After years of rumors, we’re expecting the OnePlus Watch to appear in the not-too-distant future – but according to a well-placed tipster it won’t be running the Google Wear OS software when it does arrive.
Max Jambor, who has been right in the past with advance OnePlus information, took to Twitter to reveal that the upcoming wearable will not be a Wear OS device, as had been expected considering the partnership with OnePlus and Google on Android.
Of course this isn’t official yet, but it would be an interesting move from OnePlus, and a blow for Google. There are some decent Wear OS watches on the market, but there’s certainly plenty of room for more as well.
We’re assuming that OnePlus will indeed develop its own bespoke software for the OnePlus Watch, in the same way that other manufacturers like Samsung, Garmin and Fitbit have done up to this point.
Watch this space
We were originally expecting to see the OnePlus Watch in October, but that launch date got pushed back: production or software issues may have been to blame, which wouldn’t be a surprise given the ongoing global pandemic.
It’s been a busy year for OnePlus, with the OnePlus 8T just one of several phones that the manufacturer has pushed out this year. If work on the wearable has had to be put on the backburner for a period of time then that would be perfectly understandable.
Other rumors point to a round display for the upcoming wearable, so think more along the lines of a Samsung Galaxy Watch rather than an Apple Watch. At the moment the market is pretty evenly split between round and rectangular designs.
OnePlus itself hasn’t confirmed that it has a smartwatch on the way, although this tweet would seem to suggest that’s the case. If and when a OnePlus-branded wearable arrives to go with the company’s smartphones and television sets, we’ll let you know.
