Oppo Watch X3: Battery Life Crushes Samsung

WearOS watches are about to go next level with the arrival of the Oppo Watch X3. We’ve been eagerly anticipating a Wear OS device that truly delivers on both aesthetics and endurance, and the Watch X3 steps up to the plate, challenging established titans like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and the formidable Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. Spoiler alert: Oppo’s latest offering truly rocks.

Design & Build

Oppo has clearly prioritized premium materials and thoughtful design with the Watch X3. We tested both available colors: the sophisticated Misty Titanium, featuring a distinctive 12-bevel design, and the sleek Obsidian Black, which opts for a more understated circular aesthetic. Both variants boast a titanium alloy construction, ensuring durability without adding unnecessary bulk. At a mere 43 grams and 11mm thin, the Watch X3 feels incredibly lightweight and slips effortlessly under a shirt cuff – a crucial detail for many of us.

In stark contrast, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra also features titanium, it presents as a significantly chunkier device on the wrist, both in size and thickness. The standard Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, on the other hand, offers a more budget-friendly aluminum build. While not inherently bad, it simply doesn’t match the robust feel of titanium.

A standout feature of the Oppo Watch X3 is its standard 22mm lug-to-lug width and an easy-removable strap system, utilizing standard push pins. This means we can swap out straps with virtually any 22mm watch band, offering unparalleled customization. Samsung, unfortunately, often locks users into proprietary connection systems, limiting choices and increasing costs when seeking replacements.

The Watch X3 also impresses with its physical controls. The top-right crown, angled at 2 o’clock, is responsive and tactile, providing satisfying haptic feedback as we scroll. A single press takes us home, a double press opens the most recent app, and a long press activates the assistant. The lower button is customizable, defaulting to workouts and offering a double-press shortcut for the wallet. This physical interaction feels far more intuitive than Samsung’s digital bezel, which often leads to smudged screens. While Samsung offers gestures like pinch, shake, and “knock-knock” for hands-free control, the Oppo’s superior physical crown largely negates the need for such workarounds.

Furthermore, the vibration motor on the Oppo Watch X3 delivers a much more integrated and “thumpier” notification experience compared to the somewhat superficial feel of the Galaxy Watch 8. Both the Watch X3 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra share a 47mm case size, while the Galaxy Watch 8 maxes out at 44mm. All three watches feature a durable sapphire crystal display, offering excellent scratch resistance. The Oppo Watch X3 and Galaxy Watch Ultra both sport a vibrant 1.5-inch AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 30,000 nits, ensuring clarity even in direct sunlight.

User Experience & Ecosystem

Running on Wear OS, the Oppo Watch X3 offers a seamless Android experience. Powered by a snappy Snapdragon W5 chip, alongside 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, performance is fluid and responsive. While the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra offers a larger 64GB of storage, we question how many users truly fill 32GB on a smartwatch.

The beauty of Wear OS lies in its open ecosystem, providing access to Google’s full suite of services, including Gemini, Wallet, Maps, and Find My. This means broad compatibility with any Android phone, unlike Samsung’s more restrictive approach. Oppo’s unified O Health app consolidates all watch settings, health, and fitness data into a single, convenient hub. This is a significant improvement over Samsung’s fragmented system, which requires juggling multiple apps like Samsung Wearable, Samsung Health, and Samsung Health Monitor.

While neither Oppo nor Samsung watches natively integrate with phone-based bedtime routines or schedules unless paired with their respective branded phones (e.g., a OnePlus 15R) or OPPO Find X9 Pro), setting these up directly on the watch or within the companion app is straightforward. Do Not Disturb syncing, however, does require a branded phone for two-way functionality.

Fitness & Health Tracking

Oppo has packed the Watch X3 with a comprehensive suite of health sensors, including a heart rate sensor, SPO2 sensor, skin temperature sensor, and ECG. Samsung offers a similar array, but many of its advanced features, such as ECG and body composition analysis, are locked behind the requirement of owning a Samsung phone. Furthermore, Samsung’s blood pressure monitor, while present, requires calibration with an external device and a Samsung phone, and its accuracy is based on initial estimates rather than continuous monitoring.

A particularly useful feature on the Oppo Watch X3 is its ability to broadcast heart rate data to compatible gym equipment. This means we can see our heart rate directly on the treadmill or elliptical without needing to grip sensors. The watch also includes a “60-seconds wellness overview,” which, with a finger placed on the bottom button, provides a quick snapshot of nine different health indicators. Additionally, a “mind and body wellness score” offers insights based on heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and activity levels, providing actionable advice on whether to rest or be more active.

