Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 vs. OnePlus Watch 2: Which one should you pick?

We're entering peak launch season in the tech world, where there's something new right around the corner almost every other week. Samsung just kicked things off with the launch of the updated Galaxy Watch 7, along with a slew of other products. The new model promises more accurate health and wellness tracking, the latest software, and a more fluid usage experience. It's also priced the same as last year's model. 

The OnePlus Watch 2, which launched earlier this year, is also priced the same and has a similar design and features. Its unique dual-identity for the processor and software helps it achieve incredible efficiency, which shows in the battery life. If you're looking at getting a new watch or thinking of upgrading, which one of these two best Android smartwatches should you pick?

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 vs. OnePlus Watch 2: Design 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and OnePlus Watch 2 have similar designs, with large circular dials, two physical buttons, and a traditional buckle-style clasp on the strap. The Watch 2 has a stainless steel chassis and only comes in a single 46mm size. This is a bit of a letdown, especially since those with smaller wrists might find it too large. 

It's also on the heavier side, weighing 80g with the straps. It comes in two combos: Radiant Steel with a green rubber strap or Black Steel with a black rubber strap. OnePlus sells additional bands, or you can pick from the best Watch 2 bands from other manufacturers. 

The display on the OnePlus Watch 2 is great. The 1.43-inch AMOLED panel has a high resolution and good brightness, and we didn't face any outdoor legibility issues when we tested it. It also has 2.5D sapphire crystal glass for better durability. The physical buttons on the watch have an asymmetrical design, which is said to have been inspired by vintage cars. 

The rotating crown on the Watch 2 gives it a cool analog feel, but it's not functional, sadly. The second, more recessed button can be used to launch workouts or be programmed to do other things.

The Galaxy Watch 7 comes in two sizes—40mm and 44mm—and each weighs 28.8g and 33.8g, respectively. Thanks to the aluminum frame, it's much lighter than the OnePlus Watch 2. The two sizes should also appeal to a wider audience. The larger variant comes in Green and Silver, while the smaller one is available in Green and Cream. 

Samsung offers more options for watch straps with the Watch 7, including two sizes. You can choose between Fabric, Sport, or Athleisure options, and each type comes in multiple colors.  You can take this customization one step further with Watch Design Studio, which has even more colors to choose from. Finally, you get LTE or cellular options for both sizes, too. 

Folks with smaller wrists will prefer the 40mm Galaxy Watch 7. It has a 1.3-inch Super AMOLED display, color always-on mode, and sapphire crystal for scratch protection. The 44mm version has all the same features but a larger 1.5-inch AMOLED screen and a higher resolution. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 vs. OnePlus Watch 2: Hardware and specs 

The OnePlus Watch 2 has a unique combination of a Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 SoC and a BES2700BP chipset. The former powers Wear OS 4 tasks, while the latter handles the low-power RTOS and all the sensors. In our experience, the interface is fluid, and you never really notice the switch between the two chipsets. The Watch 2 has been promised two Wear OS updates, so it should be getting Wear OS 5, although OnePlus hasn't said when. 

When we reviewed it, the software was very buggy. We faced issues receiving timely notifications, getting the DND mode to work, and when Sleep mode refused to engage. OnePlus did roll out a big update for the Watch 2 in May, which added two new apps and included bug fixes.

The OnePlus Watch 2 supports dual-frequency GPS for more accurate positioning when using it outdoors. There's also dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 LE, and NFC. All the usual health tracking sensors are present, like an optical heart rate sensor, SpO2 monitoring, a geomagnetic sensor, and a barometer. There's no support for taking an ECG, though, which is a big miss. Apart from the accurate GPS, we didn't have the best experience with health tracking. The Watch 2 was consistently off, whether it was tracking calories burnt, sleep, or even stress. 

Battery life is where the OnePlus Watch 2 really shines. It's rated to last 100 hours on one charge, which is more than four days. We managed to run it for just under three days with the always-on mode, which is still amazing and better than most other watches. Using the power saver mode, you should be able to get up to 12 days of use, and you can still receive notifications in this mode. The Watch 2 can be charged from empty to full in just over an hour, thanks to the 7.5W VOOC charging. 

The Galaxy Watch 7 features a new Exynos W1000 (3nm) SoC, which Samsung claims has a 3x faster CPU and 30% better power efficiency than the previous model. There's 32GB of storage this time, which is double what you got on the Galaxy Watch 6. The Watch 7 has an impressive set of health and wellness monitoring features. Along with everything the OnePlus Watch 2 tracks, it can also detect irregular heart rhythm (AFib), blood pressure monitoring, electrocardiogram (ECG), and more. 

The Watch 7 runs on One UI 6 Watch, which is based on Wear OS 5, making it the first smartwatch to ship with Google's latest wearable software. It has a long list of fitness and activity tracking, Galaxy AI integration for more nuanced auto-generated replies, and double-pinch gestures for touchless interaction with your watch.  

A 425mAh battery is the largest you can get on the Galaxy Watch 7 (44mm). The smaller model has a 300mAh battery. It'll probably be tough to compete with the OnePlus Watch 2 here, which has a much larger 500mAh battery, but you should expect a respectable full day to even slightly more with the 40mm model. We'll know for certain once we've tested it. 

The Watch 7 has a slightly different charging system due to changes to the sensors and glass on the bottom of the watch. Samsung recommends using only the charger that comes with the watch, as it's not compatible with older Galaxy Watch chargers. The ability to charge it via a phone's reverse wireless charging feature is also not supported anymore.  

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 vs. OnePlus Watch 2: Which is right for you? 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 would be my recommendation between the two watches. It's priced well, has good first-party customization options, and the wealth of activity and wellness tracking is commendable. It also comes in multiple sizes, and you can opt for a cellular version if you need it. Even though we're yet to test it, we have no doubt that it'll soon end up on our best Samsung watch list. 

The OnePlus Watch 2 is a good option if you want the best battery life at this price point. It's also highly durable, looks very classy, and often retails for around $250. Health tracking wasn't the most accurate when we tested it, but this could all change with the new OnePlus Watch 2R. The watch features small tweaks to the current design and (hopefully) better sensors, so it could be one to consider.