OPPO Watch 41mm review - TrOPPO disappointed ...
When OPPO Watch was also presented for the Italian market, I do not hide the fact that I was curious to try it and I was willing to shell out the money for the purchase from my own pocket, also thanks to the first reviews that were on YouTube. Fortunately, an alternative way to try it has opened up and in hindsight I can say, LESS BAD, because I saved some good money. So I'll tell you the reason for my statement, analyzing the various aspects of the wearable in this complete review.
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![OPPO - 46 mm Smartwatch, 1,91 "AMOLED screen, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, 1GB + 8GB, WiFi, Wear OS by Google, VOOC Quick Charge Function [Italy Version], Black Color](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41xNR7P7WqS._SL160_.jpg)
The sales package of OPPO Watch clearly refers to the best known Apple Watch, although the style of the Chinese brand is quite recognizable. Inside, however, in addition to the watch with the strap already applied, we find only the manuals and the base with magnetic pogo pins for charging the device. A breadboard poco graceful and that does not reflect the elegant lines of the wearable. But above all I was blown away by the supplied strap, made of fluorinated rubber, not so much for the material but for the fact that in terms of measurement on my wrist it is small, so much so that I had to hook the locking pin to the last hole available. Ok that I'm not a "slim" but with other wearables it had never happened to me and precisely in reference to Apple Watch, the Cupertino house comes with at least a second strap of a size more suited to the most generous wrists. However, we find a second spare loop supplied or to be combined with the primary one in order to have an even more firm closure.
For the rest, the breathability of the skin is good even in conditions of intense sweating although the material retains a lot of dirt, so it will be necessary to wash the watch from time to time, without any fear since we have diving certification up to 3 ATM . In any case, the strap is removable by means of a button located on the lower case and offers a proprietary attack, therefore it will not be easy to find the purchase of a spare if not by contacting the manufacturer's website.
I immediately specify that the model we tested is the 41 mm one as there is also the variant with a 46 mm case, much more aesthetically beautiful and slightly enhanced under some technical specifications. OPPO Watch boasts a case with an aluminum frame with a glossy finish and dimensions of 41.45 × 36.37 × 11.4 mm and a weight of 30,1 grams without strap, considering that the back of the case is made of polycarbonate.
Right on the back we find the magnetic pins for charging the device and 4 sensors for heart rate detection, with continuous monitoring H24. Moving on to the front of the clock, we find a 1,6-inch flat type display with a resolution of 320 x 360 pixels and 301 of PPI density. AMOLED technology that basically gives us deep blacks and bright colors as well as excellent visibility in direct sunlight. Brightness that can be set on 5 different manual levels or you can rely on the ambient light sensor that works very well. We also have the Always On Display function, which also adapts to the installed watchface, but in this case not only consumes more battery by reducing the effective autonomy but under direct sunlight it makes the content on the screen almost unreadable.
The frames surrounding the display are also well optimized but the protective glass does not have any anti-fingerprint treatment, making it often necessary to clean the screen with a cloth. On the left profile of the frame there is a speaker for the voice feedback of the Google Assistant as well as being able to be used for telephone calls, while specularly we have two physical keys, of which the lower one (which is characterized by an internal finish in emerald green) it can be customized with a function of your choice, but I preferred to leave the deafult one, that is to directly recall a workout.
Between the two buttons is inserted the microphone, which will be used in telephone conversation or to give commands to the Google Assistant, but also to be able to take and record voice notes. Returning to the functions of the physical keys, the upper one allows us to access the system menu or return to the Home while if held down for 1,5 seconds it allows you to call up the Google Assistant.
The lower key, on the other hand, if kept pressed for 1,5 seconds, allows you to turn off, restart or activate the energy saving mode, while if held down for 12 seconds it allows a forced restart. As already said before, with a simple press we can recall the application assigned to this button, configurable from the smartwatch settings.
The call quality returned by the speaker and the microphone, but in general in the interaction with these two elements, was subdued, with too limited volume and sometimes metallic audio, while our interlocutor heard our voice in the distance, forcing us to speak with the wrist attached to the mouth.
OPPO Watch on the wrist does not look bad in terms of elegance but overall it is not very comfortable, let alone the 46 mm version, therefore as a wearable it is more suitable for male wrists. Moving on to the substance, or the hardware used on this wearable, we find a double processor under the hood: the first is Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 3100 which is accompanied by a second Ambiq Micro processor, or the Apollo 3 Wireless. Because this will ask you and the answer comes from the fact that when you enable the energy saving mode, OPPO Watch will abandon the WearOS system to take advantage of its own operating system, which transforms the watch into the most classic of low-cost smartwachs, showing only time and date, ability to receive notifications and calls but without being able to answer, step count and heart rate monitoring. To exit this mode we have to charge the clock or restart it.
We also have 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, which will be used exclusively for the installation of downloadable applications from the Play Store already installed on the smartwatch. We therefore have no possibility to transfer music or anything else on the watch, at least not officially, a big shame also because the Bluetooth 4.2 BLE allows you to pair TWS headphones and therefore it would have been convenient to listen to music without having to use the smartphone.
Also present are 2.4 GHz WiFi which will only be used to carry out firmware updates, NFC sensor that allows mobile payments through the Google Pay app and GPS + Glonass.
