance may seem decent, but as you can see in the maps above, the OnePlus watch often records me on the wrong side of the road or on my neighbor’s lawns. In the second map, you can see where I ran more toward the center of Lilipuna road when coming up and around the bend. However, the OnePlus device records me well off the road instead, on land that is actually quite steep toward the water.

Given the other useful running metrics and analysis OnePlus offers in their companion app, I am disappointed not to see better GPS performance. The watch would likely be decent enough for the average user but too unreliable for serious runners. Notably, the GPS locked on extremely fast before every single workout, which I appreciate.

Finally, I am also disappointed to see OnePlus forgo an LTE model again this year (at least for now). Again, rumors suggest additional models may be incoming later this year, including an LTE variant. Though not entirely necessary, LTE models offer users more flexibility and independence. They are also a great option for runners and cyclists looking for full functionality when leaving their phones behind. For everything from streaming music to utilizing safety features, LTE connectivity is a deal breaker for some shoppers, and the decision not to offer it keeps OnePlus a step behind its competitors.

The OnePlus Watch 3 is a solid upgrade, offering improved design, functionality, and continued incredible battery life for a Wear OS watch. The updated rotating crown and Wear OS 5 platform elevate the user experience, making it a powerful smartwatch with excellent performance. Its impressive battery life ensures that users can depend on the device for days at a time, a standout characteristic within the current market. However, its bulky design and limited case size may not suit everyone, especially those with smaller wrists. The absence of LTE connectivity is a missed opportunity, and failing to nail down FDA approval for key health features is a significant blow for North American shoppers, especially ECG support. Not to mention, the watch is pricey.

At $329, I wanted to see OnePlus Watch 3 deliver everything users can find on the current Wear OS leaders. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 ($299.99 at Amazon) offers unique features for Galaxy phone users, including advanced health monitoring. The Google Pixel Watch 3 ($349.99 at Amazon) offers a unique, minimalist design, fantastic heart rate tracking, and a pure Wear OS experience. Both lines come in multiple case sizes and LTE models and, in my opinion, have cleaner looks. Both pack ECG support. Where OnePlus outshines the others is easily battery life. For that reason alone, the OnePlus Watch 3 remains a strong contender in the smartwatch market. It might not be the best option for everyone, but it certainly offers convenience and solid features for those seeking a Wear OS device.

Finally, like last year, the device is not compatible with iPhones, so iOS users should stick with the Apple Watch Series 10 ($386 at Amazon). Meanwhile, serious athletes looking for the best training tool more than a loaded smartwatch might also check out Garmin’s Venu 3 ($449.99 at Amazon). The device won’t offer as much third-party app support, but it features great battery life and ECG support.