OnePlus Watch 2 launched at ₹24,999 – Is the Dual-Engine Architecture here to stay?

OnePlus is a brand that has been known to have the will to take on the biggest players in the market, baked into its DNA. While the brand may have moved away from having the “flagship killer” mentality over the last few years, there still remains that will to make sure that are producing products that are some of the most talked about in their price range. The latest entrant into the brand’s array of products that take on the established players in the market, is the OnePlus Watch 2. The watch has been released in India today at ₹24,999. The watch will go on sale starting 4th of March.

The OnePlus Watch 2 showed up at the Digit Test Centre a couple of days ago, and has been impressing every step of the way. Almost. Being someone who is baked into the Apple ecosystem, I daily drive the Apple Watch Series 9, which in our tests has proven to be a fairly accurate and reliable fitness companion and a smartwatch as well. I know that OnePlus is not intruding into the Apple side of things yet, and the Watch 2 will be working primarily with Android devices, I went ahead and compared the Watch Series 9 and the Watch 2, to get my initial thoughts on the OnePlus Watch 2 in one place. 

So, here’s a look at the two biggest things that you should look out for in the OnePlus Watch 2, which makes it a solid contender to be your next smartwatch –

[Note: This is not the final review of the watch and the author has shared their initial impressions only. The final review is subject to include varied observations, based on the results of the full tests.]

Dual engine architecture for the win?

OnePlus has implemented a dual processor system in the OnePlus Watch 2. They are calling it the “Dual-Engine Architecture”. What this essentially means that the watch has a set of two processors in it – Snapdragon W5 and the BES2700 Efficiency Chipset. The W5 is the one that is the performance chipset and runs WearOS on the watch. It unlocks the full potential of the watch and in turn consumes more battery. In my time of use, the watch lasted around 40 hours on a single charge, when working with the Snapdragon W5, which is typical for a smartwatch that is specced out. The real magic begins when you switch to ‘Smart Mode’ and the watch switches to the BES2700 Efficiency Chipset, running RTOS.

Typically in watches, the battery saving mode, powers down the main processor, limiting its functionality in favour of extended battery life. With the OnePlus Watch 2, BES2700 Efficiency Chipset takes over, and it not only gives a boost to the battery life of the watch, thanks to its lower power consumption, it also retains most of the functionality of the watch. What is even more impressive is that the Power Saver Mode, with the BES2700 Efficiency Chipset gives you over 12 days of battery life as claimed by the brand. And, as per OnePlus, in the – “smartwatch’s essential functions, including sleep and heart rate tracking, fitness tracking modes like swimming, cycling, and badminton, and making and receiving calls directly on the watch, are still available in Power Saver Mode.”

Now, coming back to my experience with this watch. With the Power Saver Mode on, I tried replicating my original set of tasks through the day that I did with the regular mode, which gave the watch around 40 hours of run time. In Power Saving Mode, I the battery life of the watch barely budged and from a 100 percent battery, with the battery percentage barely falling to 90 percent. Now, keep in mind that I am still in the process of testing the watch, and will be delivering my final verdict on the battery life in the full review. But, for now, things look promising.

Accurate and responsive sensors

We see a lot of watches come with a ton of features that are mainly there for show and have no substance. With the OnePlus Watch 2, I did run my first couple of tests to see gauge the sensor accuracy of the watch. During my SpO2 test, the watch reported a 99 per cent accuracy and the same is the case with the heart rate monitoring test. I will be running these tests again before I write my final review of the OnePlus Watch 2, but again, the initial impressions are strong.

Even when I was out for a walk, the OnePlus Watch 2, with its dual-band GPS matched the readings of my Apple Watch Series 9 in terms of step tracking and distance accuracy. The proximity sensor on the watch is also responsive and works really well. We still have a long way to go, with a ton of tests and daily tasks left for me to throw at the watch, but as I have said, the initial impressions are strong.

OnePlus Watch 2 – Specs at a glance 

Should you buy the OnePlus Watch 2 at launch?

Well, if you are someone who is looking for a reliable fitness tracker and has the money to get the OnePlus Watch 2, then you can place your bets on the OnePlus Watch 2. It brings a robust set of features and tech packed into it, which will give you worth for your money. However, I would say if you can, wait for a few days. With the dual processor system that OnePlus has implemented still being in a relatively nascent stage, only long-term use would give us a better idea of what it is truly capable of when put into the real world. But, again, if you are willing to risk it, then going for the OnePlus Watch 2 is a gamble where the odds will definitely be in your favor. The other option that you have in the Android side of things, are from Samsung, who come in with their Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and the Watch 6 Classic. Garmin was a solid bet in the premium smartwatch segment, however, the availability of their smartwatches has been an issue over the last couple of months. This is what brings the odds in favour of the OnePlus Watch 6.

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Satvik Pandey

Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile