Review of the OnePlus Watch 2R The OnePlus Watch 2R, the latest addition to OnePlus’ wearable series, offers a more affordable alternative to the OnePlus Watch 2. Launched earlier this year to widespread acclaim, the OnePlus Watch 2 impressed reviewers, myself included, with its exceptional design, build quality, performance, innovative dual operating system, and impressive battery longevity.

The OnePlus Watch 2R sticks closely to the winning design of its predecessor, the Watch 2. It maintains the familiar circular watch face and similar dimensions, with two side buttons that now sport a standard pusher mechanism. Unlike the Watch 2, which had a crown and a flat button, the 2R simplifies things by featuring two identical buttons that do not rotate, eliminating any confusion from the previous model’s crown-like button that only functioned as a push button.

The OnePlus Watch 2R differs notably from the Watch 2 in two key aspects. Firstly, its casing is crafted from brushed aluminum instead of polished stainless steel. Secondly, the glass on the Watch 2R is now flat, in contrast to the curved edges of its predecessor.

The shift from steel to aluminum significantly impacts the weight: while the Watch 2 weighed 49g without the strap, the Watch 2R weighs a lighter 37g. This weight reduction is further pronounced when considering the default straps; paired with them, the Watch 2 totals 80g, whereas the Watch 2R weighs just 59g.

One of my concerns with the Watch 2 was its size and weight, which felt excessive for a fitness-oriented watch. This made it cumbersome during workouts and particularly noticeable when worn in bed for sleep tracking. While the size remains unchanged in the new model, the weight is no longer an issue. Wearing the Watch 2R feels incredibly light, to the point where you might forget it’s on your wrist—a contrast to its pricier counterpart. However, some users might prefer the substantial feel of the Watch 2, so preferences may vary.

One objective drawback of switching to aluminum is the loss of MIL-STD-810H military-grade testing certification on the Watch 2R. Nevertheless, it maintains IP68 and 5ATM ratings, ensuring solid water and dust resistance.

Regarding the glass, the OnePlus Watch 2R retains the sapphire crystal material but with flat edges, which may not provide the same smooth feel when swiping compared to curved edges. However, some users may prefer the aesthetic of flat glass.

Additionally, the Watch 2R improves upon the Watch 2 by covering its thick bezels with a two-tone chronometer dial, enhancing its overall appearance.

Available in Forest Green and Gunmetal Gray variants, the Watch 2R features a silver case with a green strap for the former and a dark gray case with a black strap for the latter. Both straps share identical designs.

In terms of comfort, the Watch 2R’s straps feel less luxurious than those on the Watch 2, exhibiting a more pronounced plasticky texture instead of the supple rubber found on the pricier model. Despite this, they are functional and can be easily swapped out using a standard strap attachment mechanism.

Overall, the OnePlus Watch 2R maintains a design that is a step down from the more premium Watch 2. It lacks the luxurious touch of polished stainless steel and softer straps found on its pricier counterpart. However, many, myself included, appreciate the lighter weight of the Watch 2R, which enhances its comfort for daily wear and fitness tracking.

Nevertheless, the watch’s large dimensions remain unchanged, which some users may find cumbersome. It would be beneficial if OnePlus considered offering a smaller size option in the future.

Display-wise, the OnePlus Watch 2R features the same 1.43-inch AMOLED screen as the Watch 2.

The display of the OnePlus Watch 2R closely mirrors that of the Watch 2 in both appearance and functionality. In our experience, the Watch 2R’s display appeared slightly brighter with a different color tone compared to our Watch 2 unit, though this may vary across different devices. Both displays are commendable but could benefit from increased brightness for better visibility under direct sunlight.

Moving on to software and performance, the OnePlus Watch 2R shares identical features with the Watch 2. It operates on the combination of Wear OS by Google and RTOS, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 and BES2700 chipsets. This innovative setup offers users the best of both worlds: comprehensive smartwatch capabilities alongside extended battery life.

All aspects discussed here were thoroughly covered in our detailed OnePlus Watch 2 review, and since there have been no changes in these areas for the Watch 2R, that review remains pertinent. You can find it here.

