The smaller OnePlus Watch 3 is finally available, and I've been putting it through its paces over the past few weeks to see how it measures up to its bigger, technically more capable sibling. We're talking hikes, walks, running, CrossFit workouts, and even a few times out on the lake with a paddleboard.
What I've come away with is that the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm is the right watch for anyone who wants a smaller Wear OS watch but doesn't want to deal with the relatively poor battery life of something like a Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 or a Google Pixel Watch 3.
However, while the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm offers significantly improved battery life compared to those watches, OnePlus had to make some concessions in terms of features to create a smaller form factor.
Discounts already, just in time for Prime Day
The OnePlus is available in the U.S. and Canada starting on July 8, 2025, for USD $299.99/CA $399.99 at OnePlus.com. The watch comes in Silver Steel and Black Steel colorways. Our review unit is the Black Steel colorway.
OnePlus is offering two promotions throughout the entire month of July to make its pricing more attractive. Students in the U.S. and Canada can get 10% off the cost (that's $30 off), while everyone else can get $50 bucks off when they trade in an eligible device. OnePlus didn't provide the device list to us ahead of time, but this almost certainly means trading in your old smartwatch as an upgrade.
Designed for comfort
I'm someone who enjoys smaller smartwatches, so it feels like the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm was made for me. It's substantially smaller and lighter than the bigger OnePlus Watch 3, weighing 21g less, according to my scale.
Its 60g weight still isn't as light as the Pixel Watch 3 41mm's 46g, but having a bigger battery and slightly larger display is better than the 14g Google saved on that design. It feels like a Goldilocks product in that regard.
And while the weight and physical size difference are excellent improvements for this size, it's the physical design changes I like the most. It's also worth noting that OnePlus improved the brightness of the 43mm version over the larger model, something that's most apparent outdoors.
The pre-installed band lies completely flat, unlike the OnePlus Watch 3. Even if you get a different band for the bigger watch, the lines on the watch look funny without a curved band. Not the case for the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm.
I also love that there's no "sidebar" on the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm, as I'll call it, that offsets the OnePlus Watch 3's buttons. This makes the design for the 43mm variant a totally uniform circle, with only the crown button protruding from the top right. This crown is wonderfully designed and works just like the larger OnePlus Watch 3, excellent haptics included.
The offset crown means you won't accidentally press the button while working out or leaning on something, a problem that happens all the time for me on the Pixel Watch 3 unless I turn it backward.
Health tracking and battery life
While the weight and size are huge positives, OnePlus had to compromise on the battery size and health tracking capabilities of the smaller OnePlus Watch 3 to reduce its size. While U.S. customers have never been able to enjoy the 60-second health checkup feature on the OnePlus Watch 3 due to a lack of FDA approval, the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm doesn't have the feature in any market.
OnePlus tells us that this is "due to the lack of a temperature sensor and vascular health tracking functionality in the Watch 3 43mm." In other words, there's no software fix for missing hardware. Whether or not you'll use these features is another story, but they're not on the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm, while the larger Watch 3 has them.
Thankfully, workout tracking is just as good as the bigger OnePlus Watch 3, and I found no notable differences in the capabilities of the smaller watch for heart rate or GPS tracking.
One of the primary reasons to choose a OnePlus Watch 3 over other Wear OS watches is its impressive battery life. With an average of 5 days of usage per charge, there's simply no competition on the market. As you might have guessed, the 43mm version doesn't last quite as long on a charge.
Instead of 5 days, you're looking at a full 2 days on a single charge. Light users who don't use sleep or health tracking features much might be able to make it through a third day, but most people won't. Thankfully, the 43mm version still uses the ultra-fast Super VOOC charging OnePlus devices are famous for.
While it's no match for the larger OnePlus Watch 3, its battery life still outperforms the best Galaxy or Pixel watches of the same size. That's especially true when using battery saver mode, which simplifies the watch by using an entirely separate operating system, all without sacrificing health or GPS tracking features. With this feature enabled, you'll get approximately a week, even when using all the available functions in RTOS.
A truly great Wear OS watch
If I had to buy any one Wear OS watch today, it would be a choice between the two available OnePlus Watch 3 sizes. The battery life of the smaller 43mm version is by far my biggest disappointment, but it's still better than other Wear OS watches at this size.
OnePlus's use of a dual OS and dual-CPU architecture is still one of the most unique features in the Wear OS space. It allows the watch to remain fast and capable, all while delivering superior battery life.
The biggest draw of using Wear OS over the best Garmin watches or best Amazfit watches is the app selection, in addition to the deep tie-ins with Android's notification system. This delivers that, plus epic battery life and performance, all without major sacrifices.
The OnePlus Watch 3 now comes in a smaller, more comfortable size. Two-day battery life, ultra-fast charging, and excellent health tracking features make this an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a great Wear OS watch.
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