Credit: Jimmy Westenberg / Android Government
- In an official forum post, Pete Lau confirms that the upcoming OnePlus Watch will not run on Wear OS.
- Instead, the smartwatch operates on an unspecified real-time operating system (RTOS).
- The watch probably has the same features (and limitations) as Amazfit / Zepp watches.
OnePlus has now confirmed several times that we will be seeing the company’s first smartwatch on March 23rd. It is introduced along with the brand’s much-anticipated 2021 flagship phones: the OnePlus 9 series.
Related: OnePlus 9 Series: Everything We Know So Far
Today, however, Pete Lau, CEO of the company, confirms an aspect of the upcoming OnePlus Watch that we have literally been wondering about for years. In response to a question from a OnePlus forum member, Lau confirms that the watch’s operating system will be an anonymous RTOS, or ‘real-time operating system’. This is a tacit confirmation that it is not used on Google’s Wear OS, which has been widely speculated.
Here are Lau’s own words:
We have chosen to work with a smart-carry operating system based on RTOS, because we believe it will provide you with a smooth and reliable experience while providing excellent battery life, which contains the biggest concerns we have heard of people wanting to buy a smartwatch. .
Lau’s statement means that the software of OnePlus Watch is likely to be very similar to what we see on watches from companies such as Amazfit and its sister brand Zepp. The software on the watches contains a very limited range of apps with literally no app support from third parties. However, they usually see excellent battery life and fast performance, doing things that Wear OS does not do well.
Wear OS haters will probably be happy with this news, while Wear OS fans will obviously be shocked. We will find out more about the upcoming OnePlus Watch in less than a week. In the meantime, look at our rumor mill.