Forget The Pixel Watch 4, This Is The Wear OS Watch I’m Looking Forward To The Most

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

While the Pixel Watch 4 is generating plenty of buzz, the Wear OS watch I’m actually looking forward to the most is a potential OnePlus Watch 3R. The Watch 2R showed up about six months after the OnePlus Watch 2. If the current generation follows the same pattern, we should be seeing a 3R soon. With tariffs driving up prices across the board, a well-priced budget smartwatch (that doesn’t compromise on essentials) is more appealing than ever.

Still relatively fresh off my review of the OnePlus Watch 3, I’m itching to see the company launch a budget model follow-up. Last year, the OnePlus Watch 2R landed at $229, instantly making it one of the most affordable Wear OS watches available. What was most impressive, though, was how little OnePlus sacrificed to hit that price point.

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

The 2R keeps the same powerful dual-chip architecture found in the company’s flagship model, and during my review, that translated to solid performance and fantastic multi-day battery life (more than twice the Pixel Watch 3). While I hope to see battery life improvements on the Pixel Watch 4, I do not anticipate Google catching up to OnePlus quite yet. The Watch 2R also boasts a symmetrical, circular design that I find much more attractive than the odd shape of the Watch 2. Built from lightweight aluminum, it doesn’t feel cheap on the wrist, and the buttons make more sense than the 2’s non-functional rotating crown.

OnePlus Watch 2R offers a robust user experience and fantastic battery life at a very attractive price.

That isn’t to say the 2R was perfect. It launched with an older version of Wear OS and lacks LTE. Yet, if a OnePlus Watch 3R is on the way, I’m hoping OnePlus sticks to the formula that made the 2R such a sleeper hit, with some improvement. In short, I’m looking for a competitive price that undercuts premium Wear OS rivals, a clean and functional design (hopefully bringing back the symmetrical case), and most importantly, the same unmatched battery life.

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

There’s also plenty of room for OnePlus to improve its affordable lineup. For starters, the Pixel Watch 3 introduced a second case size to Google’s smartwatch roster, and the Pixel Watch 4 is likely to maintain that offering. OnePlus can feel oversized on smaller wrists, so offering a second case size would broaden the line’s appeal.

I want to see the OnePlus Watch 3R land with LTE support and mulitple case sizes.

I’d also love to see the 3R launch with the latest version of Wear OS out of the box, instead of lagging behind like the 2R. Paying for outdated software is a tough pill to swallow, especially when the Pixel Watch 4 will almost certainly ship with the newest version.

Likewise, OnePlus needs to refine its health and fitness tracking. At launch, the Watch 3’s ECG support wasn’t certified for use in the U.S. or Canada, effectively nullifying the company’s new “60-Second Health Check-In” feature in key markets. Hopefully, those certifications are sorted out before a potential 3R arrives so users can access all of the device’s features right out of the box.

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Finally, I’m crossing my fingers we will see LTE support added to the lineup, though that may be a long shot on a budget-friendly model. Thanks to LTE on the Pixel Watch line, I can head out without my phone, making Google’s watches highly convenient. If OnePlus were to offer even optional LTE on the 3R, it would instantly make the watch a more competitive daily driver.

Rumors about a potential Watch 3R are sparse, but I’m still hopeful.

With all of that said, we’ve yet to hear any concrete rumors about a OnePlus Watch 3R on the horizon. That doesn’t mean it isn’t coming; it just might not be anytime soon. If a launch was imminent, we’d have heard some murmuring by now. The OnePlus Watch 2R quietly proved that a budget Wear OS watch doesn’t have to feel like a compromise. If OnePlus keeps that momentum going with the 3R, it could go toe-to-toe with the Pixel Watch 4.