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Also in this case I have to make a negative note, since in the open field and without obstacles the fix of the satellites takes place with an average of 1 / 1,5 minutes while in the city, with buildings and trees, the fix reaches up to 5 minutes. But not only that, because the accuracy of the track is certainly not in line with the expectations for a premium smartwatch, resulting in a discrepancy between what was recorded and the reality of the path taken. It is not a poor GPS, but from OPPO and from the price at which this smartwatch is proposed, I expect and expect more.
As anticipated, the whole interface moves on the WearOS operating system which on the whole offers excellent performance, without ever recognizing slowdowns or micro lag of any kind, but above all the fluency in the menus is definitely a point in favor of this OPPO Watch, which therefore can only improve performance using the vast range of applications downloadable from the Play Store. From the Home, by swiping to the left, you access the quick tabs that can be modified at will from the accompanying app, while with a swipe to the right you access the Google Assistant. Swipe down gives the possibility to access the quick toggles including the Torch function or the Airplane mode but also search for the phone or activate the do not disturb mode, unfortunately not settable on schedules nor of intelligent type, that is able to enable itself autonomously when it recognizes that we are going to sleep.
Finally with a swipe upwards we access the notification panel, to which (depending on the application) we can also respond with an emoji, which is also possible to draw by hand: in a few moments the system will recognize the drawing and display the options more relevant, or with a message written via a tiny keyboard or using voice dictation that will transform our voice into writing. The smart part is therefore definitely promoted, but nothing different or prominent compared to what any smartwatch equipped with WearOS offers, while from a sporting point of view things certainly do not improve, quite the contrary. Nothing new also for the features offered by the software while notes in favor of this OPPO Watch (maybe I'm demolishing it a bit too much) is the possibility of creating customized watch faces starting from a photo of your clothes, object, etc. to create your own outfit, as the software will generate watchfaces based on the primary color of the photo taken, each time different and completely original, even if they are basic and without any interactivity.
The sports part offered by OPPO Watch, on the other hand, is less effective, although there are repetitions as regards the apps. In fact, you can decide whether to use the Google Fit suite or the proprietary OPPO one. The sports that can be monitored are very few, namely Fitness Running (outdoor or indoor), Fat Burning Running (outdoor or indoor), Outdoor Walking, Outdoor Cycling and Swimming. As for the heartbeat and steps or dedicated metrics, I must say that OPPO Watch is quite accurate, so given the goodness of the sensors and the data collected, it is better to rely on the Google Fit suite, more complete and decidedly more assorted in terms of sports monitorable.
The company has tried to give its own touch in the sports field, by inserting an application called 5 Minute Training, which as the name suggests, offers different types of exercises, displaying a real trainer who will show how to perform the exercise, but at the same time the heartbeat will also be monitored, all seasoned with a series of medals and virtual prizes to urge you to play sport again.
On the other hand, sleep monitoring is disappointing, which does not always manage to identify the correct start and end time of sleep, as well as sometimes detecting a wakeful activity that does not actually exist, but above all it is not possible to monitor any afternoon naps.
A few lines above we talked about energy saving, which according to the company would allow the smartwatch in this mode to reach up to 14 days full of autonomy, but it would not really make sense to appear an OPPO Watch and then use it as a trivial watch from the smart soul and therefore how long does the 300 mAh battery used on the Chinese brand's wearable last?
The answer is quick but unfortunately painful, as at most we go to 24 hours as long as we disable the Always on Display, not to mention that if we want to entrust him with the monitoring of sports activities, perhaps it is the case to always carry the charging base otherwise we will hardly reach these values. Perfectly in line with what other smartwatches equipped with WearOS offer, even if OPPO Watch has an advantage in this case, namely the VOOC Watch Flash recharge which in just 15 minutes recharges the wearable by 30% and in just 30 minutes the value doubles. to 60%.
Regarding the companion app we should use both WearOS and Hey Tap Health. However, there are not many functions available and even the data conveyed to the health app does not shine for accuracy and detail. However, we can access the function of the personalized dials through photos and analyze the data on sleep, steps, sports activities, calories, etc. in the notes. In the photos below, in relation to the heart rate, you find gaps, because at that moment I had to resort to charge of the smartwatch, therefore you understand the limit of not quite enough autonomy.
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PROJECTED IMPACT
You will certainly have guessed that I was not satisfied with this OPPO Watch and that my initial enthusiasm was lost during the review. In short, at the figure at which the device is sold, you will undoubtedly find other more performing solutions but above all I was unable to find an added value from the OPPO wearable solution, nothing on which you stand out and that justifies the price, indeed many functions are even worse of many low-cost fitness bands, such as the absence of SpO2 value.
So many inaccuracies and smudges that I would not have forgiven even a 30 euro terminal let alone OPPO Watch which costs 259 euro of the official list, which can be purchased on Amazon with Prime shipping, even if at the moment it is not available except through Warehouse, or the used department of Amazon where it can be found starting from around 216 euros and there are several models available, a symptom that perhaps some other users have also been disappointed like myself. So if you want to take a risk and try it, maybe giving your feedback in the comments box below or directly on YouTube you are welcome, otherwise I hope I have been helpful for all those who were planning to buy it and who have now saved money.
