As revealed in an exclusive PULSE by Wareable interview earlier this week, OnePlus has suggested it’s working on a smaller smartwatch size and LTE support.
The brand only gave its Watch 3 a full unveiling earlier this week, but it already appears to be deep into fixing some key user complaints about its Wear OS smartwatches.
The smartwatch has immediately catapulted to the top of our recommendations for Android users desperate for maximum battery life. However, as we stated in our OnePlus Watch 3 review, it still lags behind rivals Samsung and Google in almost every other area.
One of those is the case size variation. Weighing 80g, the 46mm Watch 3 is far from an option for everybody. Yet, according to Dr. Leo Zhang, the Head of R&D at the OnePlus Health Lab, this is on the company’s radar to solve this year.
“It’s true that the watch remains heavy for a small wrist and that this typically affects women, but we will fix that this year. We value our customer’s voice and we’re working on that,” he told PULSE by Wareable.
It’s not the only upgrade that sounds as though it could land soon, as well. Dr. Zhang also spoke to the current state of play regarding the lack of cellular connectivity in the brand’s watches.
“LTE is also something we get asked about by many users,” he said.
“The technology isn’t a problem, that part is quite simple. In China’s domestic market, we have an LTE version. In an overseas market, we need to work with the carriers—and that’s a big hurdle. We need to work with carriers so users can put in an eSIM and have a data plan.
“I never leave my phone when I exercise outdoors, but many people would like to use the watch as a standalone – especially as the watch has its own operating system, it can be used as a standalone. So LTE is something we’re working on, and as long as we work smoothly with the carriers, especially in Europe, we should have that as well,” he said.
We’ll monitor these potential developments as 2025 rumbles on. If OnePlus can offer both of these upgrades in a spin-off edition of the Watch 3, it would likely give Wear OS fans another top-tier device to consider.
As revealed in the exclusive interview with Dr. Zhang, it may also include an advanced sleep health feature.
