It's safe to say OnePlus has been busy launching products like its flagship OnePlus 8 Pro, the budget-friendly OnePlus Nord, and OnePlus Buds over the past few months. But it looks like it's not done yet. The company is also apparently adding a new smartwatch to the list.
First spotted by 91 Mobiles, the company received IMDA certification for a device called a OnePlus Watch, complete with a model number W301GB. Unfortunately, none of the specifications are listed but it's described as a "wearable watch." Of course, it's also unclear whether this detail implies the device will launch in 2020 or if the company plans on waiting it out.
At this point, a smartwatch from OnePlus has been a long time coming. In 2015, company co-founder Carl Pei revealed to Tech Radar that there was a smartwatch in the works, but the company ultimately decided to nix the plan entirely to focus on smartphones instead.
Five years later, Tech Radar spoke with a former OnePlus employee who revealed the company has been "actively been looking into a smartwatch for the last year." But given its track record with its last smartwatch plans, it remains to be seen if the company will actually follow through this time.
The report also notes the recently announced Oppo Watch — a smartwatch running Google's WearOS that essentially looks like an Apple Watch clone — could be a sign that OnePlus is actually going through with this. The reason being that, while OnePlus and Oppo remain separate, both share a parent company in BBK Electronics.
Whether the "OnePlus Watch" will look similar to the Oppo Watch (and, well, the Apple Watch) is unclear. However, it's worth noting that if OnePlus does follow through with a 2020 launch, it'll have a lot of competition.
In addition to the anticipated Apple Watch Series 6, Fitbit recently announced its fall lineup of wearables — including the Fitbit Sense, which packs some complex sensors built specifically for stress management. There's also the new Amazon Halo, which keeps track of extensive metrics like body fat percentage and even the tone of your voice.
If OnePlus does launch a smartwatch in 2020, we can't help but wonder if it'll have what it takes to keep from being overshadowed by all the other options currently out there. But we'll need to know some specs before any kind of determination can be made.
I became a professional writer and editor shortly after graduation. My degrees are in biomedical sciences; however, they led to some experience in the biotech area, which convinced me of its potential to revolutionize our health, environment and lives in general. This developed into an all-consuming interest in more aspects of tech over time: I can never write enough on the latest electronics, gadgets and innovations. My other interests include imaging, astronomy, and streaming all the things. Oh, and coffee.
LOS ANGELES, United States: The report is an all-inclusive research study of the global Stopwatches market taking into account the growth factors, recent trends, developments, opportunities, and competitive landscape. The market analysts and researchers have done extensive analysis of the global Stopwatches market with the help of research methodologies such as PESTLE and Porter’s Five Forces analysis. They have provided accurate and reliable market data and useful recommendations with an aim to help the players gain an insight into the overall present and future market scenario. The Stopwatches report comprises in-depth study of the potential segments including product type, application, and end user and their contribution to the overall market size.
In addition, market revenues based on region and country are provided in the Stopwatches report. The authors of the report have also shed light on the common business tactics adopted by players. The leading players of the global Stopwatches market and their complete profiles are included in the report. Besides that, investment opportunities, recommendations, and trends that are trending at present in the global Stopwatches market are mapped by the report. With the help of this report, the key players of the global Stopwatches market will be able to make sound decisions and plan their strategies accordingly to stay ahead of the curve.
Competitive landscape is a critical aspect every key player needs to be familiar with. The report throws light on the competitive scenario of the global Stopwatches market to know the competition at both the domestic and global levels. Market experts have also offered the outline of every leading player of the global Stopwatches market, considering the key aspects such as areas of operation, production, and product portfolio. Additionally, companies in the report are studied based on the key factors such as company size, market share, market growth, revenue, production volume, and profits.
Key Players Mentioned in the Global Stopwatches Market Research Report:Casio, Fisher Scientific, Finis, Seiko, Decathlon, Champion, Maratho, Tag Heuer, Travelwey
Global Stopwatches Market Segmentation by Product:Mechanical Watch
Electronic Watch
Global Stopwatches Market Segmentation by Application:Sport Amateur
Professional
The Stopwatches Market report has been segregated based on distinct categories, such as product type, application, end user, and region. Each and every segment is evaluated on the basis of CAGR, share, and growth potential. In the regional analysis, the report highlights the prospective region, which is estimated to generate opportunities in the global Stopwatches market in the forthcoming years. This segmental analysis will surely turn out to be a useful tool for the readers, stakeholders, and market participants to get a complete picture of the global Stopwatches market and its potential to grow in the years to come.
