Oppo is a brand you will recognize for their range of mobile phones such as the Oppo A15 and the Find X3 range which we reviewed the Find X3 Lite, Find X3 Neo & Find X3 Pro. However, Oppo also provides devices in the wearable market and we had the chance to review the Oppo Band recently but in this review, we got to spend some time with the Oppo Watch which comes in two sizes 41mm & 46mm and cost from £276 depending on the size and colour of the watch you select.
First Impressions
The one thing you will think when you get to see this watch is it really looks like an Apple Watch. Oppo has taken the Oppo watch up a notch with a curved display and it uses the Wear OS by Google platform which if we are honest has not really changed over the years but that is not a massive issue. It still allows you to do the following:
- Message notifications & Quick reply
- Online Music
- Mobile Payments
- Locate your phone
- 24-hour heart monitoring
- Exercise tracking
The Oppo watch has fantastic functionality from a watch. It comes with fitness and health features that will find so useful. Unfortunately, there is a slight issue and that is the battery life but more on that later in the review. Overall if you like a watch suited to android users but looks like an Apple watch but with a curved display you won’t be disappointed. Let’s take a closer look at this watch.
Design
So as mentioned the Oppo Watch side by side to my Apple watch looks very similar and some people might not be able to tell the difference the key difference is that curved display. However, everything else from the body, fascia and even straps are identical. Designing the watch based on a winning formula is not the worst idea but Oppo has taken it up a notice in my view.
Apple Watch SE (Left) vs Oppo Watch (Right)
In this review, we got to test the 41mm version but you can purchase the 46mm Wi-Fi version of the watch. The weight of this watch is very lightweight at only 29.7g and has an aluminium frame. The dimensions of this watch are 35mm x 11mm x 41mm which just goes to show the watch is not massive but when big enough to use every day without any issues. Colour-wise the Oppo watch comes in two main colours black which is the watch am reviewing and also a silver mist colour.
In terms of size, I felt Oppo has done a good job in including most people who are looking for a watch but if you have larger arms worry the watch might look a little small. It comes with a rubber band that has a good number of holes that will cover most wrist sizes. I found putting the watch on a little fiddly as some of the holes are very close to the watch itself if you have smaller wrists.
Also in regards to the design, the Oppo watch has a loudspeaker positioned on the left side and moving over to the right side you have two buttons that add with the navigation. The top button opens up that list of apps on the watch where the second button that has a subtle green accent on it launches the fitness suite for easy access.
Finally, the watch is water-resistant and can handle being taken into the pool for your fitness session and can be submerged up to 50m underwater. This is good in a swimming pool but maybe not so advised on the sea due to the saltwater aspect.
Display
The Oppo watch really does shine in this area in my opinion it comes with AMOLED 1.6” display that offers 320 x360 pixels. The glass actually curves on the sides and they use Gorilla Glass 3 for that protection element. We found the text and icons to be sharp and clear without seeing any individual pixels at normal viewing distances.
The AMOLED offering provides colours on the watch that are vibrant and really do stand out. You can also change the level of brightness the watch comes with 5 levels of brightness to pick from.
Performance
For years Andriod wearables have always come second best to that Apple’s creations in regards to performance. However, the Oppo watch is doing something different in that regard it actually performs very well.
First up is the Qualcomm Snapdragon wear 3100 and also an Ambiq Apollo 3 chipset for that complete functionality. I know what you are thinking the Snapdragon wear 3100 is not the most up to date chipset but still performs very well.
The wear OS normally takes a lot of the RAM and it’s a good job the Oppo Watch comes with 8GB. This offering provides a smooth and responsive experience something not always said with other watches that use the Wear OS by google system.
The responsive experience leads to the fact it wakes up quickly from sleep and responds fast when swiping and the load time is quick. The Oppo Watch does not just use the Wear OS it also uses Color OS on top which uses the Oppo mobile colour scheme. The app drawer comes with a 3×3 grid of round icons.
