The OnePlus Watch 2 is a bid to redeem its smartwatch reputation

OnePlus is keenly aware that its first smartwatch was a disaster. Nearly three years later, I’m still haunted by that launch and the abysmal experience I had reviewing it. News that OnePlus is back with a second-gen smartwatch fills me with trepidation, but on paper, the updates seem promising. Not only will the $299.99 OnePlus Watch 2 run on Google’s Wear OS 4 but it’ll also use a novel dual-engine architecture that will purportedly enable up to 100 hours of battery life. Oh, and it’ll have Google Assistant.

The most interesting thing about the OnePlus Watch 2’s hardware is it features two separate chipsets: the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 and the BES 2700 MCU. The result is a dual-OS structure that sounds a smidge like Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 5. The BES 2700 MCU will run an RTOS and handle background activity and “simple tasks.” Meanwhile, the Snapdragon W5 will run more intensive tasks like apps. This, plus a 500mAh battery, is what nets you that supposed 100 hours of battery life.

There is a caveat to that, however. The 100-hour estimate is for regular use in smart mode, which is defined as having the always-on display turned off and 30 minutes of recorded GPS activity. In heavy usage scenarios — as in, the AOD on — that drops to 48 hours. Still, that’s not too bad for a Wear OS watch. The watch also supports fast charging using OnePlus’ proprietary cradle and pogo pin charger. A full charge takes about an hour. It can also be configured with up to 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

As far as design, the OnePlus Watch 2 hews to a more classic analog watch look with a circular face. It comes in a single size with a sapphire crystal lens and a stainless steel chassis. It comes in black steel and “radiant” steel colors and has 5ATM and IP68 water and dust resistance ratings. There’s also an action button that acts as a shortcut to various fitness modes.

As far as health and fitness features go, the OnePlus Watch 2 can track more than 100 sports and will have advanced running metrics like ground contact time, ground balance, and VO2 max. It has an optical eight-channel heart rate sensor and also features dual-frequency GPS. The latter means the watch can access the L5 satellite frequency, which translates to more accurate GPS data in challenging environments like cities or dense forests. So far, it’s a feature we’ve seen added to more rugged smartwatches like the Apple Watch Ultra and the Garmin Fenix 7 lineup. It’ll also feature stress and sleep tracking as well as a snoring risk assessment.

Again, on paper, this sounds like a promising smartwatch. Now that Fossil is no longer in the picture, there’s also an opportunity for OnePlus to step in as a viable third-party Android watch alternative. It ticks off a lot of the right boxes in terms of feature set, price, battery life, and design. The switch to Wear OS 4 is a savvy move, especially since it will launch with Google Assistant. That’s been a sore spot for Android users, as many third-party Wear OS watches are still missing the digital assistant. Instead, people who want that feature generally have to go for a Pixel Watch, a Samsung Galaxy Watch, or a Fossil watch that’s running on borrowed time. The only potential downside is that, unlike Fossil, this watch won’t be compatible with iOS.

Then again, the original OnePlus Watch also sounded promising and failed to deliver on every single front. Whether this new watch sinks or swims will depend on the execution. I’ve got a review unit and will be eagerly putting it through its paces — both before and after its official launch. The good news is the bar is so low, merely functioning as it’s supposed to will be a dramatic improvement.

The OnePlus Watch 2 will be available for sale starting March 4th. To sweeten the pot, OnePlus is offering a limited-time offer where you can trade in any watch — smart or not — in any condition, for an additional $50.