{"id":415320,"date":"2026-04-24T14:21:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/415320\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T14:21:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:21:16","slug":"as-a-oneplus-watch-3-user-im-not-upgrading-to-the-watch-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/415320\/","title":{"rendered":"As a OnePlus Watch 3 user, I\u2019m not upgrading to the Watch 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The OnePlus Watch 4 just made a slightly surprising debut<\/a>, stepping in as the company\u2019s latest smartwatch without much lead-up. I\u2019ve been using the OnePlus Watch 3 for more than a year, and it\u2019s still one of my top recommendations for anyone shopping the Wear OS market. Between its excellent battery life, consistently smooth performance, and Apple-like rotating crown, it\u2019s an easy device to live with day to day.<\/p>\n

Which is probably why the Watch 4\u2019s arrival lands a bit flat. As a OnePlus Watch 3<\/a> owner, I don\u2019t see myself upgrading this time around. There just aren\u2019t enough reasons to replace what\u2019s already working so well on my wrist.<\/p>\n

Would you upgrade from the OnePlus Watch 3 to the Watch 4?<\/p>\n

44 votes<\/p>\n

Yes.<\/p>\n

9%<\/p>\n

No, I’d stick with my Watch 3.<\/p>\n

70%<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t purchase from the OnePlus lineup.<\/p>\n

16%<\/p>\n

Maybe after reviews.<\/p>\n

5%<\/p>\n

One size does not fit all<\/p>\n

\"Someone<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Before even getting into performance or battery life, the first disappointment of the OnePlus Watch 4 launch is that OnePlus stuck with a single, oversized case again. Like the previous model, it measures around 47mm.<\/p>\n

The lack of a smaller option was one of my biggest complaints about the OnePlus Watch 3, so I was genuinely excited when the company introduced a 43mm version<\/a> months later. Since I already owned the flagship, though, I didn\u2019t bother picking up a second model. Instead, I assumed the fourth generation would finally offer two sizes at launch.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n

I would have jumped at the chance to pick up the OnePlus Watch 4 in a smaller case, especially for workouts and sleep tracking, where the Watch 3 feels bulky on my wrist. The newest generation refines the hardware with a 13% lighter and 6% thinner titanium build, plus I appreciate the more premium finish. Unfortunately, it\u2019s just not enough of a change to justify a purchase, especially when the overall size and wearability remain mostly the same.<\/p>\n

Battery life isn\u2019t a reason to upgrade either<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

On the flip side, my favorite thing about the OnePlus Watch 3 is its fantastic battery life. It\u2019s one of the few smartwatches I can wear for days without thinking about charging, and that alone makes it easy to recommend over most Wear OS alternatives. On paper, the OnePlus Watch 4 specs are essentially unchanged. The battery capacity lands in the same range, and the dual-engine setup that drives its efficiency is still doing the heavy lifting.<\/p>\n

Real-world expectations follow suit, with the same five-day endurance in smart mode and 16 days in power saver listed on the spec sheet. These are great stats, but if I already have one of the best battery experiences available on a smartwatch, there\u2019s not much incentive to jump ship for the same thing again.<\/p>\n

Still no next-gen silicon\n<\/p>\n

\"OnePlus\"OnePlus<\/p>\n

The biggest drawback of the OnePlus Watch 4 is that it sticks with the same Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 platform as the OnePlus Watch 3 (and even the Watch 2). There\u2019s no move to newer wearable silicon, and more importantly, no jump to Qualcomm\u2019s Snapdragon Wear Elite platform<\/a>, which is exactly where this generation should have gone.<\/p>\n

Snapdragon Wear Elite represents a meaningful step forward for smartwatches, offering significantly faster CPU and graphics performance alongside a more advanced, efficient architecture. In practical terms, that means quicker app launches and smoother interactions across the board. It also introduces a dedicated on-device AI engine capable of handling more advanced processing directly on the watch. For users, that means smarter voice features and more adaptive, contextual insights.<\/p>\n

\"Qualcomm<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have any real complaints about the OnePlus Watch 3\u2019s performance, but it also feels a bit capped. Moving to Snapdragon Wear Elite would have given the Watch 4 more headroom for future Wear OS features and a longer runway overall. The newer platform is also designed to be more efficient, which could have pushed battery life even further beyond what the Watch 3 already delivers.<\/p>\n

In that same vein, the OnePlus Watch 4 still doesn\u2019t offer LTE, which feels increasingly out of step with the rest of the smartwatch market. That\u2019s another way this model could have pulled away from its predecessor.<\/p>\n

Wear OS 6 is nice, but again, not a reason to upgrade<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

One area where the OnePlus Watch 4 does move ahead is software. It launches with Wear OS 6 out of the box, bringing a more polished interface, smoother animations, and deeper integration with newer Google features (such as Gemini).<\/p>\n

The catch is that the OnePlus Watch 3 is expected to get the same update (though timing is always a guessing game). Because both watches run on the same Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 platform, the day-to-day experience is likely to feel very similar across both models once the update lands on the Watch 3. That makes this feel more like early access than a standout upgrade.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be sticking with my OnePlus Watch 3<\/p>\n

\"oneplus<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The OnePlus Watch 4 isn\u2019t lacking features, but it doesn\u2019t add anything meaningfully new. Most of the upgrades come down to materials, minor refinements, and software that the OnePlus Watch 3 will eventually get anyway. With the same chip, similar battery performance, and an unchanged overall experience, the OnePlus Watch 4 doesn\u2019t give me a reason to replace what\u2019s already on my wrist. If anything, it just reinforces how well the Watch 3 still holds up.<\/p>\n

To be fair, the OnePlus Watch 4 does look like a great option for new buyers. It offers one of the best battery experiences on a Wear OS watch, Wear OS 6, and a design that feels more premium this time around. If you\u2019re jumping into the ecosystem for the first time, it checks a lot of the right boxes.<\/p>\n

But for OnePlus Watch 3 users who were hoping for a major leap forward, this isn\u2019t it.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n

\"google\"google<\/a><\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of our community. Read our\u00a0Comment Policy<\/a> before posting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority The OnePlus Watch 4 just made a slightly surprising debut, stepping in as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[203,61,60,980,34299,5065,80,3926],"class_list":{"0":"post-415320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-oneplus","12":"tag-oneplus-watch","13":"tag-smartwatches","14":"tag-technology","15":"tag-wearables"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}