The Oppo Watch Free has launched in China, as Oppo expands its smartwatch range.
It’s a cheaper, sportier smartwatch than the Oppo Watch (and Oppo Watch 2), and the design and shape has changed radically – as per earlier rumors.
The Oppo Watch Free is a dead ringer for the Huawei Watch Fit, with a tall rectangular shape, and identically-sized 1.64-inch AMOLED display.
It boasts curved 2.5D glass and a 326ppi density, which means it should be a pretty punchy display.
There’s a heart rate monitor with SpO2 capabilities, so it will read blood oxygen data. And there’s a focus on HR zones during exercise, which are displayed when using one of the 100 sport profiles.
There doesn’t seem to be built-in GPS, so it’s better suited to those who enjoy gym and home workouts.
However, e-sports fans will be happy with a special do not disturb mode, which mutes notifications during gameplay.
Sleep is also a big focus, and Oppo has added snoring monitoring to its standard tracking of duration and quality of your slumber
There’s also an additional NFC version that supports AliPay and other services in China.
This is a first release for the Chinese market – and this version won’t be available globally. We’re still waiting for the Oppo Watch 2 to hit Western shores, after it was released back in June 2021, so it could be a long wait.
It boasts 14 days of battery life in 'endurance mode' thanks to a chunky 230mAh battery, although we’re not sure how that translates to real world usage.
The operating system used isn’t listed on the spec sheet – but it's Android based. When the Oppo Watch launched outside of China it came running Wear OS, and it looks like the Oppo Watch 2 will too, thanks it its Snapdragon 4100 processor.
Given the similarity to the Huawei Watch Fit/Band 6, including matching battery life and price tag, we’d be surprised if this device came running Wear.
It’s far cheaper than the Oppo Watch series of smartwatches. The Watch Free has a price tag of CNY 549 ($84). The Oppo Watch 2 costs CNY 1,300 (about $200/€170).
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James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.