OnePlus Shrinks Watch 3 to 43 mm, Trades Battery, Sensors, and Sapphire Glass for a Slimmer Fit

The OnePlus Watch 3 43 mm is a smaller version of OnePlus’s well-reviewed smartwatch that came out this summer. The smaller size means that the battery life and health monitors are less useful.

The OnePlus Watch 3, which came out in the spring, got good reviews, but its size was a clear flaw. The first one came with a 47 mm case, which can be too big for wrists that aren’t very big.

There were calls for a smaller choice, and now the OnePlus Watch 3 43 mm comes along. The bigger watch weighed 49.7 grams, but the new model weighs only 37.8 grams. It has a 1.32-inch screen and a stainless steel case. The recommended retail price is 299 euros, which is a little less than the 47 mm Watch 3’s list price of 349 euros. However, the bigger model is already widely available for 299 euros.

It is waterproof up to 5 ATM and has the same IP68 grade as the 47 mm model, so you can wear it every day and swim in it. You can get it in silver steel with a light strap or black steel with a black strap.

I like how the small watch looks and feels better on my small wrist. It looks better on smaller faces, and it’s easy to wear every day with a slimmer shape.

The style is different in small but important ways besides the size of the screen. The 43 mm version doesn’t have the “bar” around the buttons on the side; instead, it has a smooth, round shape, with only the crown sticking out. That cuts down on accidental hits. The strap that comes with the 47 mm model is bent, but the strap that comes with this model is flat.

The 18 mm strap is stylish, comfy, flexible, and good for sports. It comes with a standard 18 mm clip, so you can use any band that fits.

The look of the watch is good, and the spinning crown makes it easy to use. The OLED has been lowered, which is a shame. LTPO is no longer around. Resolution stays at 466 x 466 pixels, the same as the bigger model, but peak brightness drops from 2200 nits to 1000 nits.

This is one of the worst cuts: the sapphire crystal. In the 43 mm, the sapphire in the bigger model has been replaced with regular glass, which is much easier to scratch.

Key specifications

Software and performance

Google’s Wear OS 5 runs on the watch, which lets you use common apps like Google Wallet to pay without touching your card reader and Google Maps to find your way. You can get more apps and watch faces from Google Play, and you can also use services like Spotify.

The Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor and the BES2800BP companion chip, which uses little power and runs simple tasks on an RTOS, are what make the phone work. Plus, 4 GB of eMMC is set aside for the RTOS. The watch has 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage.

When used every day, the watch works well, and Wear OS is easy to get used to.

OnePlus says it will provide two updates for Wear OS versions and security support for three years. This is a pretty short time frame for changes.

To set up, you need the Android-only OHealth app on your phone. People who have an iPhone shouldn’t buy the OnePlus Watch 3.

The app makes it easy to sync your health data, workout records, and settings, and it walks you through the process. The app works and is easy to use, but it doesn’t have all the tools that other platforms do. Notably, data is not saved up to the cloud, which makes moving it to a new phone difficult and time-consuming.

Health and fitness: pared down

Because it’s smaller, the sensors have to make some sacrifices. The 43 mm model doesn’t have the ECG, skin temperature sensor, or vascular health tracking that the bigger model does. The “60-second health check” is also taken away because it doesn’t have the right devices. In the bigger model, that function wasn’t necessary for a healthy user, but taking it away is still noticeable.

The fitness and health toolkit is mostly complete in every other way. Now that the watch only has one GPS radio, it may take longer to get a lock before a run. But when it does lock, the distance readings were the same as a Garmin Enduro 2 when I compared them, so the accuracy is fine.

It works with more than 100 sports modes. It’s not a sports watch, but it has all the features you need for workouts. Some running benefits are heart-rate zone guidance and ground contact time.

Heart rate readings from the wrist were mostly the same as those from the Enduro 2’s wrist sensor, but not as accurate as readings from a chest strap. Tracking sleep was reliable, and the results were the same as what Garmin showed. One of the health benefits is tracking your cycling.

Battery and charging

The 43 mm has a 354 mAh battery, while the 47 mm has a 631 mAh cell. In smart mode, the Watch 3 can last up to 60 hours, and in power-saving mode, it can last up to a week. In real life, with normal smart features turned on, the smaller model’s battery will last about two to three days, while the bigger model’s will last at least one or two days longer.

It charges quickly; ten minutes of charging gives you about a day’s worth of use. OnePlus’s own charging dock is needed to charge. It doesn’t work with Qi and can’t charge your phone wirelessly from the back.

Connectivity and compatibility

The watch supports Bluetooth 5.2, NFC for contactless payments, and Wi‑Fi 5. It does not support cellular networks or eSIMs, so online connectivity relies on Wi‑Fi when away from your phone.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Smaller case fits small wrists and broadens appeal.
• Still a capable and responsive smartwatch.
• Wide support for many sports modes.
• Decent, if reduced, battery life.

Cons

• Sapphire glass was removed compared with the base model.
• Wireless charging requires OnePlus’s proprietary dock.
• Inferior GPS performance due to a single antenna.
• No iOS compatibility.

Verdict

The OnePlus Watch 3 43 mm is mostly the same as the original base model. The smaller size is a good thing because it makes the watch easier for people with smaller hands to wear.

Like the bigger model, it has a nice look, good performance, simple crown-and-touch controls, a flexible Wear OS environment, and a lot of sport mode support.

But the smaller case called for giving in. In real life, the battery only lasts two to three days. GPS only has one receiver, so it can take longer to get a signal. The 60-second health check was taken away, along with the ECG and a number of devices. The screen’s LTPO goes down, its peak brightness goes down, and most importantly, the sapphire crystal has been switched out for regular glass. It also doesn’t work with iOS.

The 43 mm’s recommended price of 299 euros seems a bit high, especially since the bigger model can now be found for the same price. It’s better to get the original 47 mm Watch 3 if you don’t need the smaller size.