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I still recommend this OnePlus Watch over competing Androids - especially at this price

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Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Enter the code JUNE25 at OnePlus' website to save $70 on the OnePlus Watch 2.

When OnePlus announced the OnePlus Watch in 2021, I immediately placed an order because the hardware looked compelling and was priced at $159. After a few weeks, I returned the device due to its sheer lack of offering anything of value.

The original OnePlus Watch was powered by the Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), which was perfectly fine, as many smartwatches run lean and mean. However, last year's OnePlus Watch 2 takes things to the next level by offering RTOS and Wear OS 4 on a single watch with a dual-engine architecture. With this unique approach, the device is one of the most efficient Wear OS watches available today, with longer battery life than any other Google Wear OS device or Apple Watch.

Also: I recommend OnePlus' lateset flagship phone over the S25 Ultra - here's why

In addition to a powerful operating system strategy, OnePlus has created one of the most elegant smartwatches available. The device incorporates stainless steel in the watch body, a 2.5D smooth sapphire crystal watch face, and a durable silicone watch band. The right-side buttons are stylishly incorporated into the bezel, with a round button on top and an oval one on the bottom.

The OnePlus Watch 2 is built to meet 5 ATM water resistance and has an IP68 rating, so you can wear it without worrying about swimming and other outdoor adventures. In addition, the device has been built to satisfy MIL-STD-810H standards, so it beats out even the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

OnePlus states the watch will last for 100 hours in Smart Mode, 48 hours with heavy use, and up to 12 days in power-saver mode. It has a 500mAh battery. In my two weeks of testing, I could wear the watch 24/7 and charge it up every three to four days. I wore the device for running and walking with GPS tracking turned on, indoor rowing for active heart-rate tracking, and more.

The battery will be consumed faster with the always-on display mode enabled. But as I found the lift-to-wake feature performed well, I kept the always-on display turned off when I first tested it.

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