OPPO Watch X2 – a fascinating and fully-featured smart watch (review)

The OPPO Watch X2 builds on the 2024 OPPO Watch X but adds ECG, fall detection, and much more, making it more than a worthy competitor against the Samsung or Apple Watch.

We kind of gave up reviewing smartwatches and wearables like rings because they all drew us further into the manufacturer’s ecosystem. Some may feel we are being overly protective of health data, but do you want Apple or Samsung to have that in addition to the masses of data they gather from their phones and devices?

Well, the OPPO Watch X2 is a Google Wear OS 5.0 watch (based on Android 14) with its ColorOS Watch 7.0 overlay and full access to the Google Play Watch app store. It is not tied to a particular smartphone brand or model, and that is primarily why you need to consider this device.

Does Joe and Jane Average need a smartwatch?

My wife wears her Google Pixel Watch 3 all day (she has had Watch 1, 2, and now 3). She walks 10k daily, does Pilates a few times a week, and wants to keep track of her steps and heart rate. She does not use the other 60+ functions apart from telling the time, messages, etc.

I suspect that describes pretty much most adult users who are enticed and enchanted by slick marketing to part with a device that often costs more than a decent mid-range smartphone.

My daily smartwatch is actually an old OPPO Watch – the best all-around Google Wear smartwatch that I have worn daily since 2022. I like it because it has a large rectangular screen (like Apple Watch), uses Google WearOS, and my results go straight to the free Google Fit. Now, you might think Google is as evil as Apple or Samsung, but it does not use fitness data, which stays on the device, so I trust it.

AUSTRALIAN REVIEW: OPPO Watch X2 Model OWE2551

Note that a variation of this watch is the OnePlus Watch3, which has an LTE eSIM but is not certified for Australian Telco networks. It also does not have Google Services!

Website	Product page Quick Start Guide There is no manual to explain all the OHealth functions.
Price RRP	$699 in lava Black or Summit Blue
From	JB Hi-Fi and OPPO Store
Warranty	24-months
Made In	China
Company	OPPO is now #3 in Australia for Android smartphone market share. It has achieved this by offering excellent products and after-sales service. OPPO has been in Australia since 2014 and has full offices, a warehouse, and service.
More	CyberShack OPPO news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations), and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be, and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show that it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

OPPO Watch X2 base specifications

Display	Lava Black, Summit Blue, Stainless steel PVD Titanium Alloy Bezel 1.25mm Sapphire Crystal Glass Mohs hardness 9 Bottom Case: Plastic with Glass sensor lens Body: 46.6 (excluding lugs) x 47.6 x 11.75mm (excluding Optical Health Sensor Area) Body: 49.7g Wrist strap: 31.3g
Body	Lava Black, Summit Blue Stainless steel with PVD Titanium Alloy Bezel 1.25mm Sapphire Crystal Glass Mohs hardness 9 Bottom Case: Plastic with Glass sensor lens. Body: 46.6 (excluding lugs) x 47.6 x 11.75mm (excluding Optical Health Sensor Area) Body: 49.7g Wrist strap: 31.3g
Wrist band	Standard 22mm Black fluoro rubber or Blue faux leather with stainless steel buckle Wrist Size: 140-210mm
OS	ColorOS Watch 7.0 + Wear OS 5.0
Chipset	Processor: Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 Wearable Platform BES2800BP for low energy use
Storage	2GB RAM + 32GB ROM 4GB EMMC FOR RTOS
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 5 dual band 2.4/5GHz Bluetooth 5.2 GNSS: Dual band L1 + L5 Beidou, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS NFC for Google Pay
Sensors	Acceleration sensor. Gyroscope sensor. ECG 1 lead Optical heart rate sensor (8-channel Photoplethysmography). Optical pulse oximeter sensor (16-channel). Wrist temperature sensor. Geomagnetic sensor (e-compass). Light sensor. Barometer.
Battery	648 mAh Standard use in Smart mode: Up to 120 hours (5 days) Heavy use in Smart mode: Up to 72h (3 days) Power saver mode: Up to 16 days
Charging	Pogo pin magnetic pad and USB-A to USB-C cable supplied Requires 5V/1A/5W charger (can use USB ports) Flash Charging: 10 minutes charge for 1 day 10W Fast Charge: up to 80 mins.
Ruggedness	MIL-STD-810H, 5ATM, IP68

First Impression – big, bold and for blokes

This is a 47.6mm round watch (including the rotating crown), nearly 15mm deep (including the optical health sensor under) and about 82g (with strap).

Practically, that means a 1.5” round, 600 nit (maximum, although capable of 2000 nits—more later) LTPO AMOLED screen. It is protected by 1.25mm Sapphire Crystal glass with a Mohs hardness of 9—only a diamond can scratch it (similar to Apple and Samsung premium watch models).

