Oppo has announced international launch plans for its first smartwatch, the Oppo Watch. The device launched in China earlier this year with a custom version of Android, but Oppo is shipping the global model with Google’s Wear operating system on board.
Oppo describes the Oppo Watch as the world’s first smart watch with a dual-curved display, meaning the OLED panel curves at two edges like many of the company’s phones. It is available in 46mm and 41mm sizes with optional LTE connectivity on the larger model. The 430 mAh battery charges in 75 minutes and fills halfway in 15.
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I’ve already tried the Chinese version of the Oppo Watch and found that the hardware is pretty good, but it’s impossible to avoid the fact that it looks a lot like an Apple Watch. As I wrote at the time:
Overall, I think this watch looks good in a vacuum, but there’s no way around it – people are going to think you’re wearing an Apple Watch, or they’ll find you’re wearing something that looks like an Apple Watch. It is up to you if that is what you want from your bracelet.
I liked what Oppo did with the software in the Chinese version, including some of the built-in apps. Wear OS will certainly be an improvement in terms of making the device useful outside of China, but we’ll have to see if Oppo has been able to replicate the same functionality with less control over the operating system.
Oppo says the watch will launch starting today in select markets, but has not given extensive details on where and when exactly that will be. However, we do have pricing information for a couple of key regions. In the UK, the 46mm Oppo Watch will cost £ 369 ($ 484) and the 41mm will be £ 229 ($ 300), while in India it will be Rs. 19,990 ($ 267) for the 46mm and 14,990 ($ 200) for the 41mm.
