The Wear OS landscape is a lot more streamlined than it once was, especially since Fossil stepped away from the space. In order to make sure you chose the best timepiece for your lifestyle, we’re comparing two of the most prevalent players in the arena right now: the new OnePlus Watch 3 and Google‘s established Pixel Watch 3 line.
Both run on the latest build of Wear OS but approach the modern smartwatch experience from different angles. The OnePlus Watch improves on the impressive OnePlus Watch 2‘s existing strengths, in areas like design and battery life, while the Pixel Watch 3 focuses on choice, whether it be in terms of physical size, connectivity or tiered fitness capabilities.
That might be all you need to know to make a decision, but for those wanting a deeper dive into whether the OnePlus Watch 3 or the Google Pixel Watch 3 is the best Android smartwatch for you, read on.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs Pixel Watch 3: Price & Availability
Google was first to the table in this race, with the Pixel Watch 3 line making its way to customers starting September 10, 2024. The OnePlus Watch 3 didn’t launch until mid-February 2025 and faltered on of the starting block, after it was discovered that the initial swathe of units came with an embarrassing typo.
As a result, OnePlus decided to push the Watch 3’s ship date by a further two months, to April 2025. At the time of writing, OnePlus’ UK website cites April 15, specifically, but this exact date will likely vary based on your location.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
OnePlus Watch 3 (46mm) |
Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) |
Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
WiFi-only |
$329.99 / £319 |
$349.99 / £349 / AU$579 |
$399.99 / £399 / AU$669 |
|
4G LTE |
N/A |
$449.99 / £449 / AU$749 |
$499.99 / £499 / AU$839 |
A look at the table above and you’ll see just how much more choice Google is offering with its latest Pixel Watch line.
For one, the Pixel Watch 3 is the first in the series to come in two discreet sizes: a smaller 41mm and a larger 45mm version. What’s more, you also have the choice of a Bluetooth/WiFi-only model, or a 4G LTE cellular variant too, for use away from your connected smartphone. And that’s all before talking about colorways.
As for the OnePlus Watch 3, you get a single 46mm casing size (a smaller one is coming, but there’s no indication of when) and no cellular connectivity option to speak of, meaning you’ll need to keep your smartphone nearby to unlock the watch’s full feature set.
On the flip side, OnePlus comes with more aggressive pricing, undercutting the 41mm Pixel Watch 3’s starting price by $20 / £30 and the more comparably-sized 45mm variant by $70 / £80.
You’ll notice there’s no price comparison for Australian buyers and that’s because OnePlus has a rather stilted release cadence in the region. The OnePlus Watch 2 didn’t make it to Amazon Australia until September 2024 (months on from its international release), suggesting that if the Watch 3 does become available in Aus, it won’t be for a while yet, with pricing remaining unknown for now.
Overall, the OnePlus Watch 3 is the cheaper offering here, but you have far greater choice with the Pixel Watch 3; provided you can put up the extra cash it demands.
Note: At the time of writing, the Pixel Watch 3 41mm and 45mm are available with $60 / £70 off; bringing starting prices down to $289.99 / £279 and $339.99 / £329, respectively. Meanwhile, the OnePlus Watch 3 is also available with a £50 reduction in the UK, bringing the price down to £269.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs Pixel Watch 3: Design
While both smartwatches boast high-precision, high-quality design work, the OnePlus Watch 3 takes cues from more traditional timepiece aesthetics, while the Pixel Watch 3 adopts a more minimalist, almost futuristic look.
OnePlus’ watch flaunts some individuality, with a barrel that sits on the right side of the casing, playing host to a rotating crown on top and a button on the bottom; both angled to reduce the risk of snagging on or bumping against things with everyday wear.
It’s a durable timepiece too, with the display protected by flat sapphire crystal and surrounded by a titanium alloy bezel, set against the watch’s otherwise stainless steel casing. It’s also IP68-certified against dust and water ingress, swim-proof up to 5ATM and MIL-STD-810H (military standard) approved; able to withstand harsh shock and extreme temperatures.
The wraparound design of the Pixel Watch’s Gorilla Glass 5 frontage means it’s more susceptible to bumps and scrapes by comparison, while the rest of the bodywork is hewn from recycled aluminum. It shares in its rival’s IP68-certification, as well as 5ATM swim-proofing, but doesn’t come with the same MIL-STD-810H rating as OnePlus’, or indeed Samsung‘s latest Wear OS offerings.
OnePlus’ watch also trumps Google’s in terms of display, with a larger, sharper, brighter 1.5-inch AMOLED, compared to the 1.2 and 1.4-inch circular screens on the Pixel Watches, even if the difference isn’t chasmic.
Going by casing size alone, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that OnePlus’ watch is the biggest, heaviest entrant here. Weighing just shy of 50 grams (49.7g) without a strap, that’s a whole 13 grams more than the larger 45mm Pixel Watch (37g) and a notable 19 grams more than the smaller 41mm Pixel Watch 3 (31g).
