OnePlus has just confirmed that the OnePlus Watch 2 is indeed coming, with a launch event scheduled at MWC 2024 in Barcelona next week. But if that wasn’t exciting enough, OnePlus has promised that this new watch could have an insane (for a smartwatch) 100 hour battery life.
OnePlus claims that this battery life is in “full Smart Mode." While nobody is entirely sure what that means, it could be some sort of super-extreme battery saving feature to make the Watch 2's longevity sound better, but at the expense of functionality.
This decision was apparently driven by feedback from the OnePlus community, with the goal of enhancing the overall user experience. That’s why there’s been a three-year gap between this watch and the original OnePlus Watch.
That hiatus also gave OnePlus time to work on durability and design. While we don’t have many specifics just yet, OnePlus says that the Watch 2 will be made from stainless steel, with a sapphire crystal watch face which should protect it from whatever the day can throw at it. Though it doesn’t sound like this can be considered a “rugged” smartwatch by any means, it'll be interesting to see how the final watch compares to rivals like the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
OnePlus also says that the watch will follow a “similar flagship design language” as the OnePlus 12 series. So the company would just love all you OnePlus 12 or OnePlus 12R owners to pair your new phone with a brand new watch as well.
The Watch 2 itself is a fairly normal-looking round smartwatch, with two buttons on the right-hand corners. The top button looks a little bit like a crown, while the bottom button is a pretty standard oval-shaped button. That change in design suggests those buttons may be used for different things, but right now it’s impossible to say what they might be.
Finally, OnePlus says that the OnePlus Watch 2 is the start of its goal to ditch the “flagship killer” label, and transition to an “Ecosystem Builder." In its own words, to provide users with “experience that's not just improved, but transformed.” Offering more than just the bare minimum, iterative upgrades, from the sounds of things.
If the battery life really does last 100 hours, which is just over four days, then that should at least push some of the bigger names in the smartwatch industry to improve their own battery lives. We’ve been plagued with too many single-day smartwatches.
The OnePlus Watch 2 will officially launch at Mobile World Congress on February 26 and will be available in two colors: Black Steel and Radiant Steel. We should hear a lot more about what it can offer in just under a week’s time. Until then you can keep on top of the latest news and rumors in our OnePlus Watch 2 hub.
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