Key questions answered in the report:
What is the growth potential of the Stopwatches market?
Which product segment will grab a lion’s share?
Which regional market will emerge as a frontrunner in coming years?
Which application segment will grow at a robust rate?
What are the growth opportunities that may emerge in Stopwatches industry in the years to come?
What are the key challenges that the global Stopwatches market may face in future?
Which are the leading companies in the global Stopwatches market?
Which are the key trends positively impacting the market growth?
Which are the growth strategies considered by the players to sustain hold in the global Stopwatches market?
1 Study Coverage
1.1 Stopwatches Product Introduction
1.2 Market Segments
1.3 Key Stopwatches Manufacturers Covered: Ranking by Revenue
1.4 Market by Type
1.4.1 Global Stopwatches Market Size Growth Rate by Type
1.4.2 Mechanical Watch
1.4.3 Electronic Watch
1.5 Market by Application
1.5.1 Global Stopwatches Market Size Growth Rate by Application
1.5.2 Sport Amateur
1.5.3 Professional
1.6 Study Objectives
1.7 Years Considered
2 Executive Summary
2.1 Global Stopwatches Market Size, Estimates and Forecasts
2.1.1 Global Stopwatches Revenue 2015-2026
2.1.2 Global Stopwatches Sales 2015-2026
2.2 Global Stopwatches, Market Size by Producing Regions: 2015 VS 2020 VS 2026
2.3 Stopwatches Historical Market Size by Region (2015-2020)
2.3.1 Global Stopwatches Retrospective Market Scenario in Sales by Region: 2015-2020
2.3.2 Global Stopwatches Retrospective Market Scenario in Revenue by Region: 2015-2020
2.4 Stopwatches Market Estimates and Projections by Region (2021-2026)
2.4.1 Global Stopwatches Sales Forecast by Region (2021-2026)
2.4.2 Global Stopwatches Revenue Forecast by Region (2021-2026)
3 Global Stopwatches Competitor Landscape by Players
3.1 Global Top Stopwatches Sales by Manufacturers
3.1.1 Global Stopwatches Sales by Manufacturers (2015-2020)
3.1.2 Global Stopwatches Sales Market Share by Manufacturers (2015-2020)
3.2 Global Stopwatches Manufacturers by Revenue
3.2.1 Global Stopwatches Revenue by Manufacturers (2015-2020)
3.2.2 Global Stopwatches Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2015-2020)
3.2.3 Global Stopwatches Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI) (2015-2020)
3.2.4 Global Top 10 and Top 5 Companies by Stopwatches Revenue in 2019
3.2.5 Global Stopwatches Market Share by Company Type (Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3)
3.3 Global Stopwatches Price by Manufacturers
3.4 Global Stopwatches Manufacturing Base Distribution, Product Types
3.4.1 Stopwatches Manufacturers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters
3.4.2 Manufacturers Stopwatches Product Type
3.4.3 Date of International Manufacturers Enter into Stopwatches Market
3.5 Manufacturers Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans
4 Market Size by Type (2015-2026)
4.1 Global Stopwatches Market Size by Type (2015-2020)
4.1.1 Global Stopwatches Sales by Type (2015-2020)
4.1.2 Global Stopwatches Revenue by Type (2015-2020)
4.1.3 Stopwatches Average Selling Price (ASP) by Type (2015-2026)
4.2 Global Stopwatches Market Size Forecast by Type (2021-2026)
4.2.1 Global Stopwatches Sales Forecast by Type (2021-2026)
4.2.2 Global Stopwatches Revenue Forecast by Type (2021-2026)
4.2.3 Stopwatches Average Selling Price (ASP) Forecast by Type (2021-2026)
4.3 Global Stopwatches Market Share by Price Tier (2015-2020): Low-End, Mid-Range and High-End
5 Market Size by Application (2015-2026)
5.1 Global Stopwatches Market Size by Application (2015-2020)
5.1.1 Global Stopwatches Sales by Application (2015-2020)
5.1.2 Global Stopwatches Revenue by Application (2015-2020)
5.1.3 Stopwatches Price by Application (2015-2020)
5.2 Stopwatches Market Size Forecast by Application (2021-2026)
5.2.1 Global Stopwatches Sales Forecast by Application (2021-2026)
5.2.2 Global Stopwatches Revenue Forecast by Application (2021-2026)
5.2.3 Global Stopwatches Price Forecast by Application (2021-2026)
