OnePlus Watch May Get Always-On Display Feature via OTA Update

OnePlus Watch may soon be getting the always-on display (AOD) feature through an over-the-air (OTA) update. OnePlus Watch made its debut two weeks ago, on March 23. The smartwatch is currently listed at an introductory price of Rs. 14,999 on the OnePlus India website. OnePlus has revealed in a blog that although AOD is a much-requested feature, it could increase the power consumption by up to 50 percent. OnePlus’ first-ever smartwatch packs a lot of features including SpO2 monitoring, sedentary reminders, and rapid heart rate alerts.

OnePlus Watch was launched alongside the company’s latest flagship smartphones – the OnePlus 9 series. The company shared in a blog post late last month that the AOD feature was requested by many users. “We are currently looking at things like how it impacts power consumption and are evaluating the possibility to bring this feature in a future OTA,” Raymond Z., product manager at OnePlus explained in the post. OnePlus also said that they have worked on optimising the display architecture and increased the frame rate from 30fps to 50fps.

OnePlus Watch specifications

The smartwatch comes with a host of features, including seamless connectivity with other smartphones and the OnePlus TV. The watch features a circular display with 2.5D curved glass protection. It can also double as the remote control for OnePlus TV and automatically detect if you’ve fallen asleep and turn off the TV in 30 minutes.

OnePlus Watch packs over 110 workout models. The wearable also offers features like SpO2 oxygen saturation monitoring, stress detection, breathing tracker, rapid heart rate alerts, and sedentary reminders. It also supports standalone GPS and Bluetooth. It comes with 5ATM water resistance along with an IP68-certified build for dust and water resistance. OnePlus Watch packs a 405mAh battery that supports Warp Charge fast charging. The wearable can deliver a week’s battery life with just 20 minutes of charge and last up to 24 hours with five minutes of charge.

According to the OnePlus India website, the smartwatch is yet to go on sale in India. There is a ‘Notify me‘ button that buyers can use to get notified when the smartwatch goes on sale.

Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, has a double bill this week: the OnePlus 9 series, and Justice League Snyder Cut (starting at 25:32). Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.