The OnePlus Watch is real — and it could be coming soon

OnePlus Watch
(Image credit: The Score)

Rumors of the OnePlus Watch have been slowly trickling from the company over the past year. But now the watch has been confirmed by the head of the company.

In an interview that OnePlus CEO Peta Lau did with Input, Lau revealed that the company is working with Google to make a smartwatch. This is the best sign yet that we'll be getting a OnePlus wearable soon.

OnePlus wants something more unique then the average smartwatch, according to Lau's comments. He says the company's after something that works well with its other products, such as its phones and the OnePlus TV.

“What we're trying to do is work with Google to try to improve the connectivity between the Wear OS ecosystem, Android TV, and Android smartphones to create this ability for better device interoperability across the ecosystems," Lau said.

Wear OS is Google's wearables accompaniment to Android, and is a logical choice for OnePlus to use. However, the standard version of the OS apparently isn't good enough for OnePlus, with Lau saying “Wear OS definitely has room to improve."

OnePlus is well known for its phones, such as the recent OnePlus 8T, and already has audio products in the form of the OnePlus Buds and the Bullets Wireless 2. OnePlus' stablemate Oppo has already produced a smartwatch, so it could easily borrow parts and features if it wanted to.

There was no mention of design in Lau's comments. The only design detail that seems certain from previous leaks is that the OnePlus Watch would have a round face. This was seemingly confirmed in a recent tweet from the company that mentioned the abandoned 2015 OnePlus Watch concept, but teased its eventual revival

OnePlus frequently teases its products before finally releasing them, so we can expect more of these tidbits when the company is ready to show something off. The next good opportunity for this to happen would likely be at the launch of the OnePlus 9, which will be around mid-March according to recent rumors.

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.

TOPICS