This Android smartwatch sakes what Samsung and Google offer – and it’s better in a way

This laptop for the budget has become even cheaper. Enter the “Spring25” code in the payment page and receive a $ 50 discount on the OnePlus Watch 2R.

If there is a field of consumer technology that is never boring, these are smart watches. Everyone wants a piece of the market, from Apple to Samsung, and they will hear everything to get it. Recently, however, OnePlus asserted itself as a brand capable of making a solid product, as we see with the impressive OnePlus Watch 3 which was launched not so long ago.

Also: I compared the two best Android smart watches at the moment – and it was quite Dang near

But don’t forget the second laptop in its range, the OnePlus Watch 2R. It normally costs $ 229 (but is on sale for $ 170 at the time of writing) and offers an almost identical experience to the OnePlus flagship watch, with some features left on the cutting block to reduce the price.

These features include EKG assistance and monitoring of the menstrual cycle, and if they are important to you, you will want to opt for the Watch Standard 2. But if you only need a solid smartwatch to associate your Android phone, you cannot be mistaken with the 2R watch.

From the outside, the OnePlus 2R watch and the old watch 2 are almost identical, the less the shiny finish and the “flat tire” on the right side of the 2R. The watch has a single size of housing: 46 mm, the same size as watch 2.. It is also lighter aluminum alloy rather than stainless steel.

Overall, it is a slim and beautiful watch, and its light body makes it easy to forget after having attached it. The only problem that some could have is the size of the case because it is quite important for those who have smaller wrists. You also get only two choices of colors: matt / gray black (with a black strip) or silver (with a green strip). There are no gold or blue options here, so you will have to settle for subtlety.

The 2R has a 1.43 inch Amoled screen which is not the most impressive smart climb screen that I have ever seen but which is perfectly adequate given the price. Thanks to the resolution 466×466, it can obtain up to 1,000 bright nits, and everything, from the colors to the contrast is on the point.

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Once you have twinned the 2R watch with your Android phone of choice (no iOS support here, by the way), you will be in the US 4.0 world. OnePlus did not make a ton of changes to the system as Samsung did with its range of Galaxy watches, but they loaded it with a lot of personalized watch faces, user interface elements and some first part applications.

Whenever I come back to check the operating system, I am happy to announce that it is in a very good condition. It may not be as silky as Apple Watchos, but functionally speaking, it is just as capable. You can quickly take a look at fitness trends and calendar appointments with the tile interface, and there are a ton of different applications available via the Play Store. It is the best version of Wear OS to date.

It also works well. The Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip inside is fast and effective, and I have not experienced a significant slowdown during the 2R watch. He was able to manage everything, from the switching between applications to the management of notifications without hiccups.

Also: this OnePlus 13 agreement makes the upgrade to the Android lighthouse a much easier decision for me

We noted that the OnePlus 2 watch last year established a new standard for OS WEAR watches with its battery life, which could easily last two to three days thanks to its unique approach to processing power (and watch 3 is even better), combining a traditional snapdragon chip with a co-processor to have managed the smaller tasks that attracted much less power. The 2R watch adopts the same approach and, with a 500 mAh cell, lasts up to three days in a single load.

I am impressed that OnePlus has achieved such battery life on a second smart watch. In addition, when it is time to recharge, it only takes about an hour of zero to 100% with the charging washer included.

With any intelligent watch, you will probably want to follow your progress as fitness. Unfortunately, if you are passionate about fitness or someone who pays particular attention to health measures, you could find the missing 2R watch.

Also: My favorite Android smartwatch beats Samsung and Google with its battery life for several days

The 2R watch has no EKG support, monitoring of the menstrual cycle, a skin temperature sensor or a extensive health tracking application. Ohannet is good for basic statistics, but its graphics and graphics are basic and do not give you proactively to find out if you are progressing in your long -term goals.

Admittedly, OnePlus has improved the accuracy of other sensors such as the heart rate sensor, the GPS and the SP02 sensor for blood oxygen monitoring, which is great. However, the experience seems disappointing compared to the Galaxy Watch 7 or Pixel Watch 3. Instead, the 2R watch is much more user -friendly for those who simply start their fitness trip.

While we are talking about the drawbacks of the phone, I noticed the drop in sustainability. The 2R does not come with the same protection of falling military quality, and it does not have the same sapphire glass at the top of the display. Fortunately, it still has a 5atm water resistance, which means that it will be to depths up to 50 meters. Do not dive on the high seas with it.

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Finally, the fact that you cannot add an LTE plan to the watch is a little disappointing. I understand that it may not matter for many people, but I tend to do a lot of things without my phone, and I appreciate the possibility of obtaining notifications and calls directly on my wrist.

ZDNET purchase advice

If you are looking for a fast intelligent watch with impressive battery life but you don’t need a long list of advanced fitness measurements, the OnePlus Watch 2R is one of your best options.

Unless you need a more classy design, something smaller or LTE, the 2R watch will probably cover all your bases. Due to its clear use of use, however, it is one of the easiest to recommend bone watches.

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This article was initially published on August 1, 2024 and was updated on April 4, 2025.