It feels like only yesterday that we saw the launch of the OnePlus Watch 2, and the OnePlus Watch 2R is already out. Just like its R line of phones, the OnePlus Watch 2R is also a stripped-down version with clever cost-cutting to make it more appealing to everyone. I’ll say this outright: OnePlus is killing it with its smartwatch strategy. So, what’s new in the OnePlus Watch 2R? What’s different? Is it worth it? We’ll answer all of that in this video. Hi, I’m Purnendu Dutta, and you’re watching Track and Tech English, your destination for detailed, incisive gadget reviews.
Table of Contents
Design and Build Quality
- Size and Weight
- The OnePlus Watch 2R is big; it’s thick; it’s a chunky boy, but it’s lightweight.
- The main reason for that is that OnePlus has switched the stainless steel used in the Watch 2 for aluminum on the OnePlus Watch 2R.
- Material Comparison
- Honestly, I’ve never thought that stainless steel is so much better than aluminum.
- It doesn’t feel more premium to me, and if using aluminum brings down the weight by 20-22 grams, then that’s great, right?
- Comfort
- Because you can wear it longer without feeling any fatigue.
- You can wear the OnePlus Watch 2R to bed; it’s great for sleep tracking.
- Strap Compatibility
- As for the strap, the OnePlus Watch 2R uses the same standard 22mm strap that was used on the Watch 2, so you can easily find aftermarket third-party watch straps.
Color Options
- Available Colors
- You get the watch in this green color and there’s a black one.
- Green is, of course, OnePlus’s hero color, so I think that is why they have this color variant.
- Personal Preference
- But I’m not a fan of OnePlus Watch 2R; I like the black one better.
- The other problem is hiding the bezels, OnePlus has added an R reading, and the green watch, OnePlus Watch 2R’s green in color.
- Color Matching Challenge
- So, if you use any different colored strap, it will have to match with it or at least be an alternative color so that it looks good.
- It’ll be difficult to sort of color match.
Buttons and Navigation
- Function Buttons
- Now, the Watch 2 and the Watch 2R come with two proper function buttons.
- There’s a slight change to the way they are machined.
- Design Changes
- The Watch 2 has a little bit of serration, which makes OnePlus Watch 2R feel slightly more premium, but this one is flat and circular.
- Again, not too much of a big deal.
- Water Resistance Rating
- The Watch 2R also comes with an IP68 rating and 5 ATM certification as well, but you do not get the military standard 810H certification which is available on the Watch 2.
Performance and Features
- Value for Money
- Truth be told, I appreciate the changes to the OnePlus Watch 2R to make it more affordable.
- The slight little compromises and tweaks that OnePlus has made are very good because they make it lightweight, and a watch should be comfortable to wear for long—that is the most important thing, at least for me.
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Display Specifications
- Display Size and Quality
- Now, while the design has changed from the Watch 2, the OnePlus Watch 2R’s display is nearly identical.
- It’s a 46mm dial, available only in one size, so it’s good for big hands but not for small ones.
- Screen Features
- It features a 1.43-inch AMOLED round screen with a 60Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits.
- When you take it outdoors, it’s plenty bright, and even the screen resolution is just the same as the Watch 2.
- No Cost-Cutting
- There’s been no cost-cutting here, which is awesome!
- I can say that the Watch 2R has one of the best displays on smartwatches in its price category, that’s for sure.
- Display Improvements
- One thing that OnePlus has fixed from the Watch 2, which I had a problem with, was the fact that the Watch 2 would smudge a lot.
- The Watch 2R display doesn’t smudge as much—good job, OnePlus!
Internal Components
- Hardware Specifications
- Now moving toward the inside compared to the Watch 2, again there’s no compromise here.
- You get two chips to run two operating systems.
- Chipset Details
- You get the Snapdragon W5 to run Wear OS and a custom BS 2700 chip to run RTOS.
- You also get 32GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM as well.
- Battery Specifications
- All of this is powered by a 500mAh battery and quick charging at 7.5W speeds.
- Again, all the specs are the same as the Watch 2.
Battery Life
- Operating Modes
- Now with all of these specs, you get two modes: smart mode and power-saving mode.
- In smart mode, the watch runs Wear OS, which is like the full-blown smartwatch operating system that you get, and with this, you are promised about 2 days of battery life.
- Real-World Performance
- You do get two days of battery life, which is what we got.
- With RTOS, you can extend that battery life up to 12 days, which is what OnePlus claims. We get about 7 days, which is also very, very good.
User Experience
- User Experience with RTOS
- Now, you must be wondering: with RTOS, it must be crippling the experience, but thankfully it doesn’t.
