OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) review: Smaller size, same core experience
OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm)
Pros
- Great size for smaller wrists
- Smooth Wear OS performance
- Solid GPS and fitness tracking
- Bright, sharp AMOLED display
- Fast charging with good battery life
Cons
- No ECG or temperature tracking
- No iOS support
A while back I posted my hands-on review of the OnePlus Watch 3. That one felt solid, packed with features, and leaned a bit towards the bold side. Somethings for those who like to wear a masculine watch.
Now I’ve had time to wear the 43mm version. It’s smaller, lighter and looks a bit more understated. But it’s not just a shrunken copy. There are a few differences here worth calling out, especially if you’re deciding between the two.
OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm): One minute review
The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm is light, easy to wear and just feels right for everyday use. It’s got a simple, unisex look that works with pretty much anything and doesn’t get in the way. The 47mm version has that tougher, more masculine feel, but this one’s way more laid-back. It’s the kind of watch you throw on and forget about until you need it.
I said in my earlier review that the larger Watch 3 is one of the best Wear OS watches out there right now. That still stands. But not everyone needs ECG and wrist temperature tracking. If those things aren’t on your list, the 43mm model gives you everything else that matters. This includes accurate GPS, solid heart rate tracking, a great display and smooth Wear OS performance. And it does it all in a smaller frame that’s actually more comfortable.
The price is also more appealing. At $300, it comes in $50 less than the 47mm version. You’re giving up a few health extras and some premium materials, but you’re not losing much in day-to-day use. For many people, this might be the smarter buy.
OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) can be purchased from OnePlus or Amazon.*
Jump to
Design, hardware
Health & fitness tracking
Sports tracking
Smartwatch features
OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) review: Design, hardware
Look & feel
The 43mm OnePlus Watch 3 takes some design cues from the larger version, but it’s not just a smaller copy. The case is cleaner, the lines are softer and the whole thing feels a bit more subtle. It actually reminds me of the Pixel Watch in the overall look and feel.
This version comes in two colour options: Black Steel and Silver Steel. I tested the black one, and while it lacks the red accent on the bezel from the 47mm model, it still has a clean, polished finish. There’s no titanium this time, and no sapphire glass either, but the stainless steel body still looks and feels solid.
You’ve got the rotating crown, once again. Navigating menus, scrolling through notifications or controlling music is smoother with the crown than just swiping. Plus there’s a single flat physical button underneath for added functions.
The screen is smaller at 1.32 inches, and it peaks at 1000 nits instead of 2200. In practice, though, I didn’t notice a huge difference. It’s still plenty bright, still crisp, and colours pop nicely. It looks great indoors and holds up fine outside, unless the sun hits it at the wrong angle and throws a bit of glare.
The 43mm model is also lighter. At 67 grams with the strap, it’s far more comfortable for smaller wrists. I could wear it all day and night without noticing it. The smaller size also means it sits flatter on the wrist and moves around less during workouts. That’s a plus for heart rate accuracy and overall comfort.
This is the version OnePlus also needed to offer. Not everyone wants a big, rugged watch on their wrist, and this one keeps most of the same appeal without the bulk. It’s great for those looking for a unisex timepiece.
Under the hood
Despite the smaller size, you’re still getting a lot under the hood. The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm runs the identical dual-chip setup as the larger model. Snapdragon W5 handles full Wear OS mode, while the BES2800 steps in for lighter tasks and Power Saver mode. Switching between the two happens quietly in the background. You won’t notice it, but the battery life benefits are clear.
Storage and memory are unchanged. You’ve got 32GB of internal space and 2GB of RAM. That’s more than enough for apps, offline music and system resources. Power Saver mode also gets its own streamlined experience without cutting you off from key features.
The rear panel is made of plastic and fiberglass again, and most of the sensor package carries over. That includes heart rate, SpO2, barometer, light sensor, compass, accelerometer and gyroscope. GPS is dual-frequency and works just as well as on the 47mm version. In daily use, tracking feels consistent and reliable.
But there are some clear omissions. This smaller model skips the temperature sensor. It also doesn’t include ECG. For most users this won’t be a dealbreaker, but if you want those deeper health reads, you’ll need to go up a size.
