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Earlier this year, OnePlus announced its latest addition to the Wear OS family with the Watch 3. This new watch immediately impressed as on the best options for Android users. One of the few negatives is that some users with smaller wrists found the 46mm size to be a bit cumbersome.
The company has a history of taking feedback to heart and that results in this review of the new Watch 3…43mm edition.
Design
The design here is simple. Take the fantastic hardware of the previous Watch 3 and shrink it. That’s pretty much the deal. You have the same stainless steel construction with the digital crown and single button to the right side. The biggest alteration is the overall 43mm size and smaller screen.
It’s also thinner and lighter, lending to a more nimble feel on the wrist. The strap size is slimmed as well, from 22mm to a svelte 18mm option. This makes the new, smaller Watch 3 feel even tinier on the wrist. It really rounds out the profile of the 43mm Watch 3 to look smaller than it is while wearing. You can tell that OnePlus thought about how this is most likely going to be worn by smaller people.
“The new 43mm OnePlus Watch 3 delivers the same outstanding battery life and robust health tracking of its larger sibling, now in a perfectly sized, more nimble form factor.”
Internals and Sensors
All this stays the same as the Watch 3 big edition. You get the dual processing engine of the Snapdragon W5 for all things Wear OS, while the BES2800 handles all the minimal tasks and background pings. This efficient combination makes for one of the most well-rounded experiences you’ll find on Google’s wearable foundation.
While the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm is one of the best looking smartwatches you’ll find, OnePlus has packed a ton of health sensors into this packaging. You have all the normal fitness options you’d expect like optical heart rate, pulse, temperature, GPS, and barometer. This smartwatch is built for tracking your health and fitness.
Daily Use and Wear OS
All this means nothing if these readings and processing power don’t come through for you in real time. Happily, this isn’t an issue. Just as with its sibling, the new Watch 3 excelled in daily wear using Wear OS and in the gym for me.
Wear OS is snappy and sips power when not in use behind the BES2800. I’ve been critical in the past of Android-based watches, but a few days with the OnePlus models will truly make you reconsider if you’ve felt the same over the years. I also had forgotten how satisfying using the digital crown to scroll through the interface is to use. Bringing this back on these two models is a giant plus for OnePlus.
Fitness and health have also seen huge improvements. We covered most of this in the main OnePlus Watch 3 review, and all that still holds up with the 43mm variant. The new 60-second check-in, GPS tracking, and daily health features are all still here and accurate. OnePlus can easily hold its ground in metrics tracking to the gold standards of Garmin and Fitbit with the Watch 3.
The OHealth app continues to improve as well. The layout is intuitive with all the major categories you’d expect like workout history, step counts, calories burned, and women’s menstrual tracking. I like that it also focuses on stress levels, and the 60-second check-in is a nice feature of a quick snapshot of your current vitals that I haven’t really seen from the competition.
I would like to see OHealth add some better insights and possibly a “ready to train” or “body battery” to those that work out multiple times a week. Having a small trigger to tell you to rest, or even go a little harder on a light week, is a feature you often see in the space. It’s a small addition, but overall really impresses on the progression of the OHealth app.
Battery Life
The most impressive feature of the first OnePlus Watch 3 was the five-day battery life. When competitors like the Apple and Pixel Watches are advertising basically 24 hours, this life reliefs OnePlus users of such a burden. It also allows you to properly use features like sleep tracking with no reservations. The smaller size of the 43mm Watch 3 does take a toll on endurance, it’s not by much.
I’ve been getting around three days of usage per charge on the Watch 3 43mm edition. Depending on specifically how much I use GPS when logging walks or runs, it might be a little less on those days. This is still more than respectable and thanks to the fast charging puck, you can easily curb any battery anxiety with a few minutes while in the shower.
Final Thoughts
Awarded to products with an average rating of 3.75 stars or higher, the AndroidGuys Smart Pick recognizes a balance of quality, performance, and value. It stands out in design, innovation, and user experience, delivering great functionality at a competitive price.
OnePlus has been on a grind that deserves more praise since late 2024. The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm edition shows that they have their ear to the loyal consumers of their brand. The company is slowly filling the voids in its lineup to make sure there’s a device for everyone. The new Watch 3 offers the same build, outstanding battery life, and growing health tracking in a smaller form factor.
What are you waiting on? Head to OnePlus now to get your small Watch 3. It’s available in two colors: Black Steel and Silver Steel. If the larger 46mm edition is too large, it’s a no-brainer at $299. Just buy it. If you act between July 8 through July 31, then US buyers will get $50 off when trading in any eligible device in any condition.
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