OnePlus may be launching its first smartwatch soon, as per a report that spotted a listing on Indonesia’s IMDA certification site. Called “OnePlus Watch,” the online regulatory website listing carries the model number W201GB but does not reveal any details about the specifications or design of the upcoming smartwatch. Since it has received certification, it is possible that the OnePlus Watch will be launched in the coming months.
The listing on Indonesia’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) certification site was spotted by 91mobiles. The purported listing clearly states the “OnePlus Watch” is a ‘low-power, short-range device’, and describes it as a “wearable watch”.
A report by TechRadar further states that a former OnePlus employee confirmed that the firm had been actively looking into a smartwatch for the last year.
As the upcoming OnePlus Watch appears to have been certified, it could be up for a release before the end of the year. It is also possible that OnePlus will launch its first smartwatch at the same time as the soon to be launched OnePlus 8T.
This isn’t the first time OnePlus has fuelled speculations about releasing a smartwatch. OnePlus had revealed back in 2015 the company was developing its own smartwatch, but that plan never took off. In 2016, OnePlus CEO Peter Lau had said that the company had completed the design for a smartwatch, but decided to scrap it on order to be focused and not let OnePlus be exposed to the ‘cruel market.’ Staying hyperfocused was the key to surviving in an overcrowded Chinese market, he had said back then.
Lau had said that almost all major OEMs had released a smartwatch in different markets, and adding one more would weaken the otherwise strong lineup of OnePlus.
The listing has given rise to speculations that OnePlus’s decision to finally enter the smartwatch category could have been after Oppo recently released a smartwatch, too. OnePlus, Oppo (and its Realme brand), and Vivo (and its iQoo brand) are all owned by Chinese electronics conglomerate BBK Electronics.
OnePlus has been expanding its portfolio. It launched the affordable OnePlus Nord earlier this year. The company had also branched out and entered the television segments last year, introducing a range of OnePlus TV models and a range of wireless earphones, including the OnePlus Buds.
Is Nord the iPhone SE of the OnePlus world? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
