The New Oppo Watch is real nice but Apple has little to worry

Opportunity smartwatch with wearOS to compete with Apple Watch

Oppo announced the launch of its new wearable today with the release of the Oppo Watch. This new Smartwatch from Oppo is based on the Qualcomm 3100 processor and will run wearOS by Google.

The new kid on the SmartWatch and health tracking block has plenty to offer and differentiate itself from other key players. Much like the Apple LTE Watch, the new Oppo Watch also offers standalone LTE connectivity. 

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When it’s inconvenient to bring your phone along, OPPO Watch keeps you connected anytime, anywhere.

Using eSIM, the watch can have its own number or share one with your smartphone. You can take calls phone-free.

The feature is only available in the 46 mm larger model, very similar to the Samsung LTE Galaxy watch.

Oppo Watch vs Apple Watch Opportunity watch with wearOS

Here are some of the key features of the new Oppo Smart Watch and how they compare with that of the Apple Watch Series.

Long-lasting Battery Life  

Battery Life of 21 days. (Yup. We double-checked it).To make the most of its battery, OPPO Watch uses two endurance modes–powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon Wear™ 3100 and Ambiq Micro’s Apollo3 Wireless SoC.

A 15-minute charge on the watch can last the power all day long. This is impressive given most other Smartwatches out there run out of their battery juice in less than 3 or 4 days. Oppo Watch Battery vs Apple Watch Battery

BUT… wait…the fine print…         

The watch will function for up to 36 hours in Smart mode and when you use the Power Reserve mode it lasts for 21 days. This implies that for normal operations, you will have 36 hours of power. On the smaller 41mm watch, the battery life is only up to 24 hours in Smart mode. 

In contrast, the Apple Watch Series 5 offers up to 18 hours of operation following an overnight charge and takes about 1.5 hours to reach 80% charge capacity.

The power save mode on the Oppo watch allows you to receive message notifications, check the time, track your steps, and monitor your heart rate.

A lot more available functionality on the Power Reserve mode when compared with an Apple Watch, which only displays the time and cuts all communications when put into Power Reserve mode.

Bright Crisp Display

Flexible dual-curved AMOLED screen. Although the appearance of the OPPO watch is very similar to the Apple Watch, the AMOLED dual-curved screen on this new watch definitely adds some pizzaz!Oppo watch AMOLED Display

The dual-curved AMOLED screen has 326 PPI which allows for a crisp and vivid display on the wearable. The Oppo Watch 46mm, a larger variant has the 1.91’ display.

Oppo Watch Sensor Technology

The Oppo Smartwatch has five key sensors.

It features an ambient light sensor, a Tri-axial accelerometer & Gyroscope, a Geomagnetic sensor, an Optical heart sensor, and a barometric sensor. Oppo Watch Sensor technology

These sensors allow the Oppo watch to track all kinds of fitness activities and health-related metrics. The Ambient light sensor is a nice touch and is similar to the Apple Watch.

The ambient light sensor on Oppo watch

Unlike the ambient light sensors on smartphones and tablets, the sensor for the Watch is likely one of Apple’s solar cell ambient light sensors and allows for the sensor to be behind the display panel, as opposed to the traditional surface-mounted design seen on the majority of smartphones and tablets. 

This sensor is what powers feature such as turning off the screen when you cover it with your palm (muting incoming calls).

It remains to be seen how the new WearOS handles the ambient light sensor functionality when it is released next month.

The Geomagnetic sensor is similar to the Apple Watch sensor and other wearables

This helps users with a compass functionality on their wrist. The Barometric sensor helps with detecting the atmospheric pressure readings.

The GPS+GLONASS location services on the watch allow for location tracking so that you can use it with your trail runs or cycling workouts.

The Optical Heart Rate Sensor on the watch allows for 24-hour heart rate monitoring

Plus, this sensor uses what is known as photoplethysmography to detect your heart rate.

The green light on the optical sensor allows for measuring heart rate variability (HRV), a key metric that is used for numerous health insights.

Oppo Watch Health Tracking vs Apple Watch Health tracking

The Oppo Watch also tracks your sleep, an important feature these days

It can distinguish between deep sleep and light sleep and provide appropriate reports.

Not sure if the Oppo Watch has some of the bells and whistles when it comes to getting ready for Sleep.

Although the Apple Watch does not provide details around sleep stages, some of the new Sleep-related features on watchOS 7 have made users happy.

