OnePlus Nord Watch is for those seeking a low-cost fitness device

OnePlus has made Nord Watch official in India earlier today. The device packs a large display and the usual fitness sensors into something that is very affordable.

This is not the company’s first effort in this space. There is OnePlus watch from about a year and a half ago. But that one received mediocre reviews due to a slew of issues. The positives were the nice design and excellent 14 day battery life. There were, however, many more negatives. The watch was not very accurate when it comes to fitness and activity tracking and it didn’t fully support sleep at launch.

OnePlus Nord Watch – a more worthy second attempt?

Nord Watch is OnePlus’s second attempt at a smartwatch. Hopefully a better one at that. The device was made official in India today where you can get it for Rs 5,000 ($68). It is questionable whether we will see a global release. Perhaps in the coming months. At the outset, the device can be picked up in a choice between a Midnight Black and Deep Blue shades case option.

As far as design, the watch comes with a robust build and there’s a metal frame around the edges. On the right-hand side is a single button that comes in the form of a crown. You are able to use this alongside the touchscreen to navigate the menus.

As its predecessor, Nord Watch runs a streamlined, proprietary RTOS operating system rather than Google WearOS. So no support for third-party apps or anything fancy like that.

But the benefit of the lightweight operating system is that it allows the device to run for 10 days on a single charge or up to 30 days on standby. This is courtesy of a 230mAh lithium ion battery.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

On-board is the standard set of fitness sensors which can keep tabs on the usuals, including SpO2, heart rate and sleep. All of this works through a dedicated app called N Health.

Here are a few more highlights from the specs.

• the AMOLED display measures 45.2mm or 1.78 inches. It has up to 500 Nits Peak Brightness and 368 x 448 resolution.
• its 60 Hz Refresh Rate should provide for a smooth experience.
• there are more than 100 watch-faces to choose from.
• 105 sports modes are available, including outdoor and indoor running, outdoor and indoor walking, cross-country running, elliptical machine, outdoor and indoor cycling, hiking and climbing.
• IP68 water-resistance.
• Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

Looking through the specs, there is nothing here to get overly excited about. It is tried and tested tech that we have seen many times before. This also applies to the design. It appears this is a device that targets those looking for a low-cost smartwatch or an option for those already in the OnePlus ecosystem.

This is not the only OnePlus wearable expected to launch later this year or early in 2023. We wrote recently about Watch 2 and Band 2. Both are expected to drop in the months ahead. These will be upgraded versions of the first generation products revealed last year.

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