Oppo Watch Review: ColorOS Shines on top of Android Wear OS

The Oppo Watch is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 Platform.
It is offered in two screen sizes — 1.6-inch and 1.91-inch.
The smartwatch runs on Android Wear OS with ColorOS skin on top.

Smartwatches have been around for over half a decade now, but they were always considered add-on luxury accessories. For those on the iOS platform, the Apple Watch is a de-facto choice. For Android users, the Samsung Galaxy Watch series has been one of the best options. There have been the likes of Pebble, Mobvoi, and other companies, but purely in terms of features and functionality, the choices are limited.

Google has its Android Wear OS platform for smartwatches, but among the available options, there hasn’t been something that offered style and functionality in one package. But that changes with the Oppo Watch. After entering the ultra-premium segment with the Find X2-series, Oppo has entered the hearables and wearables segment too. The Oppo Watch is the company’s first smartwatch, and it runs on Wear OS. Offered in 41mm ($200) and 46mm ($275) sizes, the Oppo Watch has a lot going in its favor. In fact, it is the best Wear OS smartwatch I’ve used to date. Here’s my review of the 46mm model.

Design: Apple Watch for Android

There is no doubt that the Oppo Watch design is heavily inspired by Apple Watch. Despite nearly half the difference in price, Oppo has ensured that the smartwatch oozes premiumness in every aspect. The top is dominated by a big 1.91-inch display with curved edges and a resolution of 402x476 pixels on the 46mm model. The smaller model comes with a 1.6-inch display with a resolution of 320x360 pixels.

The display is crisp, reproduces punchy colors, and offers good sunlight legibility too. The screen is very responsive too, and navigating through the UI or even replying to WhatsApp text messages from the Oppo Watch was no issue either.

The frame is made from 6000-series aluminum which makes the Oppo Watch quite sturdy as well. It has rubber straps that are easy to remove. Sadly, this also means you cannot just strap in any aftermarket strap to the watch.

There are two buttons on the right — the top one opens up the app drawer, whereas the bottom one offers quick access to workout modes. The speaker is on the right, and it is quite loud too. Along the back, you have the magnetic charging connector and the heart rate sensor. Oppo has managed to evenly distribute the weight and it does not feel bulky while wearing even for long hours.

Software: ColorOS shines on top of Wear OS

The problem with Wear OS is that it is stock Android, and it lacks fine-tuning. This is possible because unlike Pixel smartphones, Google does not have a Pixel watch. This means the smartwatch maker has to fine-tune the OS to go well with the hardware. While not everyone has been successful at it, Oppo has nailed with its first smartwatch.

Unlike ColorOS on smartphones, the one on the Watch isn’t built from scratch. Instead, it just adds a visual appeal wherever needed. But most importantly, the custom skin ensures that UI works better with the rectangular display without any issues.

Other features remain the same with some improvements. For instance, unlike stock Wear OS where a swipe down from the top reveals Quick Settings in two rows, here you get three rows instead. Even the app drawer is much better with 3x3 layout instead of a list.

A swipe up from the bottom reveals notifications, a swipe from left to right brings up the Google Assistant whereas a swipe from right to left offers a glimpse into the daily activity such as a number of steps, calories burned, heart rate, and more. Overall, Oppo has done a good job is making important changes wherever it was necessary.

Now, having Wear OS means you get access to the apps on the Play Store. There aren’t many, but apps like Google Maps came in handy. On a bike ride to a new place, I started navigation on the phone and had an earphone connected for voice guidance. But when confused, I could stop on the roadside and lift my wrist to look for navigation on the small watch screen, without having to take my phone out. This is something I miss on the Samsung smartwatch.

Specifications and Performance: Gets the Basics Right

On the hardware side, the Oppo Watch is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform which is built on the 28nm process. This is coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB onboard storage. It is armed with a 430mAh battery which easily lasts for over two days on normal usage. Oppo has also added the VOOC Flash charge feature which charges the smartwatch from empty to 100% in just about an hour. In fact, even 20 minutes of charging ensures a full day’s worth usage.

The latest Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform, on the other hand, is made on 12nm, which should offer better performance and energy efficiency. However, considering that the Oppo Watch was to launch in February at MWC 2020, but got delayed due to COVID-19, there is nothing to nitpick, especially because 4100+ was launch in Q2 2020.

Purely talking from a performance point of view, the Oppo Watch is close to accurate in measuring the step count and heart rate. (I had a Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 strapped on to the other wrist, and both the Samsung and Oppo smartwatches measurement were close.) Even sleep tracking is on par, and there is nothing to complain about.

There is built-in GPS too, and when I went on my outdoor walks, I would leave my phone at home and just go wearing the watch. After coming back, it would then sync the data with the phone. The watch supports various workout modes like Cycling, Swimming, Fitness Runs, and more, but I could not test it all. I did dunk the watch in water for a few minutes, and it works without any issue, thanks to 5ATM water resistance.

Room for Improvement

There are a few things I would like to point though. Firstly, you need to install Wear OS and HeyTap Health apps on your smartphone to connect the Watch. Secondly, at times, I did notice some delay of 10–15 seconds in getting notifications on the smartwatch. It happens a few times every day, on select apps like Messages, Gmail, Outlook, and Teams to name a few. The Watch supports “Hey Google” voice assistant, but that never worked for me.

Conclusion: Oppo’s Best in the First Attempt

Wear OS platform has been around for a while now, and even though the likes of Motorola, Fossil, Skagen, and others have tried a hand at it, they haven’t been as impressive as the Oppo Watch. Though the Oppo Watch has left a few things to be desired. Firstly, the battery life could have been better. Secondly, if the built-in storage offered local MP3 song storage, that could have been better. There is Spotify support, but it only streams songs and does not allow local storage. But it’s the app problem on the platform, not an Oppo problem. Also, the occasional delay in notifications is another problem that Oppo needs to fix, which can be done via future software updates.