6 China by Players, Type and Application
6.1 China Stopwatches Market Size YoY Growth 2015-2026
6.1.1 China Stopwatches Sales YoY Growth 2015-2026
6.1.2 China Stopwatches Revenue YoY Growth 2015-2026
6.1.3 China Stopwatches Market Share in Global Market 2015-2026
6.2 China Stopwatches Market Size by Players (International and Local Players)
6.2.1 China Top Stopwatches Players by Sales (2015-2020)
6.2.2 China Top Stopwatches Players by Revenue (2015-2020)
6.3 China Stopwatches Historic Market Review by Type (2015-2020)
6.3.1 China Stopwatches Sales Market Share by Type (2015-2020)
6.3.2 China Stopwatches Revenue Market Share by Type (2015-2020)
6.3.3 China Stopwatches Price by Type (2015-2020)
6.4 China Stopwatches Market Estimates and Forecasts by Type (2021-2026)
6.4.1 China Stopwatches Sales Forecast by Type (2021-2026)
6.4.2 China Stopwatches Revenue Forecast by Type (2021-2026)
6.4.3 China Stopwatches Price Forecast by Type (2021-2026)
6.5 China Stopwatches Historic Market Review by Application (2015-2020)
6.5.1 China Stopwatches Sales Market Share by Application (2015-2020)
6.5.2 China Stopwatches Revenue Market Share by Application (2015-2020)
6.5.3 China Stopwatches Price by Application (2015-2020)
6.6 China Stopwatches Market Estimates and Forecasts by Application (2021-2026)
6.6.1 China Stopwatches Sales Forecast by Application (2021-2026)
6.6.2 China Stopwatches Revenue Forecast by Application (2021-2026)
6.6.3 China Stopwatches Price Forecast by Application (2021-2026)
7 North America
7.1 North America Stopwatches Market Size YoY Growth 2015-2026
7.2 North America Stopwatches Market Facts & Figures by Country
7.2.1 North America Stopwatches Sales by Country (2015-2020)
7.2.2 North America Stopwatches Revenue by Country (2015-2020)
7.2.3 U.S.
7.2.4 Canada
8 Europe
8.1 Europe Stopwatches Market Size YoY Growth 2015-2026
8.2 Europe Stopwatches Market Facts & Figures by Country
8.2.1 Europe Stopwatches Sales by Country
8.2.2 Europe Stopwatches Revenue by Country
8.2.3 Germany
8.2.4 France
8.2.5 U.K.
8.2.6 Italy
8.2.7 Russia
9 Asia Pacific
9.1 Asia Pacific Stopwatches Market Size YoY Growth 2015-2026
9.2 Asia Pacific Stopwatches Market Facts & Figures by Country
9.2.1 Asia Pacific Stopwatches Sales by Region (2015-2020)
9.2.2 Asia Pacific Stopwatches Revenue by Region
9.2.3 China
9.2.4 Japan
9.2.5 South Korea
9.2.6 India
9.2.7 Australia
9.2.8 Taiwan
9.2.9 Indonesia
9.2.10 Thailand
9.2.11 Malaysia
9.2.12 Philippines
9.2.13 Vietnam
10 Latin America
10.1 Latin America Stopwatches Market Size YoY Growth 2015-2026
10.2 Latin America Stopwatches Market Facts & Figures by Country
10.2.1 Latin America Stopwatches Sales by Country
10.2.2 Latin America Stopwatches Revenue by Country
10.2.3 Mexico
10.2.4 Brazil
10.2.5 Argentina
11 Middle East and Africa
11.1 Middle East and Africa Stopwatches Market Size YoY Growth 2015-2026
11.2 Middle East and Africa Stopwatches Market Facts & Figures by Country
11.2.1 Middle East and Africa Stopwatches Sales by Country
11.2.2 Middle East and Africa Stopwatches Revenue by Country
11.2.3 Turkey
11.2.4 Saudi Arabia
11.2.5 U.A.E
12 Company Profiles
12.1 Casio
12.1.1 Casio Corporation Information
12.1.2 Casio Description and Business Overview
12.1.3 Casio Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.1.4 Casio Stopwatches Products Offered
12.1.5 Casio Recent Development
12.2 Fisher Scientific
12.2.1 Fisher Scientific Corporation Information
12.2.2 Fisher Scientific Description and Business Overview
12.2.3 Fisher Scientific Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.2.4 Fisher Scientific Stopwatches Products Offered
12.2.5 Fisher Scientific Recent Development
12.3 Finis
12.3.1 Finis Corporation Information
12.3.2 Finis Description and Business Overview
12.3.3 Finis Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.3.4 Finis Stopwatches Products Offered
12.3.5 Finis Recent Development
12.4 Seiko
12.4.1 Seiko Corporation Information
12.4.2 Seiko Description and Business Overview
