Rumors suggest the Oppo Watch 3 could launch on August 10
Being a fan of square smartwatches can be tough, with round designs dominating the market, so we’re always happy to see the debut of a new well-equipped square model. The Oppo Watch 2 premiered last July, and it’s seemed likely that its successor might launch at a similar time this year. Last month Oppo confirmed that the Watch 3 series would be arriving this August, although the exact date was unknown — until now. Prolific tech tipster Digital Chat Station reports that the Oppo Watch 3 series will be announced in China on August 10 — the same day as the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series.
We’ve already heard to expect three models this year — though how different those all will be, we’re not yet sure. Oppo has confirmed that at least one of the three watches in the series will run the latest Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 SoC, which represents a long-overdue upgrade from the already formidable Snapdragon Wear 4100 platform. The Wear 4100 and 4100+ chipsets were used to power the likes of the Fossil Gen 6, the Skagen Falster 3, as well as the Oppo Watch 2. Qualcomm has confirmed that the W5 and the W5+ Gen 1 SoC use only half the power of the Wear 4100, yet are twice as efficient.
In addition to news about that rumored launch date, Digital Chat Station shares a look at what are supposedly the Oppo Watch 3 and the Oppo Watch 3 Pro (via GSMArena). We see that squircle design we were expecting, with a larger screen-to-body ratio than the Watch 2 models. Here they’re paired with some attractive leather (or faux leather) straps, and if you look closely you can see the Pro model’s crystal seems to be more curved. Additionally, ECG monitoring capability and an LTPO display may also arrive with these smartwatches. As DCS reported a few weeks back, they should be available in four colors — black, silver, dark gray, and light gold. Finally, eSIM support sounds like a possibility, though that’s far from certain (via Playfuldroid).
We still haven’t heard anything about possible plans for a global release this time around. The two previous generations first launched in China, followed days later by India, but they only arrived in Europe and the United States months after the fact. While it’s possible the Watch 3 will get a similar release, we’d sure hope to see it arrive sooner in other regions this time around.