Battery life is a compromise
Battery life usually takes a hit on smaller smartwatches, but this one holds up well for a wearOS device. The 43mm OnePlus Watch 3 drops down to a 345 mAh cell, compared to 500 mAh on the 47mm model. Even so, it still manages solid endurance.
You get up to 60 hours in standard mode, around 36 with heavier use, and up to 7 days if you flip it into Power Saver. That’s a bit behind the 47mm version, which stretches to 5 days in smart mode and up to 16 days in Power Saver.
Charging works the same on both models. You get a small magnetic puck with four contact points and a USB-C cable. Even though the sizes are different, the same puck works for both watches. There’s no wireless charging or reverse charging from your phone, so you’ll need to use the cable.
Top-up times are not long. With 10W fast charging, a full day of use takes only 10 minutes plugged in. Going from empty to full takes just under 50 minutes. The watch stays cool while charging, which isn’t always the case with other Wear OS devices.
OnePlus Watch 3 (47 vs 43mm): Tech specs comparison
As mentioned earlier, the two versions of the OnePlus Watch 3 don’t just differ in how they look. The materials are different too. One has a titanium bezel and sapphire glass, while the other sticks with stainless steel and regular glass. Both feel solid, but one leans more premium and rugged, while the other goes for comfort and simplicity. Day to day, they wear very differently.
You’ll also notice a gap in health features. If you just want the basics like heart rate, sleep, stress and GPS tracking, either one will do the job. But if you’re after more detailed health data, the 47mm has more sensors.
Feature | OnePlus Watch 3 (47mm) | OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) |
|---|---|---|
Release date | Feb-25 | Jul-25 |
Case material | Stainless steel case, Plastic bottom, 2.5D Sapphire Crystal cover plate, Titanium bezel, Fluororubber strap | Stainless steel case, Plastic bottom, Fluororubber strap |
Number of buttons | Rotating crown + flat action button | Rotating crown + flat action button |
Shape | Round | Round |
Size | 47.6 x 46.6 x 11.75 mm | 43.2 x 43.2 x 11 mm |
Display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
Display resolution | 466 x 466 pixels, up to 2200 nits brightness | 466 x 466 pixels, up to 1000 nits brightness |
Display size | 1.5 inch | 1.32 inches |
Weight | 50g without strap, 81g with strap | 38g without strap, 67g with strap |
Sensors | Accelerometer, gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, optical pulse oximeter, geomagnetic sensor, wrist temperature, ECG, light sensor, barometer | Accelerometer, gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, optical pulse oximeter, geomagnetic sensor, light sensor, barometer |
Water-resistance | 5 ATM, IP68 | 5 ATM, IP68 |
Satellite connectivity | Dual Frequency L1+L5 (Beidou, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS) | Dual Frequency L1+L5 (Beidou, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS) |
Microphone | Yes | Yes |
Speakers | Yes | Yes |
NFC | Yes | Yes |
Music storage | Yes | Yes |
Processor & memory | Snapdragon W5, BES2800BP, 32GB storage, 2GB RAM | Snapdragon W5, BES2800BP, 32GB storage, 2GB RAM |
Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 5G/2.4G, 802.11 a/b/g/n | Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 5G/2.4G, 802.11 a/b/g/n |
Cellular | No | No |
Battery capacity | 500 mAh | 345 mAh |
Battery life | Up to 5 days smart mode, 3 days heavy use, 16 days power saver | Up to 60h standard use, 36h heavy use, 7 days power saver, 10 min charge for 1 day use |
Operating system | Wear OS 5 + RTOS | Wear OS 5 + RTOS |
Colours | Obsidian Titanium, Emerald Titanium | Black Steel, Silver Steel |
Typical price | $350 | $300 |
OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) review: Health & fitness tracking
The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm holds onto most of the core health and fitness features from the larger version, but with a few notable omissions. You still get heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and the standard motion sensors. But there’s no ECG here, no wrist temperature tracking, and the Vascular Health info is missing.