When using the WearOS swipe the screen to the left for google assistant, swipe upwards for notifications and swipe right for widgets which include the sound profiles, theatre mode, lock, flashlight mode, find my phone and brightness control and all the icons are easy to recognise.
The Oppo Watch also comes with a handful of faces and just like the Apple watch you can select what is shown in terms of fitness tracking, weather or battery options. However, the Wear OS can be a little restricted as comparing the watch to my Apple watch as it doesn’t increase the functionality of your phone as the Apple Watch does.
Fitness
When buying a smartwatch most people will buy it for the fitness features and tracking and the Oppo watch does not disappoint. On the rear of the watch of has a heart rate monitor that regularly monitors the pulse and keeps tracking and will alert you if your heart is racing or you receive any unusual readings.
The watch also uses GPS to track the results of any outdoor exercise such as cycling. This is paired with Google Fit has just under a hundred different exercise tracking options such as swimming, tennis, football and even a few sports you would not expect like paddle boarding and kite surfing which seems quite popular on the Essex coast where I live. Just remember salt water is not your friend with this watch.
It also has a series of 5-minute workouts ideal for the morning to get you going you have the following workouts:
- Morning Energiser
- Get Moving
- Full body workout
- Fat Blaster
- Bedtime Stretches
The Oppo watch also works well with the HeyTap Health app which helps with fitness routines such as an outdoor cycling routine, fat burn run, fitness run to name just a few. If you follow the instructions you will set your target heart rate and this works well as an additional app. I found when using the watch with the HeyTap Health it worked well in partnership with the watches heart rate monitoring and the pedometer seemed to work well and provided accurate results.
Once you have finished all that exercise the watch does not stop it also provides sleep tracking functionality it gives you an insight into your sleeping patterns between light and deep sleep and will monitor sleep from 8 pm to 10 am sorry students it won’t cover you for them epic lazy days,
Finally, the watch also can be used to answer calls when linked to your phone and call quality worked really well plus you get to look like a spy when talking into your watch. The only slight issue you might face is the volume can be a little on the low side but just move the watch closer to your face to solve this issue.
Battery Life
The Oppo Watch is a great offering but the battery life is a real disappointment it comes with a 300mAh battery and we found with light use you will get under 24 hours of use. Considering Oppo say you can get 36 hours I really don’t see how that happens.
You will have to charge the watch every evening and if you don’t have that issue then the watch is well worth considering. When it’s time to charge you get the Oppo VOOC flash charging which will fully charge in just 75 minutes or a 15-minute charge gives you 46%. You need to use the supplied cradle as wireless charging is not an option.
There is also a Power Saver mode which will give you an additional 20 days of battery life but I did not have the time to look into this fully but it did help a little when you need to gain a few additional hours.
When in power saver mode it will continue to show the time, count steps and handle simple notifications but at a lower refresh rate.
Verdict
The Oppo Watch is perfect for someone looking for a quality smartwatch that runs on the Wear OS by Google set up. The performance of this watch is second to none and I change you to find a watch designed for android that will offer better notification management.
I would also recommend this watch for the fitness offerings from heart rate tracking, mini workouts and sleep tracking this watch provides a lot to the user. When not exercising being able to take calls and using google pay when out and about this watch is more than just a gym buddy.
In terms of cost, I feel it’s a slight negative as when you consider other watches that track your health and fitness are available at much lower price points and have the same features.
Other negatives people might consider are the design and the fact it likes just like an Apple watch if you want something a bit more unique looking I suggest you look elsewhere.
Last but not least the battery life might put some users off if they are used to a Fitbit which offers longer battery life but if you have no issue at bedtime to put the watch in its charge cradle to charge overnight you won’t have any real concerns.
So apart from looking just like an Apple watch, this is a very good attempt in the wearable market. I would highly recommend this watch considering the hardware/software partnership and the fact it comes with an excellent design makes it easy to recommend. As mentioned if you can live with the limited battery life you will be very pleased with your purchase.
Product Rating:
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Display: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Battery & Connectivity: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Performance: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Health & Fitness tracking: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars – 4.5 Stars
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