The OnePlus Band with AMOLED display & SpO2 goes live in India
Following lots of leaks and rumors, the $34 OnePlus Band has finally gone official in India. The device has a color display, lots of sports modes, an SpO2 sensor and two weeks of battery life. OnePlus is yet to reveal when the fitness band will be available globally.
The Chinese-based outfit is known for a range of low-cost smart devices. It’s motto is never settle – meaning the fact that something is not expensive does not mean you have to settle for low quality.
In addition to the band, we’ve seen quite a bit of info hinting at a OnePlus smartwatch. In addition to the FCC and other regulatory approvals, Pete Lau the company’s CEO confirmed it will be released early in 2021.
Nothing is known yet on its possible specs, but schematics from a few years ago indicate it might be a circular device. Considering the timing, we hope it comes sporting the new Qualcomm 4100 processor.
OnePlus Band
In our view, it makes perfect sense to launch the fitness band before the watch. It provides a much easier entry into the wearables space. It’s a simpler device than a smartwatch so fewer things can go wrong.
As a budget wearable, the OnePlus Band will be pitted against the likes of the Xiaomi Mi Band and Amazfit Band 5. Carving out a large slice of the fitness tracker pie will not be easy as these are pretty solid options. What works in OnePlus’s favor is the large user-base of its products.
The OnePlus Band comes with a 1.1 inch full-color AMOLED display (126 x 294 pixels) and “traditional” fitness tracker look. The actual dimensions come in at 40.4 x 17.6 x 11.95mm and weight at 22.6 grams (the tracker is 10.3 grams, the rubber band is 12.3 grams). All of this is stamped with a 5 ATM water-resistance rating and includes the IP68 certification.
You can customize the screen by using one of 37 different watch faces, 5 of which can be stored on the device. Or you can personalize with your own pictures.
The tracker is detachable so you further make it your own by swapping the rubber band. The choice is between Black, Navy and Tangerine Gray colors.
Inside the thing is an SpO2 sensor along with the usual crop of sensors. This includes a heart rate sensor, a sleep monitor, a gyroscope, and a 3-axis accelerometer. The band is touted to have the ability to display personalized heart rate alerts and notify of irregular readings.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and smartwatches
As far as exercise, there are 12 dedicated modes and a free training option. These consist of indoor and outdoor running, indoor and outdoor walking, indoor and outdoor cycling, elliptical trainer, row machine trainer, swimming, yoga, badminton and cricket.
There’s some smart functionality, too. The band can display smartphone notifications and call alerts (including call rejection). A music control function and a remote camera shutter button are also there.
The juice provided by the 100 mAh lithium-ion battery is pretty good. The wearable can keep going up to 2 weeks before needing a top-up. Refueling is done by using a USB-A wired charging dongle.
OnePlus Band communicates with Android devices running on Android 6.0 or above via Bluetooth 5.0 LE. The OnePlus Health app tracks your health stats and workouts over time. The company says iOS and iPhone support will come at a later stage.
OnePlus Band price and availability
The OnePlus Band will be available for purchase from tomorrow (January 12th) in India for Rs 2,499 (around $34). The price-tag makes it competitive to the Xiaomi and Amazfit rival bands. We’ve heard nothing yet on international availability.
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