12.4.3 Seiko Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.4.4 Seiko Stopwatches Products Offered
12.4.5 Seiko Recent Development
12.5 Decathlon
12.5.1 Decathlon Corporation Information
12.5.2 Decathlon Description and Business Overview
12.5.3 Decathlon Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.5.4 Decathlon Stopwatches Products Offered
12.5.5 Decathlon Recent Development
12.6 Champion
12.6.1 Champion Corporation Information
12.6.2 Champion Description and Business Overview
12.6.3 Champion Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.6.4 Champion Stopwatches Products Offered
12.6.5 Champion Recent Development
12.7 Maratho
12.7.1 Maratho Corporation Information
12.7.2 Maratho Description and Business Overview
12.7.3 Maratho Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.7.4 Maratho Stopwatches Products Offered
12.7.5 Maratho Recent Development
12.8 Tag Heuer
12.8.1 Tag Heuer Corporation Information
12.8.2 Tag Heuer Description and Business Overview
12.8.3 Tag Heuer Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.8.4 Tag Heuer Stopwatches Products Offered
12.8.5 Tag Heuer Recent Development
12.9 Travelwey
12.9.1 Travelwey Corporation Information
12.9.2 Travelwey Description and Business Overview
12.9.3 Travelwey Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.9.4 Travelwey Stopwatches Products Offered
12.9.5 Travelwey Recent Development
12.11 Casio
12.11.1 Casio Corporation Information
12.11.2 Casio Description and Business Overview
12.11.3 Casio Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2015-2020)
12.11.4 Casio Stopwatches Products Offered
12.11.5 Casio Recent Development
13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis
13.1 Market Opportunities and Drivers
13.2 Market Challenges
13.3 Market Risks/Restraints
13.4 Porter’s Five Forces Analysis
13.5 Primary Interviews with Key Stopwatches Players (Opinion Leaders)
14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis
14.1 Value Chain Analysis
14.2 Stopwatches Customers
14.3 Sales Channels Analysis
14.3.1 Sales Channels
14.3.2 Distributors
15 Research Findings and Conclusion
16 Appendix
16.1 Research Methodology
16.1.1 Methodology/Research Approach
16.1.2 Data Source
16.2 Author Details
16.3 Disclaimer
QY Research established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), expert’s resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.
In Uganda, rolexes are very popular. Not the watches, mind, but street-side snacks comprising Indian chapatis cooked with eggs and vegetables, and rolled up - hence “rolled eggs”, or “rolex”. Mum says she remembers eating a more basic version in her youth, sometimes made with eggs and sometimes with chickpea flour, which is a store-cupboard staple in every Indian kitchen and the basis of today’s recipe. As with sandwiches and burritos, there are now endless variations on the rolex theme, but for today we’re travelling back to a particular time and place: my grandparents’ kitchen in Arua, Uganda, in 1971.
Ugandan rolex
I’ve adapted the traditional recipe by replacing ordinary water with fizzy. It adds real oomph to the pancake batter, allowing it to become very crisp at the edges and light and fluffy in the middle. You can find gram (or chickpea) flour on the world food aisle of most large supermarkets; failing that, try an Indian grocerworld food.
Prep 15 min
Cook 40 min
Makes 6
250g gram flour
1 tsp turmeric
1¼ tsp fine sea salt
500ml fizzy water
100g red cabbage
1 medium tomato
½ red onion
1-2 green Indian finger chillies 20g (5-6 tbsp) coriander
2 tbsp sunflower oil - I like Mr Organic 6 pre-made chapatis
Vegan mayo (I like Leon’s), sriracha and more coriander, to serve
To make the batter, put the gram flour in a large bowl, add the turmeric and salt, whisk to mix, then slowly add the fizzy water, whisking as you go. Put to one side while you very finely shred the cabbage and chop the tomato, onion, chillies and coriander. Throw them all into the batter and stir to combine.
