OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Google Pixel Watch 3: Battle of the best Wear OS watches

On paper, the brand-new OnePlus Watch 3 seems fit for competition with the Google Pixel Watch 3. They're both Wear OS watches with a focus on health and fitness sold at around $350. However, these two smartwatches take completely different approaches to making a Wear OS wearable. The OnePlus Watch 3 is big and bulky with a ton of battery life, whereas the Pixel Watch 3 is slim and stylish, with a dainty 41mm option and a bigger 45mm option.

So, which one is right for you? It's going to come down to whether you like a giant watch on your wrist or if you'd rather keep a lower profile. It also depends on which features you prioritize since they're not equal. Here's the full breakdown of how the OnePlus Watch 3 stacks up against the Pixel Watch 3.

OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Google Pixel Watch 3: Design and display

The design and build of the OnePlus Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 3 immediately set the two wearables apart. The OnePlus Watch 3 looks similarly to its predecessor, with the notable exception that the crown actually rotates this time. It's available in Titanium Obsidian or Emerald stainless steel chassis, and retails for $330. The OnePlus Watch 3 only comes in one size, 46.6mm, and it's larger than both sizes of the Pixel Watch 3.

With the Google Pixel Watch 3, you get a circular, pebble-shaped smartwatch with a minimalist design language. It's available in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm, starting at a price point of $350. For the larger screen or LTE connectivity, you'll have to pay more. This smartwatch is made with either matte or polished aluminum, and there are more color options available.

That's a key differentiator between the OnePlus Watch 3 and the Pixel Watch 3. The former includes a larger display and battery, but that comes at the expense of size. Meanwhile, you have more choice with the Pixel Watch 3, but get less battery life.

Aside from size, the OnePlus Watch 3 is also more rugged than the Pixel Watch 3. OnePlus certified its smartwatch for MIL-STD-810H, a grueling military-grade standard, and uses sapphire-crystal glass. Google used Gorilla Glass 5 to protect the Pixel Watch 3's display by comparison. Both watches are water and dust-resistant, certified up to IP68 and 5ATM.

Of course, the display sizes of the Pixel Watch 3 and OnePlus Watch 3 will vary, but both watches use similar display technology. They're both equipped with LTPO AMOLED displays with high brightness capabilities. The OnePlus Watch 3 supports up to 2,200 nits of peak brightness, while the Pixel Watch 3 supports up to 2,000 nits.

Let's put the size and weight of each watch into perspective. The OnePlus Watch 3 measures 46.6 x 47.6 x 11.75mm and weighs 49.7 grams, whereas the similarly-sized (45mm) Pixel Watch measures 45 x 45 x 12.3 mm and weighs 37 grams. That's a sizable difference, and the smaller Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) measures just 41 x 41 x 12.3 mm, weighing only 31 grams.

Finally, the OnePlus Watch 3 uses standard 22mm watch bands, whereas the Pixel Watch 3 uses a proprietary system.

OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Google Pixel Watch 3: Software and specs

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Both the OnePlus Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 3 are powered by Wear OS 5, but each have their own tricks. OnePlus uses a combination of Wear OS and its own RTOS, which helps it provide multi-day battery life. It can last for up to five days in smartwatch mode, and even longer in battery-saver mode. The Pixel Watch 3 relies on the Pixel-ified version of Wear OS, and can last up to a full day on a single charge. Sometimes you'll get more than that, though.

In terms of processors, both watches use Qualcomm's Snapdragon W5 wearable system-on-a-chip, which is the best you'll find. Both also have 32GB of onboard storage. The similarities continue for charging, as both watches use proprietary pucks or cradles to power up. OnePlus has a slight advantage here, as its cable and cradle are separate, so you can use any USB-C cable you'd like with the cradle.

The Pixel Watch 3 has the advantage in terms of connectivity. It supports the optional LTE add-on, and also supports NFC, ultra-wideband (UWB), and Bluetooth 5.3. By comparison, the OnePlus Watch 3 supports Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and Wi-Fi, but lacks an LTE option.

OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Google Pixel Watch 3: Fitness and health tracking

OnePlus has come a long way with fitness and health tracking. The OnePlus Watch 2 wasn't very consistent, and the OnePlus Watch 2R was a step in the right direction. Now, the OnePlus Watch 3 continues the progress, and it might be better than the Pixel Watch 3 in some areas.

Both watches are loaded with health sensors. The OnePlus Watch 3 includes a wrist temperature sensor, optical heart rate sensor, and optical pulse oximeter sensor. That enables sleep monitoring, heart-rate monitoring, blood-oxygen sensing, and temperature monitoring. Notably, it doesn't have electrocardiogram (ECG) support.

The OnePlus Watch 3 uses the OHealth companion app for health and fitness tracking, whereas the Pixel Watch 3 uses a combination of apps, including the Pixel Watch app, Fitbit app, and others.

The Pixel Watch 3 has more health sensors than the OnePlus Watch 3. Goople offers red and infrared sensors for oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, multipurpose electrical sensors, a multi-path optical heart rate sensor, an electrical sensor to measure skin conductance (cEDA) for body response tracking, and a skin temperature sensor. That enables ECG support, plus everything else the OnePlus Watch 3 offers.

Notably, the Pixel Watch 3 supports cycle tracking for women, while the OnePlus Watch 3 doesn't.

OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Google Pixel Watch 3: Which should you buy?

Smartwatches are more personal than, say, smartphones — choosing one over the other won't come down to which has better specs. There are a lot of other intangibles, and it's best to approach this comparison with a process of elimination depending on what you value. If you need ECG support, for example, you have to get the Pixel Watch 3, and the same goes for LTE support. Meanwhile, if you need multi-day battery life, you have to get the OnePlus Watch 3.

There's also the size consideration. If you like a smaller watch or have a tiny wrist, the 41mm size of the Pixel Watch 3 might be a better option. For those who want a giant, durable smartwatch, the nearly-47mm OnePlus Watch 3 is there. Aside from the nitty gritty details, it's clear that both the OnePlus Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 3 are two of the best smartwatches you can buy.