Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. OnePlus Watch 3: Battle of the heavyweights

The arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic has gotten fans and smartwatch enthusiasts quite excited, as it finally brings back the rotating bezel. Samsung skipped the Classic model last year, but it's back for the Watch 8 series with a new design and better features. You can expect better battery life, new health monitoring features, and a Watch Ultra-like design.

OnePlus has an equally enticing option for less with the OnePlus Watch 3. It may be more affordable than the Watch 8 Classic, features a rotating crown with haptic feedback, and offers excellent software and impressive battery life. There's even a smaller version now, for all those who thought the original was too large.

If you have to decide between the rumored Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and the OnePlus Watch 3, which smartwatch should you pick? Let's break it down.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. OnePlus Watch 3: Design and display

Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The OnePlus Watch 3 46mm features a stainless steel case with a titanium bezel and comes in black or silver. It's built extremely well and feels sturdy when you wear it. The watch case itself weighs almost 50g, so it's not the lightest on your wrist. OnePlus has given it good weather resistance with a 5ATM and IP68 ratings. You get rubber straps by default, but you can easily swap them out for any 22mm strap.

The display on the Watch 3 is incredible. It features a 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 466 x 466 resolution and Sapphire Crystal protection. Brightness levels are also very good, reaching a peak value of up to 2,200 nits.

Meanwhile, the smaller 43mm version features a 1.32-inch AMOLED display and is also built with a stainless steel case.

In our review, we found the display to be one of the best aspects of the Watch 3, as it's bright enough for outdoor use and the DC-dimming doesn't create any annoying flickering for PWM-sensitive users. OnePlus has also reduced the thickness of the bezels on this iteration, which makes it nicer to use.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic comes in a single size of 46mm, and it has a smaller footprint of 46.4mm x 46mm x 10.6mm. Interestingly, it comes with a smaller AMOLED display size of 1.34 inches and a lower resolution of 438 x 438 pixels. The smaller display makes it more comparable to the 43mm OnePlus Watch 3, rather than the bigger model.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic has a design similar to the Galaxy Watch Ultra, including the inclusion of a third Quick Button. Samsung's watch (and phone) designs have started to feel a bit boring lately, so this pivot to a squircle design for the casing should add some freshness and will certainly help set it apart from the crowd. It has similar durability ratings as the OnePlus Watch 3 as well, with a 5ATM rating when submerged under fresh water and an IP68 rating.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. OnePlus Watch 3: Hardware and specs

The 46mm OnePlus Watch 3 costs $349.99 in the U.S. and is often available for a lower price during sales. The smaller 43mm version costs $299, and neither size comes with an option for LTE connectivity. Another feature that's present but doesn't work in North America is ECG.

The Watch 3 has a dual-processor system inside for Wear OS 5 and RTOS. There's a Snapdragon W5 SoC to handle Google's OS and the BES2800 MCU to power RTOS. This dual functionality is what gives the Watch 3 such amazing battery life. That, and the fact that it has a massive 631mAh battery on the 46mm version, allowing it to last a full week on a single charge (two days on the 43mm variant).

This is something the Watch 8 Classic cannot keep up with, as even the Watch Ultra has a smaller battery. The Watch 3 is smooth to operate and use thanks to the 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

One of the main ways to judge a smartwatch's performance is to gauge the accuracy of all the data it collects. In the case of the Watch 3, Android Central's Nicholas Sutrich was very happy with its performance. In his review, he mentioned that OnePlus has greatly improved the way the watch measures your vitals even when you wear it loosely on your wrist. The results were quite impressive, comparable to those of a Google Pixel Watch 3, which is quite notable considering the Watch 3's price.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic starts at around $499, which is quite a bit more than what the Watch 6 Classic launched at. It comes in Wi-Fi and LTE versions, but only a single size.

The Watch 8 Classic has 2GB of RAM, along with 64GB of storage. You get a 445mAh battery, so slightly larger than the standard Watch 8 (and Watch 7) but much smaller than the OnePlus Watch 3. There is WPC-based fast charging as well.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. OnePlus Watch 3: Software

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic ships with the latest One UI 8 Watch, which is based on Wear OS 6. One of the big additions is Gemini replacing Google Assistant. There are also new Samsung Health upgrades given to the new Classic, like a Vascular Load metric and an Antioxidant Index, which is a first for the Galaxy Watch series.

The OnePlus Watch 3 may also receive Gemini support, either before or alongside the Wear OS 6 update, allowing it to be on par with the Watch Classic in this regard. Of course, it will miss out on some of Samsung's Galaxy AI features. The Watch 3 will also be getting only two OS upgrades, which is still decent but not as good as the four generational updates that the Classic stands to get.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. OnePlus Watch 3: Which one is better?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and larger OnePlus Watch 3 are roughly the same size, which means you'll be looking at them as potential buys only if you're into large smartwatches. That said, the OnePlus Watch 3 has the benefit of a smaller size for anyone with smaller wrists.

If you're not too picky about having LTE or using the ECG function in the U.S., the OnePlus Watch 3 offers incredible value. You get a great-looking watch, good health and fitness monitoring capabilities, a very good interface, and the best battery life you'll find on a watch under $400. The cool thing is that the new OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) is even cheaper and offers all the great features of the original, minus the bulk.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is pricier, but it offers more interesting features, built-in Gemini, longer software support, and a unique design. Whether that's worth coughing up an extra $150-$200, only time will tell once we're done reviewing it.