When OnePlus CEO Pete Lau teased the OnePlus Watch last fall at a roundtable, he gave some people hope that the smartwatch would run Wear OS, Google’s abandoned smartwatch platform.
“Wear OS definitely has room to improve,” said Lau. “What we’re trying to do is work with Google to try to improve connectivity between the Wear OS ecosystem, Android TV and Android smartphones to create this capability for better device interoperability across ecosystems. This has been viewed very positively by Google, too, so this is the direction we’re trying to develop, but we don’t have more than we can share about it right now. “
Although he did not explicitly say which operating system OnePlus Watch would use, the part about working with Google to improve connectivity gave Android users hope that perhaps OnePlus could help revive the platform that Google has practically abandoned.
That little flame was extinguished this week when Lau confirmed that the OnePlus Watch would run an “intelligent wear operating system based on RTOS” (real-time operating system). With Samsung using Tizen for its Galaxy watches and now the OnePlus using RTOS, Google’s smartwatch platform looks more dead than it already was.
Vote of mistrust – Wear OS is a dead platform for a number of reasons, but two contribute more: Google stopped putting resources into development (when was the last time Wear OS had a serious stage in Google I / O?) And chipsets Qualcomm ‘s wearables fell behind. Compare that to Apple’s commitment to watchOS and improving the custom chipset at every WWDC and fall launch event.
OnePlus’s reason for not using Wear OS for OnePlus Watch is similar to that of Samsung. “We chose a smart wear operating system based on RTOS because we believe it provides a smooth and reliable experience, while offering great battery life, covering some of the biggest concerns we hear from people looking to buy a smartwatch,” said Lau in response to a user query on the company’s forums.
At this point, Wear OS It is On death row waiting to be put out of their misery.
At this point, Wear OS is on death row, waiting to be released from its misery. The tech giants abandoned him, and six years after his big debut, the only thing that still supports him is fashion brands. In 2017, I wrote that “fashion brands are saving Android Wear smartwatches” and suggested that the Fossil Group made up of brands like Fossil, Michael Kors and Diesel and other fashion brands like Tommy Hilfiger would be able to keep Wear OS on stand of life until Google and Qualcomm could come to the rescue with new software and updated wearable chipsets.
The rescue never came. Meanwhile, Apple only increased its lead with the Apple Watch, accounting for 40 percent of global smartwatch shipments in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to research data from Counterpoint. I’m not saying that Wear OS is unviable – Fitbit joining the Google family could inject a new life into the smartwatch platform – but I’m not holding my breath for Google to reach Apple.
The OnePlus watch – Originally scheduled to be announced on March 23 along with the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, there are few things that OnePlus has not yet shared about the smartwatch or that has not leaked.
Shared UnboxTherapy an exclusive look at OnePlus Watch today:
It looks like a Samsung Galaxy Active 2 with an Apple Watch sports band. Leaker Ishan Agarwal also shared several specifications OnePlus Watch:
- 46 mm case
- IP68 water and dust resistance
- Automatic training detection
- Sleep, stress, blood saturation, heart rate monitoring
- One week battery life with Warp charge (20 minutes)
- 4 GB of storage
- Controls for OnePlus TV
- Black and silver colors
What about applications? – Good smartwatch hardware is not a problem. Given OnePlus’ historical and scaling devices (thanks to the supply chains shared with Oppo and the BBK Electronics family), I would be surprised if the hardware was not good. But the lifeblood of a smartwatch is its software. Apple learned the hard way after initially stumbling out the door with the Apple Watch; she realized that the top apps that revolve around fitness are vital, but support for third-party apps is necessary for long-term stability.
WatchOS is still finding support when it comes to attracting and maintaining third-party apps, which only makes me less confident that OnePlus Watch will have strong enough support for apps, given its much smaller user base compared to the Apple or Samsung. Will Spotify make an application for OnePlus Watch? Does your favorite podcast app support this? I will be paying close attention to the software when OnePlus makes Watch official next week.