OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm)

In every way, the OnePlus Watch 3 embodied the philosophy that has characterised Oneplus over the years, namely high-performance components, durable materials and value for money that few other manufacturers can match. With the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm, this has been partially lost as it follows up with a more slim watch whose name above all creates some confusion. This is not the OnePlus Watch 3 experience in a smaller edition, and it also comes with a price tag that is questionably marginally lower than its predecessor.

The OnePlus Watch 43mm is offered in Black Steel and Silver Steel colours and measures 43.2mm x 43.2mm x 11mm with the PPG sensor against the skin building an additional 1.4mm. It sits nicely on the arm and does not build significantly on the height, which can otherwise be a dealbreaker for many. It lies flat, nice and neat. The case is traditionally round in stainless steel (not titanium this time) and weighs a total of only 59 grams including the bracelet. It's a classically simple and stripped-down watch with a unisex appearance compared to its big brother, the OnePlus Watch 3, which tended to be more masculine. It has a rotating, clickable crown just like the previous model and is used here for the same purpose when navigating menus, in addition to this there is also a smaller push button for quick access to 100+ training modes. If you want, you can of course customise both of these with other shortcuts.

The Amoled screen measures 1.32 inches with a resolution of 466x466, which gives a pixel density of 352 and thus exceeds Apple's definition of 'retina display' and also trumps the OnePlus Watch 3. The screen is thus sharp but comes with lower brightness, which here amounts to 1000 nits, which is more than half the previous model. This time the display is not protected by the stronger sapphire glass and we have to make do with ordinary 2.5D glass, which is significantly less durable. IP68/5 ATM means dust and water resistance up to a depth of 50 metres, but unfortunately it also lacks the military classification MIL-STD-801H from its predecessor, which places higher demands on care. Navigating the watch's Wear OS 5 user interface is smooth, however, with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, adding personalised apps or playlists is no problem. There is no e-sim support and the GPS is also downgraded and lacks the precision in positioning that previous watches boasted via the reception of L1 and L5 frequencies.

Installation of the watch is straightforward and hassle-free, provided you have an Android mobile phone as the iPhone is not compatible this time either. With a mobile from OnePlus, the ecosystem becomes even more lush with extended features, including deeper interaction with the mobile phone such as remote camera moments. Remotely starting and controlling my sound system or music service on the TV is also no wonder via the watch where everything is intuitive and user-friendly.

Battery life is today for many a measure of quality of life and here it is halved compared to the watch model before with a capacity of 354mAh. Charging for 10 minutes through fast charging (Vooc) gives a day of use and for 100% it takes just under an hour. According to the specification, we can look forward to 'up to 60 hours in smart mode' where it switches in real time between the main Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 processor and the smaller BES2800BP assistant processor, which are the same circuits as in the larger Watch 3. The processors work seamlessly depending on the application, the function you are using or if the battery level drops below a certain percentage to maximise battery life. However, I have not managed to get more than just over two days of everyday use consisting of occasional calls (through the very small speaker), a few messages, checking notifications, heart rate monitoring and tracking physical activity. Setting the watch to power saving mode, on the other hand, promises up to 7 days, but then you also get a scaled-down experience where only health and fitness modes are active, as well as a stripped-down interface. The premium ECG reading feature has also been scaled down from 43mm, and the integrated body temperature sensor is also not available in the model.

A watch is also an accessory with character and personality, and I can only imagine that the ambition is to capture more female attention with the more neutral design in mind. The few new features introduced are the ability to track your menstrual and ovulation cycle, something I have found difficult to evaluate but I am still positive about as the watch otherwise does an excellent job of reading oxygen saturation in the blood and takes the pulse with high precision. The oHealth app on the mobile phone does a fantastic job with a good overview of the data collected, whether it is about sleep patterns or physical activity. Something that leaves very little to be desired in terms of statistics for those who spend a lot of time at the gym or playing a sport and want to monitor their performance.

OnePlus Watch 3 43mm ultimately leaves me confused as I do not really know who it is aimed at. With clear compromises on features and especially battery, it also thumbs on material choices with a price picture that is not justified. It is slimmed down but about the same price as the previous model. The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm leaves a bittersweet experience, it is sleek and reminiscent of a traditional movement that everyone can wear, which should not be taken for granted when it comes to smartwatches in general. But in the end, it comes across as a mid-range watch that takes a lot of shortcuts when compared to competitors in the same price range in general - and the OnePlus Watch 3 in particular, something that the manufacturer itself chose through strange profiling in its naming. In my world, it should instead have been called OnePlus Watch Nord with a more matching price tag.