[ad_1]
This is 2024. All smartwatches should provide several days of battery life, full stop. As it stands now, there’s a surprisingly wide range across all devices. I would go so far as to say that limited battery has been and will be the biggest problem with the Apple Watch. The Series 9 is currently rated for 18 hours in standard mode and 36 hours in low power mode.
OnePlus’ upcoming Watch 2, meanwhile, promises an astonishing 100 hours “in full smart mode.” Of course, this is exactly the kind of claim that’s best taken with a grain of salt ahead of the wearable’s official unveiling at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. I would take it one step further and tell interested parties to wait until the first reviews come out.
according to a blog Following the post, the company “took a three-year hiatus and a reflective pause after the OnePlus Watch 1.”
The battery is exactly the thing that OnePlus needs to focus on. The first generation product was promised to last up to two weeks with a 3,402mAh battery, or 25 hours with GPS off. Still, it was the key feature of the watch that failed to impress. It’s not so much that it’s impossible to get noticed among Wear OS devices, but more that one has to make extra effort — especially now that Google and Samsung are making devices for both operating systems.
OnePlus proved that it can still impress, even if it isn’t the first to market. This was a theme in the early days of smartphone releases and the company proved itself with the OnePlus Open. I was one of those reviewers who was genuinely surprised that I liked the product as much as I did. This isn’t anything specific to OnePlus, but rather a commentary on the state of consumer electronics.
Talking about the early days, OnePlus says, “We went back to the drawing board, inspired by community feedback, to ensure that OnePlus Watch 2 delivers an exceptional user experience.” Community feedback was a primary differentiator when OnePlus initially launched. However, it is difficult to maintain such a straight line as companies grow. The smartphone maker has also formally joined Chinese hardware giant Oppo.
That said, it doesn’t take hours of direct interaction with users to know that battery life is paramount in a smartwatch. These items are designed to be worn all day and night. This does not leave much space for charging. Being able to wear a device for multiple days without worrying about such things provides a better experience. It also gives a complete picture of your fitness and sleep patterns when you’re not charging every other night.
In the world of consumer electronics, three years is the equivalent of two lifetimes. The Watch 1 didn’t move the needle much in the smartwatch world. Perhaps tweaking battery life in a meaningful way will improve its fortunes for round two. I’m not holding my breath on a category that’s currently dominated by a few big names at the top and a monopoly of extremely cheap devices at the other end. That said, anything that re-centralizes the importance of better battery life is probably a net positive for this category.
[ad_2]
Thanks For Reading