Put a teaspoon of oil in a nonstick pan roughly the same size as your chapatis and heat until very hot. When very hot, ladle in a sixth of the batter and swirl it around the pan quickly, so it covers the whole surface. Leave to cook for about two and a half minutes, until the bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook for another minute and a half on the other side. Lay a chapati on top of the pancake to warm up, then flip out on to a plate (so the chapati is now on the bottom) and repeat with the remaining oil, batter and chapatis – the pan will be very hot, so you may need to reduce the cooking time for the other pancakes.
To serve, drizzle over your choice of condiment – I like a combination of sriracha and mayo with some fresh coriander – roll up tight and eat.
Japanese watchmaking giant Seiko is introducing a new sub-family named Sharp Edge into its upmarket-focused Presage collection, set to hit retailers this September. The collection features four references, with unique dials made by skilled craftsman and artisans from four locations throughout Japan. It follows in the tradition of the brand’s 2019 Presage Arita Porcelain Dial models, using a new type of Arita porcelain that is “more than four times harder,” made by master craftsman Hiroyuki Hashiguchi.
The Presage Sharp Edge collection Ref. SPB169.
The watch’s dial inspiration, a traditional hemp leaf pattern called Asanoha, comes from Japan’s Heian period (794-1185 AD); a symbol that represents “growth and prosperity,” it’s interpreted here by the pioneering modernist designer Riki Watanabe, whose designs have inspired past Seiko Presage models, most recently the Presage Cocktail Time editions. The dials’ sharply angled surface textures, which create subtle color gradations and catch light at varying angles, are a product of traditional Japanese artistry and lend the Sharp Edge models their name.
The Presage Sharp Edge collection Ref. SPB167.
All four references come in 39.3-mm-diameter cases with screw-down casebacks, water-resistant to 100 meters (10 bar), encased in either stainless steel or rose-gold-plated steel. The three steel models all feature Seiko’s “Super-Hard” coating (which according to Seiko is an invisible coating that renders the surface relatively scratch-free as well as adding brilliance) and come in three dial colors — blue, green, or white — while the rose gold reference offers a brown-colored dial. The thin, stick-shaped hands and applied hour markers use Seiko’s “LumiBrite” material for easy reading in the dark.
The Presage Sharp Edge collection Ref. SPB170.
Each reference includes a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, as well as a sapphire exhibition caseback displaying the 24-jewel automatic movement, Caliber 6R35. Made in-house, it offers a manual winding function, a frequency of 21,600 vph, a date display at 3 o’clock, and an approximate power reserve of 70 hours.
The Presage Sharp Edge collection Ref. SPB165.
The stainless steel models come attached to a matching stainless steel bracelet, and the rose gold reference comes on a brown-colored leather strap. All four of the Sharp Edge models retail for $1,000 and will be available online through Seiko’s website in September.
Manufacture:
Seiko
Model:
Presage Sharp Edge collection
Reference Number:
SPB165, SPB167, SPB169, SPB170
Movement:
Caliber 6R35, automatic with manual winding function, 21,600-vph, 24 jewels, 70-hour power reserve
Functions:
Hours, minutes, seconds, date display at 3 o’clock
Case:
Stainless steel or rose gold-plated steel, hard coating, 100 meter water-resistance (10 bar)
Strap & Clasp:
Stainless steel bracelet or brown leather strap
Dimensions:
Diameter = 39.3 mm
Price:
$1,000
For more information on Seiko’s 2020 novelties, click here.
Samsung released the Galaxy Watch in 2018, a sequel to the earlier Gear S3, for everyone who wanted a smartwatch resembling a traditional timepiece. It was followed up by the sporty Watch Active and Watch Active2, but some fans were left disappointing by the more modern design. At long last, the Galaxy Watch3 is here — no, you didn't miss anything, Samsung skipped #2.
The Galaxy Watch3 is the best smartwatch Samsung has made yet, and as a result, it's probably the best smartwatch you can pair with an Android phone. However, the $400 starting price is laughable, considering the smallest Watch Active2 costs $230 right now, and many of the unique health features don't work in the United States.
