Rumors about OnePlus releasing a smartwatch in the first quarter were finally allayed when the company did so on Twitter confirm that they would announce one next to the OnePlus 9 series. While it did well to keep details about the portable under the fold, a new leak tells us almost everything we’d like to know.
According to reliable tipster Ishan Agarwal (via Pricebaba), the watch will have a 46mm circular pointer and be available in both standard and LTE variants. If you expect OnePlus to experiment with colors, you may be disappointed to learn that it is only available in silver and black.
You asked for it. You get it.
– OnePlus 2 (@oneplus) 12 March 2021
According to a follow-up tweet by Ishan, it looks like the watch is not running on Wear OS. It does not necessarily reduce the appeal, as it looks like it will be a block with features. The portable IP68 portable supports automatic training of workouts, a swim mode, sleep and stress detection, heart rate monitoring and a SpO2 sensor – it has much in common with the OnePlus Band.
At the forefront of smart features, there is call and notification support, music control and the ability to control OnePlus TVs. There is 4 GB of memory on board, probably to play music offline via Bluetooth headphones. OnePlus brings its Warp Charge technology to the watch, with a 20-minute replenishment that apparently provides a week’s battery.
Following the latest leak, OnePlus has made a more extensive announcement on its forum, complete with a snapshot. The text is mostly PR fluff that confirms some of the leaked specifications, but the company promised a ‘best-in-class experience at an affordable price point’. It is also said that there will be seamless connection to OnePlus phones, peripherals and even the OnePlus TV. The post confirms that the watch will be fully unveiled during the March 23 event.
There is an interesting answer when the CEO of OnePlus was asked whether the watch uses Wear OS or something else:
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. .
RTOS stands for ‘real-time operating system’, a general term that refers to an operating system designed to process data as it enters. But much cheaper portable items use this kind of software to achieve efficiency: FreeRTOS is an open source option popular among fitness trackers and porters, like the old Pebble. While OnePlus has not unequivocally stated that it does not use the very beleaguered Google smartwatch platform, it seems that the non-response certainly indicates this.