OnePlus Watch 2 and Watch 3 watches of the last two years are an example to follow for Wear OS, Android software dedicated to the devices that we wear (to wear in English) on oneself. They position themselves as highly competitive material Faced with the offers of Google, Samsung and Apple. A distinctive characteristic of ONEPLUS watches is their ability to offer “Two watches in one”. They run a full version of Wear OS on a powerful processor, while integrating a Copper with a rtos (a lighter operating system) which consumes much less battery. Good news: this duality is maintained on the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm that I just tried.
The main difference: autonomy
The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm, being smaller, cannot integrate a battery of the same size as the standard model (which displays 46 mm). However, it offers a appreciable autonomy for Android on the wrist : OnePlus estimates about 60 hours, or approximately 2.5 days autonomy in normal mode (I was able to reach 4 days with the standard version). In energy saving mode, the watch is designed to reach Up to seven days of use. This is not a limited functionality mode, but Seven days of complete physical condition follow -upincluding the heart rate, the level of oxygen in the blood, the monitoring of sleep and breathing, as well as the monitoring of the menstrual cycle. It is an active watch that works like a notification machine And executes all small fitness applications – it is the “heavy” third -party apps like WhatsApp, Spotify or others that cease to operate in this economy mode.
The load is also very fast: going from 15 % to 90 % only takes around 30 minutes, and a full load (up to 100 %) takes approximately 40 minutes to an hour.
What other differences from the standard oneplus Watch 3?
The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm is therefore a smaller variant of the standard model. Although it is a little larger than a Watch 2 pixel, it is significantly smaller that most Garmin, Samsung, Huawei or Xiaomi watches. The main differences reside in design and materials:
Aesthetic design : The 43mm version presents Light design differences And gets closer to the OnePlus Watch 2R. She wears a more classic chronometer lookwith the lower button and the offset upper crown, but it does not have the flat edge that we find on the OnePlus Watch 2 and 3. These fairly subtle distinctions, but still give a look different from the other Watch of OnePlus.
Screen material : the sides of the watch are still made of stainless steel, but the front side is no longer in sapphire glass. Oneplus indicates that this is a Verre 2.5d With a slight curvature to the outdoor frame. This could constitute a difference in terms of sustainability compared to the standard oneplus Watch 3, but it is difficult to know without banging it against a wall (which I have not done).
Despite these differences, The technological experience is “very close” that of the “big” OnePlus Watch 3 (read my full test). The double OS architecture (Wear Complete OS and RTOS) is preserved. All the main features are identical, in particular gestures, monitoring of heart rate, training monitoring, sleep monitoring, notifications, watch dials, measurement of blood oxygen and the Fall detectionan important novelty for safety.
Conclusions: Who is this new 43 mm version for?
The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm is designed for a specific audience, filling a vacuum on the connected watches market. It is aimed at people, especially women, for whom most connected watches are too large, or too uncomfortable.
This new version is an expected solution on the market. It offers a high -performance digital watch that can be used as a smart device based on applications and very good fitness tracker. The experience of “two watches in one” was not diluted for this smaller version.