Design, hardware, what's in the box
The Galaxy Watch3 shares many design elements with original Galaxy Watch and the Gear S3 before it. The bezels and lugs look similar to a traditional mechanical watch, with numbers lining the edge of the screen to represent seconds. Surrounding the screen is a physical rotating bezel, which has made a triumphant return after its absence on the Watch Active series. Navigating through menus and apps is effortless, and I wish Fossil or Mobvoi would replicate it on their Wear OS watches.
I received the larger 45mm model for review, and I was surprised to see it wasn't as bulky as it appeared in photos. The 41mm and 45mm models are 11.3 and 11.1 mm thick, respectively, only marginally deeper than the 11mm Watch Active2. It's also thinner than the 13mm original Galaxy Watch. I appreciate that Samsung made a traditional-looking watch that doesn't feel like I have weights tied to my wrist.
All versions of the Galaxy Watch3 come with a plain leather band. The 41mm model uses standard 20mm watch straps, and the 45mm model uses 22mm straps, so there are thousands of replacement bands if you don't like the one in the box.
The internal hardware includes an Exynos 9110 chipset, 1GB RAM, 8GB of storage, and a 340mAh (45mm) or 247mAh (41mm) battery. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and GPS are all built-in, plus LTE if you buy one of the more expensive models. Just like all other Galaxy Watches, the Watch3 lacks support for the MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technology found on the Gear S3 and Samsung's flagship phones, so tap-to-pay only works on NFC-based payment terminals.
The front display is a 1.2 (41mm) or 1.4-inch (45mm) fully circular AMOLED screen, with a resolution of 360x360. Now that we're past the days of flat-tire screens, I rarely have anything to complain about with smartwatch displays, and that holds true for the Watch3's display. It looks great.
The underside of the watch houses the array of sensors and the same WPC-based wireless charging pad that Samsung's previous smartwatches use. While you can power the watch using the included cradle and reverse wireless charging on Galaxy S/Note phones (also known as Wireless PowerShare), you can't set it on top of a generic Qi pad.
Charging the Galaxy Watch3 on top of a Galaxy S20
In the box, you get the Galaxy Watch3, the charging cable, and a quick start guide. There's no wall adapter included in the box, but any USB Type-A charger will work. Also, the box looks an awful lot like the boxes for Apple Watches.
Software, performance, battery
Just like previous Samsung wearables, the Galaxy Watch3 uses the company's own Tizen operating system. Tizen is still far ahead of Google's Wear OS in most areas, especially in performance and battery life. You scroll to the left of the watch face to see your notifications, and scrolling to the right will display tiles with information and shortcuts. Everything can be customized, either from the watch or from the companion app on your phone. For example, I moved the music control tile to the first available slot, since I access that far more often than the health features.
Unfortunately, the third-party app situation is just as grim on Galaxy Watches as it is on Wear OS. The built-in Samsung apps and Bixby voice assistant should cover just about anything you could want to do with a smartwatch, but don't expect much functionality beyond that. Even the Spotify app featured in the watch's advertisements is just a remote for playback on other devices, similar to how the Wear OS app works.
Samsung's watches work with all Android and iOS devices, but you get some bonus features if you have a Samsung phone. I had the Watch Active3 paired to my Galaxy S20, and I could see the camera viewfinder on my watch while taking photos, just like with Wear OS watches and Pixels. You can also manage app updates from the Galaxy Store app on your phone, instead of using the pint-sized store on the watch itself.
The health features on the Watch3 are mostly identical to those on Samsung's previous watches. You get automatic workout detection, periodic heart rate measurements, stress monitoring, daily goals (like rings on the Apple Watch), syncing with Samsung Health, and so on. If you want a more complete picture of your health, you can manually input your water intake and diet. There's even menstruation tracking, which Samsung has sectioned under "women's health" — I guess no one at Samsung has heard of trans/non-binary people.
The Galaxy Watch3 has the same ECG/EKG monitor and blood pressure monitor as the Watch Active2, as well as a tracker for blood oxygen levels (which was present on the original Watch Active at one point, but was later removed). However, none of these features are quite as helpful as they might seem on paper. I couldn't test the ECG or blood pressure monitors at all because neither sensor has been enabled in the United States. The ECG monitor was just approved by the FDA earlier this month, but Samsung hasn't enabled it quite yet. The blood pressure monitor is still waiting on FDA approval, and even when it does arrive, you'll need to periodically calibrate it with a dedicated blood pressure device for accurate readings.
