The smartwatch plans OnePlus shelved years ago could be back on the table, 9to5Google reports. 91Mobiles spotted a listing on the IMDA website for a “OnePlus Watch.” Beyond the model number, W301GB, we don’t know much, but there are a few reasons a smartwatch from OnePlus would make sense.
Several years ago, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei said the company was working on its own smartwatch. In 2016, he shared sketches on Twitter, but by that point, the company had scrapped plans to develop the wearable. It seems that the company thought it was overstretching, so it killed a bunch of non-phone projects. Flash forward to today: OnePlus has wireless earbuds and TVs — a smartwatch seems a lot more feasible.
What could have been but never will be. Sketches circa 2015. #throwback pic.twitter.com/5zKuSdDiv0
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) June 29, 2016
Plus, as 9to5Google points out, OnePlus often releases products similar to OPPO, which is under the same parent company. OPPO just launched a Wear OS-powered smartwatch, so we might assume that OnePlus would have a similar smartwatch in the works. A former OnePlus employee backed that up, telling TechRadar that the company has been working on the wearable for “the last year.”
Earlier today, we learned that OnePlus may have plans to launch an entry-level phone, Clover, in the US. We’ll see if the company announces the new phone and smartwatch at the same time.
Author: Christine Fisher, @cfisherwrites
1h ago
Source: Engadget
