Oppo Watch Malaysia: Everything you need to know

The Oppo Watch is here! After announcing a couple of headphones in recent times, the company has released the Wear OS-powered for the Malaysian market. The first thing you’ll notice is, of course, is the Apple Watch-like design that Oppo has gone with—although this isn’t exactly a new thing when it comes to the smartwatch market.

Putting that square-faced design aside, Oppo’s smartwatch sports a beautiful Dual-Curved display. And with access to the Google Play Store via Wear OS, the Oppo Watch is certainly an interesting device to look out for.

Interested? Here’s what you need to know.

Price and availability

The Oppo Watch will be available via Oppo’s official online stores and authorised retailers on the 3rd of October 2020, with pricing for the smaller 41mm version starting at RM899. Official pricing is as follows:

Oppo Watch (41mm) – RM899
Oppo Watch (46mm) – RM1,299

Additionally, pre-orders are now available up till the 2nd of October 2020 at Oppo Brand Stores, Oppo Official Online Stores, and on e-commerce platforms. Pre-order customers will also get two additional watch straps worth RM199, while the first 50 customers will receive an additional exclusive wristband designed by Katun.

Unfortunately, Oppo has confirmed that both Malaysian models do not have LTE connectivity.

Specs

The Oppo Watch is available in two sizes: 41mm and 46mm. The differences between the two aren’t just limited to size, however, with the larger 46mm sporting a beautiful 1.91″ “3D Flexible Dual-Curved Display”. Oppo claims that this is the first Wear OS smartwatch in the world to use this tech, and the curved edges of the display look similar to those we’ve seen on high-end smartphones in recent years.

As mentioned, both models run on Wear OS, which means that you have access to Google Assistant, as well as Google’s range of smartwatch apps via the Play Store. Google Pay, unfortunately, is still unavailable in Malaysia. Additionally, the both sizes feature a built-in microphone and speaker, which means that you’ll be able to make calls—in addition to using voice commands with Google Assistant.

The Oppo Watch is also powered by the Snapdragon 3100 chipset, a rather dated SoC that was first released in 2018, along with the Ambiq Micro Apollo 3. This has probably contributed to a rather average battery life estimates: up to 36 hours on a full charge, although Power Save mode will get you 21 days out of a single charge. With VOOC Flash Charging however, you’ll be able to fully charge the smartwatch in 75 minutes, Oppo promises.

You’re also getting 8GB of onboard storage for music playback, and 1GB of RAM. It’s worth noting that Spotify does not support offline playback on Wear OS, but Google Play Music does.

Meanwhile, the smaller 41mm Oppo Watch uses a “rigid” 1.6″ AMOLED screen. This looks significantly less appealing than the 46mm model’s curved display, although cost is probably the reason why Oppo made this particular decision.

You’re also getting less protection against water submersion, with the 41mm Oppo Watch featuring 3ATM resistance, as opposed to the 5ATM rating given to the 46mm version. As expected with a smaller device, battery life is also slightly worse: up to 24 hours on a full charge, and 14 days with Power Save mode turned on. However, a full charge will also take 75 minutes.

Both models also have features that feature “one-button strap removal”. Personally, I found the strap on the Oppo Watch to be rather difficult to use—often requiring me to use both hands (and elbows) to actually remove/put on the watch.

So, what do you think? Do you fancy the Oppo Watch? Let us know in the comments section below. To find out more, click here.