OPINION : I ’ve been in Helsinki for the preceding few daytime to overlay the launching of theOnePlus Pad Goand OnePlus Watch 2 Nordic Blue Edition , a more upmarket version of the already - impressiveOnePlus Watch 2exclusively uncommitted in Europe .
During that time I ’ve been testing out the functionality of the lookout , be it juicy biking along a Finnish peninsula or hiking through snow - covered woods , and I ’ve been impressed with what I ’ve seen .
Combined with the by and large slick Wear OS performance and charming Nordic - inspired look , it might be myfavourite smartwatch of 2024so far .
To me , the Nordic gamy chance variable of the vigil fixes one of the complaints we had with the regular Watch 2 ; it did n’t do much to stand out from a gang of similar - looking smartwatches . That ca n’t be said of the Nordic Blue edition , with a magical juicy and white theme across the smartwatch , from the bezel around the display to the matching strap and stitching .
I also really like the look of the new hybrid leather shoulder strap , which apply a fluoroelastomer band on the inside and a leather band on the exterior , fundamentally permit you to hold out the leather shoulder strap when exercising without concern about the degradation of the leather . The flouroelastomer inner strap also means it ’s not as rile as leather straps can be – in my experience , anyway .
There ’s even an sole OnePlus - designed watch look to complement the eminent - remnant feeling , though I am slightly disappoint that the widgets are n’t customisable like most others in the OnePlus Watch collection .
Still , it persist a spectacularly unspoilt - seem watch that I ca n’t help but admire as I check the meter or recent notifications .
More than just a looker
As I mentioned , I ’ve had the privilege of enjoying the Finnish countryside as part of the launching , which sacrifice me the perfect opportunity to screen out not only the fitness tracking but dual - band GPS .
Despite fairly loggerheaded tree reportage during both biking and hiking , the GPS - generated map looked fairly accurate , and compare to others also wearing the Watch 2 , we catch close - indistinguishable length calculations . That ’s pretty uniform for a intriguing environment like that .
There are episodic inaccuracies with bosom pace monitoring , as Mike Sawh observe in our regularOnePlus Watch 2 reexamination , but I ’d argue that it ’s accurate enough for most require to get a small fitter .
On the opposite end of the spectrum , there ’s sleep trailing , and the Watch 2 excels in this department . It ’ll offer the same insights into your sleep as most other wearables , delivering information like clip at peace , eternal rest zones , center rate and blood oxygen , but the Watch 2 goes a footfall further by bring your smartphone into the mix to supervise your snoring .
It does command you to shoot a little push on the app before you go to log Z’s , but having used Sleep Cycle for age for similar purposes , I do n’t take care all that much .
Using all that information , the watch can give you a breakdown of your risk of breathing trouble , let in information like snoring length , average sleepSpO2and more . That ’s way more insightful than anything I ’ve ever got from theApple Watchand comes pretty close to the sleep apnea detection of theGalaxy Watch 6 , but that ’s only available in the US for now . Not great for us Brits .
fittingness and sleep track by , it ’s a bully smartwatch to use in daily life . diminished elements , like the swerve edges of the covert to make swiping from the edge a little courteous , really elevate the experience on whirl . It also tout a silken dual OS frame-up , which in itself is n’t unexampled – TicWatch has something exchangeable with the Watch 5 Pro – but the integration is much more flawless here .
Essentially , the Watch will track down Google Wear OS most of the time , but if the bombardment runs too low-spirited or you want toreallyextend survival , you could change over to RTOS , a system of rules that ’s much less assess on the battery . for sure , you ’ll lose approach to sure faces and Wear operating system apps , but important chemical element – notice pitch , wellness and nap tracking , physical exercise tracking with GPS and more – are all still present and account for .
Speaking of barrage life , that ’s one of the main reason I ’m enjoying the OnePlus Watch 2 Nordic Blue version . Like the veritable variant , the watch boasts an impressive 100 - hr battery life that ’s seen me through much of the trip despite tracking various exercises , but that can be increased to a thumping 12 days by switching to the RTOS operating scheme mentioned sooner .
Compared to some of thebest smartwatcheslike the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 , which go around 2 days , that ’s impressive , and even more so when compared to the paltry 18 - minute offer from theApple Watch Series 9 .
Admittedly , most of this is also true of the even OnePlus Watch 2 with near - very hardware , but I think that the elevated designing of the Nordic Blue variation really seal the deal for me . It looks the part , it works extremely well , live on for days on destruction at £ 329 for the new colour option , it ’s not that pricey either . For me , it ’s a no - brainer – this is my favourite smartwatch of 2024 so far .