Much like the Apple Watch, the Oppo watch can nudge you to move following periods of inactivity.

The Oppo Watch will take advantage of the built-in Google Fit to help track real-time exercise metrics.Apple Watch Afib Feature

Oppo Watch has not been made ready for aFib detection.

Apple had to process through stringent FDA regulations before launching its Afib detection feature.

It remains to be seen if Oppo and other wearable players position themselves as key health monitoring players by pursuing FDA feature approvals.

Related: Apple introduces new Mobility Metrics and other key HealthKit data with iOS 14 and watchOS 7

The Oppo Watch does not appear to offer any fall detection feature, which has become a salient feature for elderly Apple Watch users.

Swimming with the Oppo Watch

OPPO Watch 46mm supports 5ATM water resistance, and OPPO Watch 41mm supports 3ATM water resistance.

This means that the Oppo Watch 46mm has up to 50-meter water resistance.

This would allow Oppo Watch users to use the unit in swimming pools as well as use it in open water swimming workouts.

Given the built-in LTE connection, it will allow users to use the Phone and other functionality directly on their watch.

AI-Powered Dress Up your Oppo Watch

Unique to the Oppo Watch, this new AI-powered feature makes it easy for matching up your watch’s watch face with what you are wearing. Oppo Watch AI powered watch face

Take a photo of your outfit with your phone, and OPPO Watch’s AI imaging algorithm will generate its own watch face to match you.

This will surely find some love from fashion-conscious SmartWatch wearers.

The ease of band switching on the Oppo Watch is also neat. Just pop out the watch strap and pop in a new one.

Whether you’re working out or just hard at work, you can change your watch strap to fit the occasion.

wearOS Oppo Watch FeaturesThe other major smartwatch functionalities will be powered by Google’s wearOS platform including the use of Google Assistant.

Oppo Watch Pricing and availability

In the UK, the 46mm Oppo Watch will cost £369 ($484) and the 41mm will be £229 ($300), while in India it’ll be Rs. 19,990 ($267) for the 46mm and Rs. 14,990 ($200) for the 41mm. 

In comparison, the Apple Watch Series 5 costs about $547 dollars in India. This huge advantage in pricing will definitely be favorable to its market positioning and is likely to increase its market share in the mobile phone segment.

When it comes to the mobile smartphone segment, Apple has found love with its new iPhone SE in these emerging economies but without a cheaper Apple Watch with bells and whistles, it may find it difficult to win over price-conscious customers who are looking for wearable and a smartphone from the same manufacturer.

Related: OPPO rumored to launch new Smartwatch along with Reno 5 tomorrow

Apple’s brand allegiance 

As for the US market, we do not see any Apple users switching easily over to the Oppo Watch.

The Apple Watch has a formidable brand image among its users. The company is building out new health tracking and monitoring features. Apple is also working with leading hospitals and universities to evaluate remote health tracking opportunities.

The Oppo watch looks solid and has a terrific performance chip backing its elegant design. What remains to be seen is how well can GearOS enhance the value of this product offering in the near term.

For the price and available features, the new Oppo Watch running on Qualcomm’s 3100 is sure to find love from both existing and new users.

We would have liked to see the new Qualcomm 4100 chipset on this beautiful watch since it provides 85% more performance over the old 3100 but the 3100 can still benefit from some wearOS changes.

Given the times we live in, it would have been really great, if Oppo had integrated a SpO2 sensor to measure blood oxygen levels but oh well, this is definitely a huge start!

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Sudz Niel Kar
I am a technologist with years of experience with Apple and wearOS products, have a BS in Computer Science and an MBA specializing in emerging tech, and owned the popular site AppleToolBox. In my day job, I advise Fortune 500 companies with their digital transformation strategies and also consult with numerous digital health startups in an advisory capacity. I'm VERY interested in exploring the digital health and fitness-tech evolution and keeping a close eye on patents, FDA approvals, strategic partnerships, and developments happening in the wearables and digital health sector. When I'm not writing or presenting, I run with my Apple Watch Ultra or Samsung Galaxy Watch and closely monitor my HRV and other recovery metrics.

1 COMMENT

  1. This is a really good review, and it’s given me an excellent overview of the Oppo Watch.

    Not too bothered about the SPO2 sensor – they are useless on watches, they are highly inaccurate due to where they sit, so they shouldn’t be incorporated at all. They are really just an excuse to charge more.

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