The Oppo Watch 3 could have an interesting design edge over the Apple Watch
In the years since the Apple Watch burst on the wearable scene with top-notch features, performance, and style that still makes Android smartwatches envious, plenty of Chinese OEMs with budget-oriented products have tried to stray as close to Apple’s design IP as possible — albeit with subtle variations in form and function. Oppo is set tolaunch the Watch 3 this month, and a recent leak suggests its body is as nearly Apple Watch-y as it gets, while still managing to throw us a curve ball.
LeakerEvan Blass tweetedimages of the Oppo Watch 3, showing off a chassis and display which mimics the curve of your arm, not unlike some fitness trackers. In contrast, theOppo Watch 2was essentially a flat block of glass and metal strapped to your wrist. The photos show off two case finishes — silver and black — and at least two strap options: a tan leather-like material, and another of black silicone.
Despite the curved chassis and glass design, the Oppo Watch 3 retains a lot of design similarity to the Apple Watch. The display is rectangular, with rounded corners, and a digital crown on the side allows interaction with the user interface elements. The watch faces we see in the images also feature elements resembling that are sure reminiscent of Apple’s wearable.
Besides the similarities in design, we don’t know a ton about what to expect from Oppo’s upcoming wearable. The brand confirmed that the device would debut in August and tipsters believe the announcement is set for August 10 — the same daySamsung’s Galaxy Watch 5will break cover. Don’t get your hopes up, though, because that launch is China-only, and while it’s possible we’ll see it followed by an India debut soon after, Oppo hasn’t formally announced plans for a worldwide release.
The one big detail we do have, is that like Samsung’s wearable, Oppo has confirmed that the Watch 3 will use Qualcomm’s latestSnapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip. Qualcomm says the new chip is significantly more efficient than the Snapdragon Wear 4100, which powerssome of our favorite smartwatches.
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