OnePlus CEO makes wishes come true with OnePlus smartwatch announcement

OnePlus has been teasing the release of its first smartwatch since 2016, but rumour had it that the Chinese company had shelved its plans indefinitely as of October. Now, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has officially confirmed that the company will release its first smartwatch in 2021. Specifically, the so-called OnePlus Watch will arrive 'early next year'.

The OnePlus Watch remains a mystery, though. Previous teasers have suggested that the smartwatch will have a round display, while there may be a Cyberpunk 2077-themed edition. However, it is unclear on what OS OnePlus has based its first smartwatch.

In recent months, rumours have oscillated between OnePlus using Wear OS and going the way of a proprietary OS. Most recently, Lau hinted that OnePlus delayed the release of its first smartwatch so that it could optimise Wear OS. In of itself, this suggests that the UI of the OnePlus Watch may not necessarily resemble the stock Wear OS experience.

Ultimately, the first OnePlus smartwatch may be a redesigned version of an OPPO device. The latter teased the Watch RX in October, but it is yet to announce the smartwatch formally.