The recent torrent of negative reviews is uncharted territory for OnePlus. The company’s phones have been critical and cult favourites for years, but the OnePlus Watch has not followed suit.
The company is hoping to temper those assessments of its £149 smartwatch by bringing a pretty standard smartwatch feature – an always-on display – in a future update. OnePlus has announced a roadmap of new features and improvements following the poor reception, starting with an update rolling out in the coming days.
In a post on the community forums, the company said it has received “valuable feedback and suggestions”, which is a nice way of saying it has taken a bit of a kicking from users.
The initial update, will bring “Improved GPS performance, Improved accuracy of activity, tracking (walking and running), Optimized heart rate monitoring algorithm, Enabled notification app icons for the most frequently used apps, Improved raise-to-wake function, Optimized notification syncing algorithm, Fixed some known bugs, Improved system stability.”
Once that update has rolled out, OnePlus will turn its focus to adding more features, such as the aforementioned always-on display.
Related: Ditching Wear OS is the right call for OnePlus
Other forthcoming features include a remote camera control for Android phones, a 12-hour time format (remarkably missing from a watch), new languages, a full range of 110+ workout modes and a new AI watch face.
OnePlus is encouraging more feedback from users as it seeks to optimise and improve its first wearable device. There, users have left a laundry list of improvements they’re hoping to see from the company, so it has its work cut out.
We’re yet to publish our full review of the OnePlus Watch, but have gone hands-on with the device. The company initially piqued our interest with promises of long battery life, IP68 water resistance and a large watch face. Eyebrows were raised at the decision not to use Wear OS, with the company choosing to go with its own proprietary software instead.
Our own Tom Deehan thinks it’s a good move though. In a recent column, he wrote: “I can’t see Wear OS making great strides in 2021 – with the exception of updated hardware – and so OnePlus undoubtedly made the right call in carving out its own path. The only problem now is whether or not the OnePlus Watch can be a jack of all trades and take the other best smartwatches to task.”
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
