The OnePlus Watch was launched in March of 2021, and it looks as though it's time for a sequel for the wearable: a reliable source says that a more affordable OnePlus Nord Watch is going to be unveiled very soon.
This is according to Mukul Sharma, who says that a OnePlus Nord Watch launch is "imminent" – although we don't have too much more in the way of detail. Apparently, serial production has now begun in several European and Eurasian regions.
If Sharma is right, the OnePlus Nord Watch is going to be more of a "budget-oriented" product than the OnePlus smartwatch that came before it, and won't come running the Wear OS software developed by Google – that's no surprise, as nor did the OnePlus Watch.
Cheaper and cheaper
To date, we haven't heard too much in the way of rumors or leaks around the OnePlus Nord Watch. Last week, there was talk that OnePlus had a whole host of new devices in the pipeline, including a smartwatch, but there was nothing specific.
Adopting the Nord branding would of course follow on from what OnePlus has been doing with its phones in recent years: there are the flagship OnePlus handsets and then the cheaper OnePlus Nord phones as alternatives.
The question is, how much cheaper than the OnePlus Watch is the OnePlus Nord Watch going to be? The original smartwatch retails for $159 / £149 (around AU$235), which is pretty affordable to begin with, and already undercuts a lot of other smartwatches.
Analysis: building out the portfolio
If OnePlus is indeed about to launch the OnePlus Nord Watch, it's another example of how smartwatches have become staple products for manufacturers to roll out alongside their smartphones – led by Apple with its iPhones and the Apple Watch.
Samsung is fully committed to the smartwatch scene, with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic two of the best devices in this category that you can buy. A new pair of Samsung smartwatches is expected in August as well.
Even Google is bowing to the inevitable: the Google Pixel Watch is now official, even though it's going to be a while before anyone can actually buy it. Expect it to go on sale around October time, alongside the Google Pixel 7.
While the OnePlus Nord Watch won't be the first foray into the smartwatch business that OnePlus has taken, it shows that it's serious about building out a whole ecosystem of products – and these days a smartwatch is an important part of that.
Source: TechRadar