As people emerged from their hideouts following the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, OnePlus took its shot at inspiring them to hit the gyms and head out for workouts with its first smartwatch. Hyped to be an ‘Apple Watch killer’, the first generation OnePlus Watch turned out to be a major disappointment, especially considering its price and the feature list.
After a major internal corporate reshuffle that saw OnePlus fuse with Oppo in the following year, all the hopes of a OnePlus Watch 2 went down the drain. Hence, it came as a surprise when OnePlus confirmed releasing a successor to the ill-fated smartwatch weeks after the global debut of the OnePlus 12.
Although the details are scarce at the moment, the OnePlus Watch 2 is rumoured to rectify the mistakes the brand made with its predecessor. With Google’s Wear OS platform and a cutting-edge chipset, the OnePlus Watch 2 could end up as a viable alternative to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, the Google Pixel Watch 2 and, most notably, the controversial Apple Watch Series 9.
Moreover, with Fossil no longer in the mix, it gives OnePlus a great chance to succeed in this category.
Hence, with a OnePlus Watch 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 9 comparison, we want to find out where OnePlus’ latest smartwatch fits in this crowded space and whether it stands a chance of succeeding against the trendsetter of this segment.
OnePlus Watch 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 9: Comparing specs, features
The sole reason why we are pitting the OnePlus Watch 2 against established smartwatches from Samsung and Apple is Google’s Wear OS platform. Rumoured to replace the proprietary OS that became the sore point of the original model, Wear OS opens the OnePlus Watch 2 to an ecosystem of apps and services designed specifically for wearable gadgets.
Image Credits: Courtesy OnePlus
However, the current state of Wear OS 4 isn’t in the greatest shape considering the fragmentation among the two groups of devices featuring it. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series serves Wear OS 4 to its users with an icing of One UI interface, thereby taking away from the stock experience. The Google Pixel Watch 2, on the other hand, offers a stock experience sprinkled with Pixel’s Material You theme but only in a single small size.
Most importantly, both of these Wear OS smartwatches carry exorbitant price tags to compete with the Apple Watch Series 9, which we currently consider the benchmark in the industry.
With the OnePlus Watch 2, there’s a great opportunity for OnePlus to provide a full-fledged smartwatch experience at a price that’s more accessible to the masses without compromising on many features provided by the Apple Watch Series 9 and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6.
Design
Whether you prefer a circular or rectangular dial on your watch boils down to personal preferences but in this comparison, it seems that the OnePlus Watch 2 isn’t putting up a fight to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and the Apple Watch Series 9.
Both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and the Apple Watch Series 9 look exquisite with pleasant details and beautiful colours, although Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 with its round dial and the bold flat sides stands out as a timepiece. The OnePlus Watch 2’s renders, on the other hand, show a fuss-free design with a circular dial, a raised platform for the buttons and generic watch straps.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Performance
The Apple Watch Series 9 is the most polished smartwatch we have seen so far and the credits boil down to its well-cooked watchOS 10 and the Apple S9 chip. Together, they make a complete ecosystem that gels well with both first and third-party apps.
On the Series 9, you get certain perks like a Double Tap gesture for contact-less controls, peak brightness of 2,000 nits, an advanced ultra wideband chip for faster tracking with your iPhone and the option to go carbon-neutral with select watch bands.
Image Credits: Courtesy Apple
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 comes next in this index and surprisingly, it isn’t as snappy as the Google Pixel Watch 2. We reviewed the watch in 2023 and at launch, we found its Exynos W930 chip and Wear OS 4-based One UI lag the moment it was stressed.
This is where the OnePlus Watch 2 should do well. With its rumoured Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chipset, the OnePlus Watch 2 should offer a snappy Wear OS 4 experience that’s on par with the Google Pixel Watch 2.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 9
Health and fitness
The Apple Watch Series 9 is currently the most feature-packed device for keeping an eye on your health. Combining its ECG, heart rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen saturation monitoring features, it provides a wholesome surveillance of your health and fitness. It struggles with sleep monitoring but the helps out with stress detection and reduction and workouts. The accuracy of the data is what makes us recommend the Series 9 to everyone.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 champions the cause of sleep monitoring and makes itself more valuable with insights. Similar to the Apple Watch Series 9, it can do ECG, track heart rate, steps, skin temperature, workouts and blood oxygen saturation monitoring. However, the ECG functionality isn’t available in all countries. Samsung’s watch also lets the user measure the body composition, which is a useful feature for those obsessed with fitness.
Image Credits: Courtesy Augustman
Although OnePlus has yet to reveal all the health and fitness features, the renders of the OnePlus Watch 2 hint that it could miss out on ECG and body composition readings. Similar to its predecessor, the Watch 2 could stick to basic tracking features like heart rate, steps, sleep, calories, stress and blood oxygen saturation monitoring.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 9
Battery
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 have currently set a benchmark of single-day stamina on a full charge even when you make copious use of the fitness tracking and other smart features on these devices. We don’t expect the OnePlus Watch 2 to outperform the segment trendsetters considering the presence of the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip and the power-hungry Wear OS 4 platform.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 9
Price
For all its technological superiority, the Apple Watch Series 9 charges a hefty price. The Watch Series 9 in its base 41mm Wi-Fi-only trim will set you back by THB 15,900 and for the bigger 45mm variant, you will need to shell THB 16,900.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 gets an advantage in this regard, asking for a price of THB 9,900 for the base 40mm Bluetooth variant. For THB 13,900, you get the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 43mm variant with the rotary dial.
The OnePlus Watch 2 is yet to be announced but rumours hint at a sub-THB 12,989 pricing for its base variant.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
OnePlus Watch 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 9: Our verdict
Winner: Apple Watch Series 9
For the OnePlus Watch 2 to dislodge the Apple Watch Series 9 from its pedestal, it would need some bespoke engineering and out-of-the-box thinking by OnePlus, especially with health and fitness tracking. The Apple Watch Series 9 and its predecessors have always provided a wholesome health and fitness tracking package while acting as a thoughtful extension of the iPhone. The recent watchOS 10 update boosted its edge over its rivals and the solid integration with the Apple ecosystem makes it an effortless all-day wearable.
The OnePlus Watch 2, for the time being, has to outdo the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 with regards to generic performance and fitness tracking. With a lower price, the OnePlus Watch 2 could end up as the popular choice among Wear OS enthusiasts.
(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Apple, Samsung and OnePlus)
Amritanshu Mukherjee
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