The Wear OS watch to beat in 2025
The OnePlus Watch 3 not only fix the few complaint we had about last class ’s vigil 2 , but adds a wrapping of new feature and functionality , including a more durable design , meliorate tracking , multiband GPS and a boosted 120 - time of day battery life sentence that perfects the Wear OS 5 experience on offer .
Pros
Cons
View offer for the OnePlus Watch 3here , with a free set of earbuds deserving £ 199
Key Features
Introduction
The OnePlus Watch 2 was a arrant rethinking of the original watch , and it pay off , earning our award for the Best Smartwatch of 2024 . Can the new OnePlus Watch 3 repeat that success ?
You might ideate it ’d be intemperate for OnePlus to top what it did with theOnePlus Watch 2and its impressive 100 - minute battery spirit , but the OnePlus Watch 3 is wholly more capable .
The new OnPlus Watch 3 not only lasts longer at an industriousness - leading 120 hours in Wear OS mode , but it has better GPS connectivity , fashion better durability , new sensing element and a rotating crown that actually does something .
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All that , for just £ 319 . Is this one of thebest smartwatches of 2025 ? It very well could be .
Design and Screen
The OnePlus Watch 3 look a lot like its predecessor at a glimpse , but there are a few meaningful changes this yr that help upgrade the overall spirit and feel .
The oecumenical look and palpate closely matches last year ’s OnePlus Watch 2 . There ’s a combination of a crownwork in the top - right wing and a workout button in the bottom right , the return of the stripy fluoroelastomer shoulder strap and the same 46 millimeter font selection . It also romp the same green and black color options as the original watch , and despite shaving off a few mm , it ’s similarly dumpy .
That means that , like the OnePlus Watch 2 , this is n’t what I ’d identify as a unisex spotter based on size of it and colour options – something I trust OnePlus addresses sooner rather than later .
That said , there are several enhancements that I ’ve rather enjoyed over the past week or so . The first and most immediately noticeable , to me at least , was the thinner screen bezels . The OnePlus Watch 2 was n’t exactly egregious in this gaze , but liken to the Watch 3 , it looks dated .
That ’s pair with a decent titanium bezel frame borrowed from theNordic Blue edition of the OnePlus Watch 2 , helping give it that traditional wristwatch flavour . It sure looks the part , with a gracious polished lustre in the spark and a slight curve in its cast to fit on the wrist a trivial nicer . Overall , it feels whole and well - built .
The stainless steel rotating peak has also had a meaningful upgrade . It was present on last year ’s wearable , and you could press and turn out it , but the latter did nothing . This class , it perform as you might bear , with rotations provide an easy way to scroll and zoom while hold start the screen entirely unobstructed .
It might voice like a small change , but I found myself ditching the touch screen for the poll for most scrolling activities within time of day of putting the vigil on my wrist . There ’s a reason it has been a staple of theApple Watchsince its first generation , and I ’m glad OnePlus has at last jumped on the bandwagon .
You ’ll also receive a slightly big 1.5 - in AMOLED covert , thanks to the step-down in filmdom bezel heaviness . It also features the same LPTO AMOLED technology and Q10 give out material as the flagshipOnePlus 13 . This leave it to jump from 1 - 120Hz and offer a peak brightness of 2200nits .
This not only ensures still performance when sneak through interfaces and translate notifications but also a more bombardment - friendly always - on video display . It ’s also just as legible in unmediated sunlight as in the ghost , and I had no complaints following road on Google Maps in London on an funnily cheery solar day .
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Essentially , it ’s sharp , vibrant , and responsive . That makes both Google caper apps and OnePlus ’ entourage of first - party watch faces calculate telling on the articulatio radiocarpea .
The OnePlus Watch 3 retains the same IP68 dust and water resistance and 5ATM authentication as the OnePlus Watch 2 , along with full MIL - STD-810H certification . Essentially , it can subsist in the most extreme atmospheric condition .
OnePlus has tested the watch at up to 95 % humidity at 80 stage Celcius , and it works fine . As part of the MIL - STD certification , it can also survive elements like salt ingress and even rapid insistence change .
Other lookout offer the same superb protection from the element , but the likes of theGalaxy Watch UltraandGarmin Instinct 3are way more rugged - looking than OnePlus ’ sleek choice .
Performance and Software
The OnePlus Watch 2 was a big deal mainly because it offered financial backing for both Wear OS 4 and OnePlus ’ own RTOS simultaneously . That course unsurprisingly keep with the newer Watch 3 .
This time around , however , you ’re catch the upgrade Wear OS 5 and all the new feature film that come with it . That includes a gridiron - base app tray layout for easier organisation , more face customisation choice , and access to all your favourite Android apps and element like Google Pay on the go .
The accompanying OnePlus RTOS platform has not exchange much , allow more battery - efficient access to most key smartwatch features ( sans third - party apps ) . However , that ’s arguably more of a backup for Wear OS than the main group O you ’ll be using .
That ’s powered by a dual - chipset scheme comprised of Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon W5 and a low - power BES2800 chipset – the latter of which is an upgrade from last year . And , like with last year ’s hardware , the W5 power the Wear OS experience while the BES2700 chipset handles elements like exhibit notifications , the always - on display and other backcloth project .
This is , in part , what let for phenomenal stamp battery life – but more on that in a scrap .
In general , the Wear O experience is slick and smooth , no doubt aid by the screen ’s adaptive refresh rate and the W5 ’s ability .
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There is a nice range of pre - installed watch look , from classic to modular . Most are customisable in some way , whether that ’s colours , widget , or even the designing of the clock hands . I also appreciate the labelling arrangement when switch between watch face , which fall in you an musical theme of how much battery it will drain at a coup d’oeil .
Of course , you ’re also devoid to download third - company alternative via Google Play , along with any Wear oculus sinister app you like – the key welfare compared to wearables with their own home - brewed operating systems . It ’s utilitarian to be capable to get directions from Google Maps without taking my phone out .
Other handy fresh additions to this year ’s package experience include a outback ascendence app that allow you swipe through TikTok videos and YouTube short circuit remotely . If you ’ve got a OnePlus sound , it also repeat up as a remote camera shutter .
In fact , that ’s the one and only OnePlus telephone - exclusive feature film on the Watch 3 , and that ’s something OnePlus should be applauded for . disregarding of whether you set up the OHealth companion app on a OnePlus , Samsung or Xiaomi - brand smartphone , you ’ll get accession to all the same feature of speech and functionality .
The only telephone set it is n’t compatible with is Apple ’s iPhone , but that ’s more a restriction of Wear OS 5 than OnePlus ’ ironware .
Still , it ’s a bracing variety in a world where wearable producer like Samsung emphasise using their own branded smartphones to get at advanced features .
Health and Sleep Tracking
The OnePlus Watch 3 aim to turn in a holistic tracking experience . That means monitor center charge per unit , blood oxygen , stair , sleep and even wrist temperature .
The latter is a newfangled addition to this year ’s roll , help both with cycle tracking and general well - being .
The OnePlus Watch 3 does the occupation as a ecumenical seaworthiness tracker . It display current metrics in an Apple Watch - esque ring fashion , albeit with four rings focusing on step count , calories burned , active hours , and physical exertion . resultant role were generally in line with myWhoop 4 , the baseline for most of my fitness trailing .
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That ’s thanks in part to improved hardware from this year ’s wearable . The layout of sensor on the back of the Watch 3 has been pull off to improve performance , and new a stuff covers the heart rate sensor .
There ’s also a Modern ECG monitor , though due to regulative issues , it will not be useable in the EU until Q2 2025 and in the UK until Q3 2025 .
This twelvemonth ’s fitness - relate features include a new 60 - second Health Check - In . This essentially tick seven indicator ( ECG , vascular health , heart rate , rip oxygen , genial health , sleep quality and articulatio radiocarpea temperature ) and give birth a written report to both the lookout and comrade app .
While it does n’t do anything extraordinary with the information to provide actionable insights , it is a quick and wanton direction to valuate various metrics simultaneously . I ’d have liked to have seen Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis , like theGalaxy Watch 7 , but peradventure that will seem on its heir .
There ’s also a redesign Stress app , now nickname Wellness . This fuse element like physical activity and HRV to deliver a active eudaimonia score that updates every 30 minutes .
It ’s a good mind , but carrying into action is hit - and - miss . In times when I ’ve sense relatively relaxed , I ’ve watch rafts in the low 20s , whereas in times I ’ve felt stress , I ’ve had score in the gamey LXX . Then again , it ’s super uncommon for a wearable to accurately quantify stress , so I ’m not too surprised .
OnePlus takes sleep tracking particularly seriously . It provides the metrics you ’d likely see elsewhere , include overall sleep duration , sleep stages , HRV , and respiratory rate , along with body movement , respiratory rate , and even breathing risk catching . The latter expend your machine-accessible phone ’s mike to supervise your snoring throughout the night .
Like fitness tracking , I ’ve encounter the OnePlus Watch 3 to fork out results similar to the Whoop 4 , though OnePlus ’ choice does over-correct for full metre asleep by around 30 - 45 moment . Either way , the additional metrics around snoring – as someone at risk of sleep apnea – are great to have on hand .
Exercise Tracking
oecumenical wellness trailing away , the OnePlus Watch 3 can record over 100 physical exertion , with what the party shout “ 11 professional sports mood ” . These are modes that provide more insightful metrics than standard time , calorie and HR measurements .
Take the run style for example ; on an out-of-door run , you ’ll be present with example - specific metric unit like meter , pace and even practise intensiveness .
The latter is fresh and undivided to running . It let the watch to supervise and display fat and saccharide consumption free-base on heart rate zona . It uses this information to propose on the optimum reach of usage intensity to maximise carrying into action without injure yourself .