I did try out the blood oxygen tracker, but it doesn't seem to work well. The watch had no issue reading my blood, but it repeatedly failed when my mom tried it. While I personally don't have a pulse oximeter to compare the results with, Max Weinbach of XDA Developers said the Watch3's sensor was not accurate at all in his testing, and Daniel Bader of Android Central echoed similar complaints. In other words, if you live in the United States, all of the Watch3's most advanced health features are either not rolled out or not working well.
The blood oxygen on the Galaxy Watch3 is *so* inaccurate. Watch says 83%, actual pulse oximeter says 98%.
Absolutely do not trust it for anything close to accurate.
Besides the mixed results from the blood oxygen tracking, I didn't have any functional issues with the Galaxy Watch3. It's just as fast and responsive as Samsung's previous watches, and Tizen is clearly receiving far more care and attention than Google's Wear OS.
All the included watch faces
As with most Samsung wearables, battery life is excellent on the Galaxy Watch3. On my larger 45mm model with LTE (though I was not connected to any data networks) and the screen set to always-on, I ended most days with 50-60% battery life remaining. Most people could probably push the watch to three days once always-on display is turned off. Charging only takes a few hours, too.
Should you buy it?
Samsung Galaxy Watch3
7/10
No, not until there's a sale or Samsung fixes the new health sensors. The Galaxy Watch3 is definitely one of the best smartwatches available for Android phones, but there is absolutely no reason to spend $400+ on it. Samsung brings new features to its older watches all the time, so the Watch3 is largely the same experience as the ~$230 Watch Active2 or the ~$220 original Galaxy Watch.
Most Wear OS watches have no health tracking abilities beyond simple heart rate measurements, so the Watch3 could be worth the premium if all of its new sensors were functional, but they're not. Blood pressure monitoring is still only available in South Korea, the ECG sensor hasn't been rolled out in the United States yet, and blood oxygen tracking appears to be incredibly inaccurate.
I hope that Samsung continues working on the health features, but until they are widely rolled out and provide accurate results, there's no reason to spend a premium on the Galaxy Watch3. Buy one of Samsung's earlier watches instead, or if you don't really care about detailed health tracking, the Fossil Gen 5 or Skagen Falster 3 are still excellent options if you can snag them for under $200.
Samsung is running a trade-in program for the Galaxy Watch3 that can drop the price to as little as $250, which is a much better value. See this post for the details on Samsung's trade-ins.
Buy it if:
It's on sale, or you can get an excellent trade-in deal.
You believe that Samsung will keep working on the health sensors, or you don't care about those features in the first place.
Don't buy it if:
You have an existing Galaxy Watch or Watch Active.
It was probably only a matter of time. Fresh off the success of its excellent Android handset, OnePlus has made its own OnePlus Buds and OnePlus TV set, so why not a smartwatch? Well, we now have two big bits of evidence that the company has been asking itself the same question, and a release might not be too far away.
First up, 91Mobiles spotted a listing on the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) website, which lists a product called the “OnePlus Watch”. It has the model name W301GB, and is unsurprisingly described as a “wearable watch”, if the product name wasn’t a big enough giveaway.
If that wasn’t evidence enough, then here’s something from our sister site TechRadar. Our colleagues spoke exclusively to a former OnePlus employee who confirmed that the company had “actively been looking into a smartwatch for the last year.”
How much of a resemblance this new wearable will have to its unreleased ancestor is something we’ll never know. But if you’re curious as to what a OnePlus smartwatch might look like, the smart money would be to examine a wearable that’s already out: the Oppo Watch.
While OnePlus and Oppo are insistent that they’re different brands, they operate under the same umbrella company, and past phones have certainly had similar designs and features – most recently the Oppo Find X2 Pro and the OnePlus 8 Pro. So perhaps this upcoming OnePlus Watch may look a bit like the Oppo Watch – which is to say a bit like a Wear OS version of the Apple Watch.
We’ll have to wait and see. If the company has been working on a watch for a year, and it’s at the stage where the IMDA feels like listing it, we might not have too long to wait. Typically, OnePlus unveils a ‘T’ variant of its phones around this time of year, so hopefully we’ll see a OnePlus Watch for the first time in just a few short weeks.
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