Oppo has just announced its promised duo of smartwatches powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip, the first wearables to adopt the new platform since Qualcomm announced it last month.
The new Oppo Watch models are based on last year’s Oppo Watch 2. However, neither is a direct successor to this previous model. Instead, Oppo appears to have split the difference, with the Oppo Watch 3 moving the specs down a notch to make way for a new Oppo Watch 3 Pro at the top end.
Oppo
The Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 is here
Oppo has notably opted for the smaller of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon wearable chips, the W5, instead of the W5+. Interestingly, this is the chip that Qualcomm has targeted at “segment-specific wearables” rather than “conventional smartwatches,” but Oppo probably considers that good enough for its target market. It’s also worth noting that Qualcomm defines “segment specific” to include China, as well as children, seniors, health-focused devices and business solutions.
Qualcomm
The new chip follows the Snapdragon Wear 4100 used in last year’s Oppo Watch 2, but it’s interesting that Oppo didn’t choose to distinguish the Oppo Watch 3 Pro by packing the more powerful W5+ flagship chip. However, the boost over last year’s model should be quite significant, with Qualcomm promising 50% more power efficiency and double the performance of the Wear 4100 chip.
Qualcomm
The Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 platform also supports better health and fitness experiences thanks to the ability to keep sensors active at all times. It’s unclear how this will work on the Oppo Watch 3, as Oppo has its own co-processor in the mix for lower-powered tasks, but Oppo promises faster app launch and vascular elasticity assessment in less than 30 seconds.
A familiar design with a twist
If you think the Oppo Watch 3 looks strangely familiar, you’re not alone. Oppo has been mirroring the iconic design of Apple’s wearables since it hit the scene two years ago, and this latest release is no exception.
However, it seems that Oppo is willing to take a few more risks than Apple. The high-end Oppo Watch 3 Pro is the first wearable to feature an LTPO AMOLED 3D display, and with that comes a flexible curved face that follows the contours of the wrist.
Oppo calls it the “third shape of smartwatches,” and with the striking similarity to Apple’s design, it offers a fascinating glimpse of what a curved Apple Watch could look like. Even Oppo’s marketing photos look a lot like Apple’s.
Oppo
Interestingly, Oppo has also brought a crown-like digital control to the Oppo Watch 3 Pro with mechanical haptic feedback during rotation. Unlike the Apple Watch, the crown is placed centrally on the side, with a single button below. The non-Pro model lacks the dial and loses one of the two buttons found on the previous model.
In terms of screen size, it’s the Oppo Watch 3 Pro that comes closest to its predecessor, with the same 1.91-inch screen presented at a resolution of 378 x 496 due to the aspect ratio taller looking. The Oppo Watch 3 has a smaller 1.75-inch 372×430 AMOLED display.
Battery life, storage capacity and more
The smaller model only packs a 400mAh battery, a significant drop from last year’s 510mAh cell. However, thanks to the power efficiency of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 combined with Oppo’s Apollo 4 Plus co-processor, it still offers up to four days of battery life with normal use. The Oppo Watch 3 Pro packs a larger 550mAh battery that can deliver up to five days of battery life under the same conditions.
Much of the magic here comes from Oppo’s internal chip that handles routine tasks like timing to allow the more power-hungry Snapdragon W5 to take a nap whenever it’s not needed to handle more powerful tasks. A lower power mode can give you up to 10 days on a single charge for the Oppo Watch 3 or 15 days for the Oppo Watch 3 Pro.
Oppo
In addition to the new Snapdragon W5 chip and screen changes, both models also get a healthy storage boost to 32GB. However, the other specs remain largely the same as before, including 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth 5.0, eSIM, NFC, 5 ATM water resistance, and GPS capabilities.
The Oppo Watch 3 models also offer the same 100 training modes, 150 watch faces, and other built-in sensors, including an optical heart rate monitor, blood oxygen sensor, and ECG sensor.
Only China, for now
So far, the Oppo Watch 3 and Oppo Watch 3 Pro are only launching in China and are expected to go on sale on August 19 for around $220 and $280 respectively at current exchange rates. Both models will be available in Platinum Black, while the Oppo Watch 3 adds Feather Gold and the Pro comes in Desert Brown.
It’s unclear when or if there will be an international release. The versions announced today use a proprietary operating system for China. However, Oppo adopted Wear OS for international releases of the Oppo Watch 2 last year, so presumably the same will happen if the Oppo Watch 3 models launch outside of China.
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