OnePlus Watch 3 Review: Finally, a Real Rotating Crown.
Five days of battery life is not bad at all.
I have had the OnePlus Watch 3, priced at $329.99, for a few days now, and so far, it is not an Android smartwatch that breaks the mold. Rather, it is an evolution that aims to catch up rather than explore new frontiers. However, I completely agree that it offers a solid alternative to Google and Samsung products, especially with the inclusion of a rotating crown that genuinely works for navigation.
Regarding design, the Watch 3 closely resembles the OnePlus Watch 2, although some key changes have been introduced. The OLED display is slightly larger and brighter, with a brightness level of 2,200 nits, and the screen bezels are noticeably thinner, partly due to a small adjustment in the design. The display is truly appealing, especially with the new video watch face that allows you to upload your own clips. For example, I uploaded a video of my cat asking for belly rubs. The body remains stainless steel, but now features a physical titanium bezel that gives it a more classic and analog look; however, overall, it is not a radical change. My main criticism of the design is that the Watch 3 is only available in a single size of 47 mm. This might not be a huge issue, but for those with slimmer wrists, like mine, the option of a single size feels limiting.
Despite this oversight, I forgive OnePlus now that the rotating crown fulfills its purpose. This time it can really be used to navigate between the various screens, something that was a significant shortcoming in the previous model. The haptic feedback that accompanies this feature is very pleasant, and while it isn’t a revolutionary innovation, I’m glad the company has corrected that flaw and met the expectation that a rotating crown should allow for scrolling.
As for battery life, it has improved from 100 hours to 120 hours, which translates to about five days of normal use with the always-on display turned off. With AOD activated, that time drops to about three days, which is quite common for most high-end smartwatches today. If power-saving mode is enabled, it can extend up to 16 days. The model comes with a 631 mAh battery, which has been implemented using the same silicon battery technology as the OnePlus 13. Running on Wear OS 5, this should provide greater battery longevity. Although I haven’t had enough testing time to offer a definitive judgment on battery life, I appreciate the possibility of fast charging; just 10 minutes of charging can provide a day of use.
OnePlus has made changes to the arrangement of the sensors and adjustments to the materials to improve tracking accuracy. The Watch 3 includes a wrist temperature sensor, an eight-channel optical heart rate sensor, and a 16-channel blood oxygen sensor. Additionally, the GPS has been upgraded with a "circular polarized antenna," which supposedly improves mapping in areas with tall buildings. Due to a recent illness, I haven’t been able to test its performance during a run yet, but I hope it makes a noticeable difference. The Watch 3 also has the capability to perform EKGs, although this feature will not be available to users in the United States or Canada, as OnePlus has not yet received FDA approval and does not plan to seek it for commercial reasons.
This fact is disappointing, especially with some new health features that have been added. One of them is OnePlus’s 60S Health Check-In, which allows for a quick scan of heart rate, blood oxygen levels, mental well-being, wrist temperature, sleep quality, and vascular age by pressing the side button. European users will be able to access EKGs in the second quarter of 2025. A vascular health test that measures arterial stiffness has also been added, similar to a feature introduced by Oura last year, aimed at assessing the overall state of your circulatory system.
With the Watch 3, OnePlus is once again focusing on sleep tracking and well-being. It has been reported that sleep tracking has been revamped, allowing users to log snoring patterns to analyze breathing interruptions. Stress tracking has been rebranded as "360 Mind and Body," using heart rate variability and other parameters to estimate how you feel, even using emojis to represent it. Depending on the stress assessment, recommendations for guided breathing exercises may be provided. During the testing of a beta version of the OHealth app, I gained more insights into sleep tracking, although I’m not fully convinced about using emojis in this context.
Many of these advancements are features that other competitors already offer. However, they have a distinctive OnePlus touch, and I need more time to subject the minor software adjustments to a more rigorous examination. So far, wearing the Watch 3 gently reminds me of how OnePlus has managed to position itself as a competitive alternative to Samsung and Google. However, one change I’m not fond of is that the Watch 3 costs $30 more than its predecessor, although I was informed that this increase is not related to tariffs.
The OnePlus Watch 3 is now available for pre-order and will begin shipping on February 25.
