Oppo raises the bar with first smartwatch series; could beat Apple Watch

Another striking feature is its long-lasting battery and a Dual-Chip Endurance System that switches between a Snapdragon chip and an Apollo chip depending on power usage mode.

 

HIGHLIGHT

• 3D flexible hyperboloid display
• Dual-Chip Endurance System
• e-SIM
• Watch VOOC Flash Charging
• Sleep Quality monitor

 

 

Chinese phone maker Oppo has forayed into the wearable market with its first smartwatch series, the Oppo Watch Series, that comes with its ultra-frameless design, built-in cellular connectivity, health, and fitness tracking features, fast charging, and Dual-Chip Endurance System.

The Apple Watch look-alike comes with several industry-first features including Dual-Chip Endurance System and a 3D flexible hyperboloid display that Oppo says is typically reserved for smartphones.

While Apple's latest watch series offers 44mm and 40mm display sizes with 368x448-pixels resolution and 324x394-pixels respectively, on the other hand, the Oppo Watch Series offers a larger 46mm version featuring a 1.91-inch AMOLED screen with a 72.76 percent screen-to-body ratio and 402x476 resolution.

Another striking feature is its long-lasting battery and a Dual-Chip Endurance System that switches between a Snapdragon chip and an Apollo chip depending on power usage mode. The watch reportedly has a 40-hour usage time on a single charge while it's use time reportedly reaches 21 days in Power Saver Mode.

In addition, the watch features Oppo's own Watch VOOC Flash Charging technology that enhances smartwatch experience. Just 15 minutes of charging time reportedly yields a 46 percent charge that offers 18 hours of use time while a full charge takes 75 minutes. When compared to the Apple Watch Series 5 that lasts up to 18 hours on a full charge, the Oppo Watch is undoubtedly a winner.

Coming to the health and fitness features, the Oppo Watch can not only monitor users' sleep quality but also generate a sleep report of the duration of a deep sleep, light sleep, and awake time, an important feature that the Apple Watch misses. Oppo Watch can also monitor heart rate, a range of exercise scenarios and the monthly cycle of female users.

All the models in the Oppo Watch series come with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage which is less than the 32 GB storage offered by Apple Watch 5 models.

Other features onboard the Oppo Watch include eSIM-based cellular connectivity, AI watch face, built-in GPS. Here is the complete specs chart of the Oppo Watch Series.

 

Oppo Watch	Stainless Steel (46mm)	46mm	41mm
Display	1.9-inch AMOLED 3D flexible hyperboloid display 402 x 476-pixels	1.9-inch AMOLED 3D flexible hyperboloid display 402 x 476-pixels	1.6-inch AMOLED 320 x 360-pixels
Case / Strap	stainless steel; Italy calfskin	aluminum; fluororubber	alloy; fluororubber
Processor, OS	Snapdragon 2500/Apollo 3 ColorOS Watch; Android 6.0 and above	Snapdragon 2500/Apollo 3 ColorOS Watch; Android 6.0 and above	Snapdragon 2500/Apollo 3 ColorOS Watch; Android 6.0 and above
Memory and Storage	1GB + 8GB	1GB + 8GB	1GB + 8GB
Battery	430mAh 21 days of life Watch VOOC Flash Charging	430mAh 21 days of life Watch VOOC Flash Charging	300mAh 14 days of life Watch VOOC Flash Charging
Connectivity	e-SIM 3G/4G LTE WLAN 2.4G BT4.2, BLE GPS/A-GPS/Beidou	e-SIM 3G/4G LTE WLAN 2.4G BT4.2, BLE GPS/A-GPS/Beidou	e-SIM 3G/4G LTE WLAN 2.4G BT4.2, BLE GPS/A-GPS/Beidou
Color	white silver	black; Gold	elegant black; gold powder; silver matte

The Oppo Watch Series will go on sale in mainland China from March 24 while the exact details about its global availability are yet unknown. Oppo said the watch which currently uses the Android-based ColorOS Watch system will soon come in versions tailored to other markets.

The 41mm Oppo Watch carries a price tag of CNY1,499 (approx. INR 15,000) while the 46 mm variant is priced at CNY1,999 (approx. INR 20,000). The stainless steel variant is priced at CNY2,499 (approx. INR 25,000), significantly cheaper than the Apple Watch 5 that comes with a starting price tag of INR 40,900 for the 40mm non-cellular model and INR 52,900 for the 44mm cellular model.