That means you won’t see data like arterial stiffness or vascular age on this version. And without ECG, there’s also no 60-second Health Check-In. If you’re just looking for basic wellness tracking, this version will get the job done. But if you’re after those deeper health reads, the larger watch is still the one to go for.
Sleep tracking is very solid. It catches the key signals like bedtime, wake-ups, breathing rate, and nap detection. You can set sleep schedules or let it activate automatically. In testing, it held up well against my usual reference, and the breathing insights during sleep were useful.
Stress tracking lives under the new “Mind and Body” app. It’s nicely presented, and gives a general sense of how your day is trending. It reminds me a little of Garmin’s Body Battery, though OnePlus hasn’t added a proper readiness or recovery score. HRV is tracked, but buried a few layers deep. It’s there if you go looking for it, just not front-and-center.
Apple device owners are out of luck as the watch only works with Android phones via the OHealth app. The software handles the syncing and data display. It’s actually one of the better-designed companion apps I’ve used. Stats are easy to find, graphs are clean, and it doesn’t bury key metrics under layers of fluff.
Just a heads-up, though: you can only pair one OnePlus Watch to the app at a time. If you’ve got both sizes, you’ll need to pick one – or pair them with different phones.
OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) review: Sports tracking
Just like its big brother, the smaller OnePlus Watch 3 holds up well for sports tracking. You still get over 100 workout modes, and for running, the watch pulls in all the advanced stuff like stride length, cadence, running power, running dynamics and cardio fitness (VO2 max). There’s also recovery scoring and fat burn analysis built in. Same setup as the 47mm version, just in a lighter frame.
What’s useful is that OnePlus explains your metrics in a clear, readable way in the smartphone app. You’re not left guessing what something like “vertical ratio” means. OnePlus makes all this data feel genuinely useful.
I tested it against a Garmin Forerunner 955, no chest strap involved – just wrist-to-wrist comparison. The heart rate numbers were pretty close. On a recent run, Garmin showed an average of 136 bpm, while OnePlus logged 134 bpm. On another, Garmin came in at 137 bpm and OnePlus at 135 bpm. The peak heart rate was also within a few beats each time. That’s well within what I’d expect from wrist-based sensors, and close enough for everyday use.
GPS accuracy was just as solid. OnePlus tracked 8.24 km where Garmin showed 8.32 km on the first run, and 9.06 km vs 9.01 km on the second. Both watches use dual-frequency satellite tracking, and the OnePlus had no issues with lock-on or route consistency. I didn’t spot any major drift, and it held up even in spots with tree cover or buildings nearby.
The smaller size of the watch made a noticeable difference in comfort. It’s lighter and doesn’t shift around mid-run, which helps keep readings stable. Having said that, the AMOLED screen is more difficult to read as it is 1.32 inch rather than 1.5 of the larger iteration.
OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) review: Smartwatch features
The 43mm OnePlus Watch 3 runs the same Wear OS 5 setup as the larger model, and it performs just as well. Navigation is fast, animations are smooth, and everything feels responsive. All the core Google apps are here straight out of the box, Wallet, Maps, Calendar, Assistant, Messages.
You can grab third-party apps from the Play Store or sideload them if you’re into that. The rotating crown is still one of the better ways to get around, and it works well here. You also get the same three app drawer views: Planet, Grid and List. If you like seeing names instead of icons, the zoom-in option on Panel view helps.
Notifications are handled cleanly. You can reply using a keyboard, dictate a message or just send an emoji. The watch even lets you view incoming images, which still feels rare in the Wear OS space. The “Transfer Watch” feature is also here, so you can switch phones without having to reset the device. It’s quick and painless.
Fall detection is available and can be toggled in the OHealth app. There’s also an emergency call function hidden in the power menu. Button shortcuts can be customised, so you can launch workouts, alarms, or whatever else you need with a single press. Holding the crown brings up Gemini, which behaves the same as on the larger version.
Power Saver mode is still a highlight. You lose access to third-party apps and custom complications, but most of the important stuff stays active. It’s a lighter version of the OS without turning the watch into dead weight.
OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) can be purchased from OnePlus or Amazon.*
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