The highly anticipated OnePlus Watch 2 is slated for unveiling at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 26. Recent revelations shed light on its impressive features, particularly its remarkable battery life, boasting up to 100 hours in ‘smartwatch mode’.
This extensive battery longevity addresses a longstanding issue in the smartwatch landscape, where devices typically prioritize functionality over endurance. While some brands like Garmin offer prolonged battery life, lasting weeks, major players such as Apple, Samsung, and Google fall short. For instance, the Google Pixel Watch 2 claims only a day-long battery life, and even the top-tier Apple Watch Ultra 2 manages just 36 hours.
The OnePlus Watch 2 aims to revolutionize this aspect with its extraordinary 100-hour battery life. In an exclusive interview with TechRadar, OnePlus Europe CEO Bingo Liu highlighted this advancement, stating, “The OnePlus Watch 2 takes smartwatch battery performance a significant step forward with a staggering battery life of up to 100 hours. That’s more than double the battery life of our competitors.”
Liu explained that the exceptional battery performance of the OnePlus Watch 2 is attributed to significant chipset innovation, optimizing performance based on usage scenarios. This innovation allows the device to achieve outstanding battery life in Smart Mode without compromising functionality.
Although the previous OnePlus Watch lasted 14 days, surpassing some Garmin watches, its limited functionality was due to a bespoke OS and a basic set of pre-installed apps. Transitioning to Wear OS would enhance versatility.
Regarding the OS for the new iteration, Liu hinted at significant developments, promising more details at the launch keynote. He emphasized OnePlus’ commitment to listening to community feedback and creating products that cater to their needs, a principle applied to the forthcoming watch.
Analysis: The Prospect of a 100-hour Wear OS Watch
Liu’s reluctance to disclose information about the operating system raises eyebrows. Despite Google’s efforts, Wear OS watches typically struggle to last beyond a day. If OnePlus adopts Wear OS 4 instead of a limited interface for its next watch, it would mark a significant achievement worth highlighting.
Wear OS opens doors to various opportunities, notably through access to the Google Play store. Addressing one of the primary drawbacks of the original OnePlus Watch, which lacked a diverse selection of apps, a genuine Wear OS successor would resolve this issue.
While speculation abounds, concrete details will emerge when OnePlus unveils the Watch 2 during the MWC keynote presentation on Sunday (February 25).