- A device called the OnePlus Watch was discovered on a government website.
- A former OnePlus employee has also confirmed the company's interest in a smartwatch.
The "OnePlus Watch" was recently discovered in a listing on a government website. People at 91Mobile discovered an IMDA (Infocomm Media Development Authority) certification, in which the smartwatch was described with its name and model number "W301GB". Now, TechRadar claims to have spoken to a former OnePlus employee who has more or less confirmed that the company is serious about the smartwatch business.
In a one-line statement on the release, the unnamed source said OnePlus "has been actively looking for a smartwatch for a year". While this does not confirm the existence of the so-called OnePlus watch, it certainly adds weight to the regulatory listing that we have confirmed on the IMDA website. Check out a screenshot below.
Rumors of a OnePlus smartwatch aren't too surprising. As early as 2016, the company confirmed that it not only had plans for a smartwatch, but actually a finished smartwatch.
"We finished the design, but we decided to scrap it anyway. We have to concentrate, "said OnePlus CEO Pete Lau at the time. In fact, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei even brought out some scrapped sketches for a OnePlus watch that said, "What could have been, but never will be."
Now, more than ever, seems like a good time for OnePlus to announce a smartwatch. The sister company Oppo has just presented its first smartwatch with Wear OS technology - the Oppo Watch - which achieved full marks in our test. It is powered by the Snapdragon Wear 3100 which is not the latest and greatest. However, if OnePlus could get a Snapdragon 4100 + WearOS combo, it could have a successful smartwatch in its hands.
Right now, OnePlus is very quiet about its smartwatch plans. We hope to hear something when the company unveils its rumored OnePlus 8T flagships later this year.
also read: The best smartwatches you can buy right now