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As someone who does n’t regularly exercise , it ’s the kind of metrical I answer to . I do n’t really wish about my tempo when I ’m not a even runner ; I ’d rather know that I ’m put in the optimal amount of exploit to boost my wellness and fittingness – and that ’s what the new feature offers .
You ’ll also get even more information via a post - workout breakdown via the OHealth app , with additional metrics like gait and equilibrise available . This is right smart more than you ’ll get from the run manner on theApple Watch Series 10and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 , anyway .
The large trouble that we had with last yr ’s Watch 2 was GPS accuracy ; despite double - band GPS , we found that the OnePlus Watch 2 was as much as 4 km out on one trial footrace .
gratefully , the Watch 3 boasts upgrade multi - band Global Positioning System to specify this issue . It also has an upgrade blueprint that utilises a circularly polarize antenna to better detect signals from multiple directions . This basically allows it to get a signaling and last out locked on , even in urban center and other thought-provoking surroundings .
That say , I ’ve found the Watch 3 to be way more accurate than its predecessor in GPS - monitored walks and streak , with no real deviation on the GPS heatmap and accurate overall lengths compared to myApple Watch Series 7 .
Battery Life
The OnePlus Watch 2 made undulation in the wearable shelling living section . It offered a humongous 100 hour of stamp battery life in its full - fat vesture oxygen mode while switching to RTOS extended life history to a humongous 12 mean solar day – but the OnePlus Watch 3 endure even longer .
With a larger 631mAh cadre within , the Watch 3 can seemingly last a walloping 120 hours in Wear O modality and 16 day in RTOS mode . I ’ve only had the Watch a niggling over a week so I have n’t been able to essay the latter , but the former is jolly much on the money – reckon on what you ’ve got active , of course .
That said , even when I enabled every optional tracking feature of speech , I managed around four and a half days before require a recharge . The always - on display takes a toll though , lasting around three Clarence Shepard Day Jr. with the tech active .
In either casing , that’swaylonger than much any other Wear oxygen - enable watch on the market place , with the Galaxy Watch 7 andPixel Watch 3lasting a single solar day . Even theTicWatch Pro 5and its 80 - hour barrage fire life sentence wan in comparison to what OnePlus has done here .
What ’s more , unlike switch to the Apple Watch Series 10 ’s battery - saving fashion , flip to RTOS does n’t affect the tracking capabilities of the Watch 3 in any fashion whatsoever . There ’s full heart rate tracking , stock atomic number 8 monitoring , exercise of ECG and multi - band GPS , wellness and sleep tracking and more .
This earn RTOS a great alternative to Wear type O when you know you ’ll be away from a battery charger for extended periods of time .
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When that meter occur , support for SuperVOOC physical contact charging means you could get a full twenty-four hour period ’s use ( around 15 - 20 % ) in just 10 minutes , though a full charge takes a little longer . My charge speeds have deviate with fast buck when plugged into my laptop computer than a steady USB wall brick , but at its most rapid , it ’ll go from flat to full in a little over 80 minute .
Should you buy it?
Multi - day battery biography is n’t uncommon in wearables , but none occur close to the 120 hr in Wear O modal value that the OnePlus Watch 3 offers .
The OnePlus Watch 3 is only available in a rather large 46 millimetre option , mean it ’s not well suitable to those with smaller carpus .
Final Thoughts
The OnePlus Watch 3 is a fantastical smartwatch that has fixed most of our major complaint about its precursor . This include not only a rotating crown that really lets you scroll but also improvements to health and seaworthiness trailing , in effect Global Positioning System performance , and more .
That the OnePlus Watch 3 can offer such in - profundity trailing , include heart rate , blood line oxygen , temperature and even ECG ( dependent on regulatory approval ) while still extend the sound battery liveliness of any Wear OS - enabled smartwatch is truly impressive .
It allows you to get the ‘ full ’ smartwatch experience without charging every Nox , and for those who can do without third - company apps , the watch can last over two weeks on a charge .
It ’s also imposingly durable with MIL - STD-810H certificate , IP68 detritus and water resistance and 5ATM diving corroboration without seem like a big , bulky smartwatch .
The want of a smaller size of it entail it ’s not quite the ideal unisex option , and if I ’m being finical , I ’d have liked to have visualise an answer to theGalaxy Watch 7 ’s Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis . However , it ’s still easily one of thebest smartwatches you ’ll regain in 2025 .
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How we test
We soundly test every smartwatch we review . We use industry stock testing to compare feature properly and we use the watch as our chief machine over the review period . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , take on money to brush up a Cartesian product .
FAQs
Yes . In fact it offer IP68 along with 5ATM and MIL - STD-810H certification , making it one of the more durable option around .
The OnePlus Watch 3 runs both Wear O 5 and OnePlus ’ own RTOS – you ’ve get the choice of which to use .
Full Specs
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