- The entire experience remains intact; you just don’t get app support.
- Fitness Features
- Sports mode, heart rate tracking, step tracking, sleep tracking—all of that is present.
- So, yeah, the battery life on the Watch 2R is fantastic. It’s as good as the Watch 2, and in the smartwatch ecosystem at this price category, the OnePlus Watch 2 and OnePlus Watch 2R give you the best battery life.
Performance
- Overall Performance
- What about performance? Well, it’s fast, it’s smooth, and it’s very very responsive.
- I was surprised at how good it was.
- Fitness Monitoring Features
- You get all the basic fitness features: heart rate monitoring, step tracking, VO2 Max, SP02, and sleep tracking.
- Of course, there are 100 sports modes as well, but the one thing that is available on the Galaxy Watch 7 that is not available on the OnePlus Watch 2R is ECG monitoring.
- Syncing Notifications
- You can, of course, sync your notifications from your phone, but OnePlus users have a couple of extra things.
- For example, you can sync your weather data and your alarms as well.
- App Functionality
- Of course, you’ve got the Play Store so you can download apps and even games.
- By the way, we used a lot of YouTube Music and Keep Notes from the watch itself. It’s very well done, and the performance is smooth too.
Connectivity Options
- NFC and Wallet Support
- Now, there is support for NFC on the OnePlus Watch 2R, but you do not get support for Google Wallet.
- So what’s the point of it? That’s where a watch like the Galaxy Watch 7 pulls ahead, primarily because it’s got Samsung Wallet support and it works exceptionally well too.
- Watch Faces
- Of course, there are a bunch of watch faces—there are two new watch faces as well—but the one that I like is the one where you’ve got customized tiles to track your data.
Practical Tests
- GPS Functionality
- Now, we also ran a suite of practical tests. You’ve got dual-frequency GPS with L1 and L5 support, and OnePlus Watch 2R does a very good job of mapping the area; we liked it.
- Connectivity Features
- In terms of connectivity options, you’ve also got Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.
- And as I mentioned, there’s NFC, but with no wallet support.
- Fitness Data Tracking
- All the fitness data is captured in the O Health app, and what I like about the O Health app, even if it’s not designed very well, is that you get very important data and metrics easily for you to see.
- There’s a lot of data and metrics that it captures.
Accuracy Comparison
- Measurement Accuracy
- Now, we also checked the accuracy of the fitness measurements on the Watch 2R against something like the Galaxy Watch 7, and the numbers were nearly identical in almost all the tests.
- For example, the heart rate was very similar, and so were the SPO2 levels.
- Step Tracking Accuracy
- More importantly, we walked 1,000 steps with these watches in our hands, and they tracked exactly 1,000 steps, which is crazy!
- The only area where we felt the Watch 7 was better is that the automatic workout tracking or exercise tracking was better on the Watch 7 compared to the OnePlus Watch 2R.
Sleep Tracking
- Sleep Tracking Performance
- Now, we also checked sleep tracking. It showed deep sleep, night sleep, and REM, but honestly, other smartwatches do it slightly better.
- Sports Modes
- There are your normal sports modes, but there are a couple of extra options like badminton and skiing.
- Of course, I’m not going skiing in Pune unless magically, you know, rain turns into snow.
- Badminton Feature
- But we did try out the badminton feature, and it tracks a lot of useful data for professional players.
- For example, it tracks the longest rally or even the number of swings you’ve made. So it’s nice; it’s well done.
Conclusion
The OnePlus Watch 2R offers a fantastic blend of features, performance, and value, making it an excellent choice for smartwatch enthusiasts. With its lightweight design and impressive battery life, it meets the needs of everyday users. For more insights on the latest tech and gadgets, be sure to visit Taza Morning and Trending Night. Whether you’re looking for smartwatches or other tech reviews, we’ve got you covered!
- Final Thoughts
- You know what? The Watch 2R is a very sensible Android Wear OS smartwatch for a much lower price compared to the Watch 2.
- You get almost every single feature, and the compromises don’t feel like much.
- Recommendation
- The Watch 2R feels like a product that you could buy and build an ecosystem with. It lives and breathes the ethos of Android: good hardware coupled with great software, great battery life, and a value-for-money price tag.
- Comparison with Competitors
- The Watch 2R is also a great alternative to the Watch 7 unless you care about some of the cool features that the Watch 7 has.
- For example, you can measure your ECG, BPM, and metabolic rate, and of course, it’s also got support.
- Overall Verdict
- However, for the basics and the price, the OnePlus Watch 2R has everything else covered. It’s an instant recommendation from me. Would you buy it or not? Let me know in the comment section below!