As such, it should come as no surprise that if you have smaller wrists or you’re simply someone who likes an unobtrusive timepiece that goes unnoticed when you’re not looking at it, the size and weight of either Pixel Watch will better serve you.
If it’s practicality and superior durability you’re after, however, OnePlus has the edge; especially when you add in the fact that while the Pixel Watch relies on proprietary straps, while OnePlus’ timepiece is compatible with any standard 22mm watch band.
It’s worth noting that Pixel Watch 2 owners looking for an upgrade can use their Watch 2 bands with the 41mm Pixel Watch 3, but not the 45mm variant.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs Pixel Watch 3: Features
As mentioned up top, both smartwatches come running the latest Wear OS 5 experience, which means access to all the compatible apps from the Google Play Store you could wish for. Beyond that, there are some brand-exclusive features and a few additional hardware-based differences that might lead you to prefer one watch over the other.
The OnePlus Watch actually uses a ‘Dual-Engine’ architecture, which includes two operating systems: Wear OS and RTOS (Real-Time Operating System), which paired with the watch’s co-processor (more on that in a bit) maintains access to the majority of the watch’s native features and functions – save for Wear OS-specific experiences – in the pursuit of extending battery life.
Health tracking on OnePlus’ watch takes place through the OHealth app and the timepiece itself is equipped to log everything from heart rate, blood oxygen and sleep, to vascular health and wrist temperature. OnePlus’ Watch 3 even includes ECG functionality and a 60-second health check-in feature.
There’s also tracking for over 100 sports (compared to 40 on the Pixel), with support for 11 “professional” sport modes, which means more granular tracking for these specific activities, such as skiing, running, tennis, swimming, cycling, plus a few more.
Just as pairing the OnePlus Watch 3 with one of the best OnePlus phones unlocks remote camera control, so too does pairing a Pixel Watch 3 to a Pixel phone, there are more brand-exclusive features though.
The watch’s UWB (ultra-wideband) chip enables passcode-free unlocking of your phone (or a compatible BMW or Mini), there’s automated call screening, and Do Not Disturb, Bedtime Mode and Alarm synchronization is available with Pixel phones too.
Paired with the more established Fitbit ecosystem, the Pixel Watch 3 is better equipped to log a more holistic picture of your personal health and wellbeing.
Not only will many appreciate cycle tracking, which is absent on OnePlus’ watch, but when it debuted, the Pixel Watch 3’s Fitbit experience made formerly Premium features – like Daily Readiness Score – free to all users. The watch also logs Cardio Load and Target Load metrics, for better decisioning making on how, when and how hard to work out, as well as including a run-planner.
While OnePlus’ OHealth app is free from top to tail, Fitbit does still the option of that paid Premium tier; for those after additional functionality – like AI run-plan recommendations, deeper insights and pre-recorded fitness classes – if they’re willing to commit to an additional subscription.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs Pixel Watch 3: Performance & Battery Life
Like their respective predecessors, both watches leverage a dual-chip architecture, fronted by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 silicon. The OnePlus Watch 3 falls back to a BES2800BP for powering RTOS, while the Pixel Watch 3 defaults to an older Cortex M33 co-processor, and the resultant difference is significant.
While both watches feel perfectly fast and fluid during everyday wear, the OnePlus Watch 3’s ability to revert to RTOS grants it huge battery gains, without sacrificing key functionality (the display remains in color, fitness tracking and smartphone notifications continue to function etc.).
The Pixel Watch 3 is rated for 24-hours of normal use on a charge, with 36-hours use possible when relying on Battery Saver mode (with heart rate tracking enabled). However, even in the OnePlus Watch’ 3s full-featured Smart Mode, you can expect five days of wear before needing to recharge and up to 16 days in Power Saver mode, again, with heart rate tracking enabled.
As for recharging, while both watches fully replenish in under 90 minutes, the OnePlus Watch 3 does also boast a 10-minute fast charge, that should deliver a day of use.
Independent testing has revealed that you get greater heart rate accuracy out of the Pixel Watch 3, closer to that of a chest-worn strap; something keen runners and those that prioritize smartwatch metrics in their usage, might want to consider.
OnePlus Watch 3 vs Pixel Watch 3: Conclusion
The Pixel Watch 3 is the superior choice for runners, existing Fitbit users, those after more holistic health and wellbeing tracking, those with smaller wrists, those who need menstrual cycle tracking or those who want cellular connectivity.
For everyone else, the OnePlus Watch 3 covers just as many bases, supports more fitness tracking modes, boasts a hardier design with support for any 22mm watch strap, walks all over the Pixel Watch in terms of battery life, and it notably costs less.
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alex.walker-todd@futurenet.com (Alex Walker-Todd)