 The case is black deep anodised or silver stainless steel (grade not specified). Given my experience with the OPPO Watch X, it is exceptionally scratch-resistant. It also has a PVD Titanium bezel to help resist those inevitable knocks or environmental corrosion from sweat and water. It is MIL-STD-810H certified and IP68 water resistant. It is not a divers’ watch!

The black wristband is made of fluoro rubber with a stainless-steel buckle, and the Blue is made of faux stitched leather. They fit wrists from 140 to 210mm. If that is not enough, there are hundreds of options on eBay, including bands from $10, hydrogel glass protectors, and hard covers.

The OPPO standard free watch faces are exceptionally well detailed, with over 120 designs/colours. Most round watch faces in the Google Play store also work – you are spoiled for choice.

Setup – easy

It uses OPPO’s OHealth app to set up the watch’s many sensors and options and provides access to the free watch faces. It feeds the necessary health data to Wear OS, and then you can seamlessly share health data with Google Fit, Health Connect (which supports over 40 health apps), Strava, and more.

We first saw OHealth in Watch X and were concerned that it added another layer to Wear OS. In fact, as OPPO pointed out, it handles many more features than Wear OS, and we should think of it like OPPO’s Colour OS overlay on Android. It is there to add value, and it’s a pretty good health tracker as it knows the entire capabilities of the watch, whereas Google Fit does not.

It requires you to agree to its User Agreement and Privacy Policy. Although most features do not require an account, you can do more if you sign in. You can turn off cloud access and store on the device. I find Apple and Samsung’s 40,000+ word nested policy a huge turnoff.

OPPO Watch X2 has killer battery life

It has a unique dual engine that, depending on use, can last up to 16 days.

Let’s start with the dual engine. It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1, which provides heavy lifting for smartwatch functions. It also has a BES280BP ultra-low-power processor using a dual-core ARM Cortex-M55 MCU and a dual-core NPU (for AI). These work together to provide a Hybrid WearOS 5.0 and RTOS (Real-time Operating System) that can run the watch up to 16 days. It can seamlessly swap from WearOS to RTOS and back to extend battery life. In addition, many of the performance options and settings carry advisories on battery life impact.

Battery tests depend on settings, such as always-on screen (or tilt-to-wake), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. I tested this using out-of-the-box defaults for two weeks of daily use and realistically got 5-6 days. I tested with Always on Display, Real-time heart measurement, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth headphones, and a few more and got 2-3 days.

If you use a 5V/1A/5W USB charger, expect about 6 hours of charging time. A 5V/2A/10W charger can fast charge in about 1.5 hours. A 10-minute fast charge can provide up to a day’s use.

Hands-free use – Pass

It has a microphone and speaker that, when connected via Bluetooth to a smartphone, allow you to make and receive calls. It is better than Watch X, which was a little quiet. It does not have an LTE eSIM.

NFC – Pass+

NFC is excellent as it is not tied to Samsung or Apple Pay. You can set up Google Wallet and use Google Pay, other credit cards, loyalty cards, airline boarding passes, etc.

GPS – Pass+

It has a dual-frequency GPS with accuracy to <10m, but I could not find anywhere in the OHealth app where it showed my route or segment timings. It syncs with Google Maps for turn-by-turn navigation.

Google Wear OS Apps – Exceed

It’s all there, including Gmail, Calendar, Messages,  Phone, Photos, Contacts, Play Store, etc. You can action these with fixed responses or open them on the phone. The rotating crown can enlarge all app icons and make it easy to find.

But the real secret is to access the Google WearOS apps that offer so much more functionality.

Usability – Pass+

While it has a large and responsive screen, it is round, which is why I love the original OPPO Watch’s rectangular screen – you can see more.

Most of the screens (tiles) are accessed by swiping left, right, or up and down. The rotating crown accesses the apps and returns to the home screen. The lower button is for ECG and selecting workouts.

OHealth – Pass+

As mentioned, OHealth is OPPO’s (and OnePlus’s) Android app. It is extremely comprehensive, yet there is no full user manual.

Like all smart watches, you need to wear it every day (and possibly night) to get the reporting benefits. Best of all, unlike other apps, it is free (and will remain so).

Its metrics are accurate. They match steps, heartbeats, and other metrics with other health apps.

Health modes

Fall detection

Wrist temperature

Sleep:

I don’t find such a large watch al that comfortable to wear in bed.

• All-day Sleep recording (deep sleep, light sleep, REM, awake)
• Sleep quality score
• Respiratory rate
• Sleep Snoring Risk Assessment
• Sleep SpO2
• Sleep daily report
• Smart enter sleep mode

60S Health Check-In*

Gives you an overview of all your stats. I like Oppo’s implementation, especially the ECG loophole.

