Hands-on: OnePlus Watch 2R is effectively the same great Wear OS smartwatch, just cheaper

Ben Schoon | Jul 16 2024 - 7:15 am PT

The OnePlus Watch 2 is a stellar Wear OS smartwatch, but apparently, it was overpriced. Today, OnePlus has announced the OnePlus Watch 2R, a $229 smartwatch that, from everything we can see, is effectively exactly the same as the device that launched a few months ago.

OnePlus Watch 2R and OnePlus Watch 2 are, on paper, virtually identical. They both have the same 1.43-inch OLED display (with a sapphire cover), the same Wear OS 4 and RTOS combo in the software, the same Snapdragon W5 chip, the same 2GB of RAM, the same 32GB of storage, and the same 500 mAh battery, the same charger, the same support for NFC, and the same 5ATM water resistance.

The only difference is in the design, and one spec. The OnePlus Watch 2R has a dual-frequency GPS setup that should prove a little more accurate and reliable. The design, meanwhile, has numbered accents around the display bezel and the asymmetrical design of Watch 2 is replaced by more traditional buttons jutting out of the right side of the Watch 2R.

OnePlus Watch 2R is also 25% lighter than the Watch 2, coming in at 37g without the wrist strap. The weight savings, and presumably a bunch of the cost savings, come from the switch from stainless steel on the Watch 2’s chassis to aluminum on the Watch 2R.

To me, the OnePlus Watch 2R has seemingly no reason to exist in the first place, but not only does it exist, but it’s somehow $70 cheaper than its predecessor.

By all accounts, it doesn’t make sense.

That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the OnePlus Watch 2R. I’ve only been able to play around with the hardware for a few minutes so far, but it feels solid just like the OnePlus Watch 2 did. There’s not really a single red flag here, because why would there be? This is the same smartwatch I loved a few months ago, just in a slightly different, more affordable casing. And, let me tell you, I would never be able to tell the difference between this aluminum Watch 2R and the stainless steel Watch 2 unless I had the spec sheets sitting right in front of me.

Realistically, the problem this smartwatch presents is that it begs the question of why you’d bother buying the regular OnePlus Watch 2. The 2R is cheaper and, technically, slightly better on the spec sheet where it matters. It’s truly bizarre to see a company effectively sabotage its 4-month old product by putting out a near-identical budget model, but that’s basically what’s happened here. Both smartwatches are still a good buy, but I can’t think of a single person I’d tell to bother with the Watch 2 at this point.

OnePlus Watch 2R is available starting today for $229, and OnePlus is throwing in an additional $30 off if you order through OnePlus.com before July 28. Buyers can also score 50% off of a spare strap or charger (yes, 2R uses the same brilliant charger as the Watch 2) or get the Watch 2R itself for 30% off when bundling in with a OnePlus Pad 2 or OnePlus 12, 12R, or OnePlus Open.