In summary, the software experience on the Watch 2R remains consistently positive. The Wear OS functionality aligns with what’s typical for Android smartwatches, while OnePlus RTOS integrates smoothly without creating a jarring contrast.

However, there are things OnePlus could have done to make things better. The fake crown on the Watch 2 could have been turned into an actual crown to navigate the UI as it would have made some UI interactions a lot nicer than just scrolling.

The Watch 2R includes a hundred watch faces in the OHealth app, a handful of which are pre-installed on the device. Some of these are new and exclusive to the Watch 2R as they aren’t available on the Watch 2. However, the Watch 2 also has some watch faces that aren’t available for the 2R.

Transferring watch faces is a slow process on the OnePlus Watch 2R, typically taking between 60 to 90 seconds for the new watch face to appear after it’s set in the app. However, the transfer time can vary significantly; for instance, pairing the watch with a OnePlus Open took about 60 to 90 seconds, whereas pairing it with a Xiaomi 14 Civi extended the transfer time to nearly 2 minutes and 45 seconds, nearly triple the initial duration.

As expected, OnePlus has once again omitted women’s health features such as ovulation tracking, fertility tracking, and cycle monitoring from its Watch 2R, continuing a trend seen across most OnePlus wearables. The only exception was the Nord Watch, likely because it was originally developed by another company and rebranded by OnePlus. It remains unclear why such essential features, crucial for half of the global population, are consistently overlooked by OnePlus when they are standard on many competitor devices.

Moving on to battery performance, the OnePlus Watch 2R houses the same 500mAh battery as its predecessor, the Watch 2. OnePlus claims identical battery life figures, including up to 48 hours in Smart mode with heavy usage, 100 hours with light use, and up to 12 days in power-saving mode, which disables Wear OS and the W5 chipset to extend battery life.

Under test conditions with the always-on display enabled at 3/5 brightness bars, SpO2 tracking for sleep, constant heart rate monitoring, and daily GPS usage for 40 minutes during outdoor walks, the OnePlus Watch 2R delivered approximately three days of battery life with two nights of sleep tracking on a single charge. This usage falls between OnePlus’ claims for light and heavy usage scenarios. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to test the extended 12-day power-saving mode for this review.

Charging the watch remains consistent with the Watch 2, taking about an hour for a full charge, convenient for overnight charging routines. However, the charging puck, unchanged from the Watch 2, remains small, easy to misplace, and sometimes prone to detaching from its cable.

Similar to the Watch 2, these battery figures are notably impressive for a full-fledged Android smartwatch, not just a basic fitness tracker. Users can run various apps on the Watch 2R, essentially turning it into a miniature Android phone, and still achieve around two full days of use. With lighter usage, it can stretch to 4-5 days, and in power-saving mode, it can last nearly two weeks. This longevity is rare in the smartwatch market, apart from a few select devices.

In terms of pricing, the OnePlus Watch 2R is positioned at £249 / €279 / $229.99 / ₹17,999. In comparison, the Watch 2 launched at £299 / €329 / $299.99 / ₹24,999. For context, the newly released Samsung Galaxy Watch7 starts at $329.99 for the similarly-sized 44mm version, with a more expensive LTE variant. Unfortunately, like its predecessor, the Watch 2R does not offer an LTE version.

In conclusion, OnePlus delivers a compelling product with the Watch 2R. Building upon the strengths of the original Watch 2, it addresses concerns regarding weight and pricing, offering a more accessible option without sacrificing functionality. This makes it the preferred choice for most consumers between the two models and a strong contender in the smartwatch market overall.

Certainly! Here’s the information organized in a table format with a background:

Pros	Cons
Large, high-resolution display	One size fits all, and it’s large
Lightweight yet sturdy design	No LTE variant
Flexible software with hybrid OS design	No menstrual cycle tracking
Good overall performance	Charging puck design feels like an afterthought
Fantastic battery life

Background:
The OnePlus Watch 2R boasts a range of positives including a large, high-resolution display, a lightweight yet robust design, and flexible software with a hybrid OS. It performs well overall and offers impressive battery life. On the flip side, it’s only available in a single, large size which may not suit everyone, lacks an LTE variant, and doesn’t include menstrual cycle tracking. Additionally, the design of the charging puck feels somewhat neglected in its execution.