• Heart rate monitoring, high/low heart rate warning, resting heart rate, sleep benchmark heart rate;
• Daily activities and achievement reminders
• SpO2 tracking: spot checks, all day
• Mind and Body Relax
• ECG Analyser*
• Vascular Health (Arterial stiffness)

Workouts

Professional sports mode:

1. Skiing (speed, drop, slope, number of trips, full and single trip distance, etc.)

2. Running (cadence, stride length, ground contact time, vertical amplitude, vertical stride ratio, left and right ground contact balance, running power)

3. Tennis (swing speed, total strokes, serve, forehand, backhand)

4. Badminton (swing speed, number of swings, longest continuous shot, forehand, backhand, overhand, underhand)

5. Swimming (100-meter pace, number of laps, distance, number of strokes)

6. Rope skipping (number of times, speed)

7. Mountain climbing (distance, altitude, cumulative climb, cumulative descent)

8. Walking (distance, number of steps, cadence)

9. Cycling (distance, speed)

10. Elliptical machine (cadence, number of steps)

11. Rowing machine (paddle frequency, number of strokes)

Running:

• Professional indicator analysis: aerobic training effect, cardiorespiratory capacity, recovery time, heart rate recovery rate, running posture, playground running mode, etc., Fat burning
• 100+ sports modes
• 6 types of automatic recognition (running, walking, cycling, swimming, rowing machine, elliptical machine

ECG *

The ECG function is a ‘one-lead’ device where you place your index finger on the workout button, which completes a circuit to enable measurement. It is not intended as a medical tool but can help detect Sinus rhythm, Atrial fibrillation, very low HR (<40bpm), Low HR (<50bpm), High HR (>100bpm), very high HR (>150bpm), and Inconclusive.

OPPO has not yet sought TGA approval, so you will get a message when you try to access the ECG function directly “Not available in your region.” However, you can join a user experience program that enables you to access the ECG as part of the 60-second health check.

It provides a summary of Arterial Stiffness and vascular age as a graphical health indicator instead of a full ECG readout.

CyberShack’s view: OPPO Watch X2 is one of the few serious competitors to Apple and Samsung Watches.

We won’t make a direct feature-for-feature comparison because each brand uses different jargon and has different apps, but the outcomes are similar. OPPO’s OHealth connects to Google Health Connect and Fit, so you have a choice of apps.

The OHealth app is evolving. From V1 (which was very basic) to V4.32.9 (as tested), it is really quite good. If you want to see more, download it from Google Play (you don’t have to add the watch). User comments frequently put it ahead of Garmin, Fitbit and Withings – I can’t verify that.

This is the watch you buy when you don’t want Apple or Samsung, and frankly, OPPO and OnePlus can’t get enough to meet strong Asian market demands.  

Competitors

We asked Google Gemini to compare the Apple Watch Series 10 and the Samsung Ultra Watch 7 with the OPPO Watch X2. Here are a few highlights (and AI can be wrong). SamMobile gives the OPPO 83 points versus Samsung at 73.

	OPPO Watch X2	Apple Watch 10	Samsung 7 Ultra
OS	Android WearOS/RTOS	iOS	Samsung Galaxy phones over Wear OS
Battery Life AOD	4 days	18 hours	2, maybe 3 days
Fast charge	Yes	No	No
ECG and irregular rhythm.	Yes, but not TGA approved	Yes	Yes
Falls/crash detection/SOS	Yes	Yes	Yes
Temperature Sensing	Yes	Yes	Yes
Heath App	OHealth or Google Fit	Apple	Samsung
4G LTE eSIM	No	Option at extra cost	Option at extra cost
Build	MIL-STD-810H, IP68 5 ATM	50M	50M

We did not mention the Google Watch 3. It would be my second choice. It has a pebble design, a better suite of health features, fantastic sleep tracking, and HR performance (possibly the best). However, its battery life is worse than that of the OPPO Watch X2. It scores 85 points.

OPPO Watch X2 rating

• Features: 90. It is as fully featured in both a hardware and app sense as its major competitors. The only thing missing is an eSIM, but that would have made it much more expensive. And it uses standard 22mm watch straps.
• Value: 90. $699 costs more than a decent mid-range phone. The Samsung 47mm Ultra LTE is $1299 (about to be superseded), and the Watch 7 is only 40 or 44mm at $549/599 (also about to be superseded). OHealth is free versus potential subscriptions for Samsung Health. Apple Watch Series 10 starts from $699, but it’s more like the Ultra at $1399.
• Performance: 90. For battery life alone, the dual-processor/dual-OS wins hands down. From our limited experience, you will get a couple of days more battery life on an Apples for Apples basis.
• Ease of Use: 90. OHealth is well laid out, and you can design your dashboard, etc. Health Connect works well in seamlessly transferring data to Google Fit (if you prefer). Apple Watch has a one-year warranty. Samsung, like OPPO, has two years.
• Design: 90. If you like big watches, you will love this. Conversely, if you want a smaller watch, this is not for you.