For workout enthusiasts, the Watch X3 offers a vast array of pre-loaded workout modes, including unique options like dog walking and rope skipping. We can also create custom workouts, adding specific information like calorie count and heart rate zones. In our rigorous testing, comparing the Oppo Watch X3’s heart rate tracking against the gold standard Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap, the results were remarkably close. When we pitted the Oppo, Polar H10, and a Samsung watch against each other during an outdoor bike ride, the Oppo and Polar H10 showed significantly closer agreement, with the Samsung watch consistently overestimating heart rate and calorie burn. The Watch X3 also features reliable auto-workout tracking, accurately detecting and prompting us to record activities like walks.

Battery & Charging

This is where the Oppo Watch X3 truly shines, setting a new benchmark for Wear OS smartwatches. Oppo claims the longest battery life among Wear OS devices, and our testing unequivocally supports this.

The Watch X3 offers two distinct modes:

• Smart Mode: Oppo claims 5 days of battery life. With the always-on display (AOD) enabled (which we consider essential for a watch) and tracking three workouts, we consistently achieved four full days of use. Without AOD, we are confident the 5-day claim is easily met.
• Power Saver Mode: An astounding 16 days of battery life is claimed. The watch automatically switches to this mode when battery levels are critically low. We even pushed it to 1% and initiated a 1-hour workout, which it completed with juice still remaining, saving all data up to the point of near-depletion.

In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 typically lasts 1-2 days, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra manages 2-3 days at best.

Charging the Oppo Watch X3 is equally impressive. A mere 20 minutes on the charger brought our watch from near-empty to 50% – enough for 2-2.5 days of smart mode use. Oppo also states that 10 minutes of charging provides a full day’s worth of power, which checks out with our observations. The charger itself is well-designed, featuring a USB-C female port on the puck, allowing us to use any standard USB-C cable. This is a welcome change from Samsung’s integrated puck-and-cable design, where a damaged cable necessitates replacing the entire unit. While Oppo’s included cable is USB-A to USB-C, it’s easily swappable for a USB-C to USB-C cable if preferred.

Extra Features

The Oppo Watch X3 includes convenient features like short video playback control directly from the watch, allowing us to scroll, adjust volume, and navigate content without touching our phone. While Samsung offers its own ecosystem integrations like Samsung Find, SmartThings, and Buds integration, many of these are either redundant (Google’s Find My works universally) or locked to the Samsung ecosystem. The flexibility of the Oppo Watch X3, allowing seamless integration with any Android phone, offers a compelling advantage for users who value choice and aren’t tied to a single brand.

Tech Specs

• Oppo Watch X3

* Case Material: Titanium Alloy
* Case Size: 47mm
* Thickness: 11mm
* Weight: 43g
* Display: 1.5-inch AMOLED, 30,000 nits peak brightness, Sapphire Crystal
* Strap Width: 22mm (standard)
* Water Resistance: IP68/69, 5ATM, Mil-spec
* Processor: Snapdragon W5
* RAM: 2GB
* Storage: 32GB
* Operating System: Wear OS
* Battery Life (Smart Mode): Up to 5 days (claimed)
* Battery Life (Power Saver Mode): Up to 16 days (claimed)
* Sensors: Heart Rate, SPO2, Skin Temperature, ECG
* Charging: USB-C female port on puck

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 8

* Case Material: Aluminium
* Case Size: Up to 44mm
* Display: 1.47-inch AMOLED (44mm model), Sapphire Crystal
* Battery Life: 1-2 days (observed)
* Sensors: Heart Rate, SPO2, Skin Temperature, ECG, Body Composition, Blood Pressure Monitor

• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

* Case Material: Titanium
* Case Size: 47mm
* Display: 1.5-inch AMOLED, 30,000 nits peak brightness, Sapphire Crystal
* Storage: 64GB
* Battery Life: 2-3 days (observed)
* Sensors: Heart Rate, SPO2, Skin Temperature, ECG, Body Composition, Blood Pressure Monitor

Final Verdict

The Oppo Watch X3 is a truly impressive entry into the Wear OS smartwatch arena, delivering on nearly every front. Its premium titanium build, thoughtful design with a tactile crown, and open 22mm strap compatibility offer a superior user experience compared to Samsung’s more restrictive and sometimes less intuitive offerings. The battery life is a game-changer, shattering expectations for Wear OS devices and leaving the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Ultra far behind.

While Samsung’s ecosystem offers some unique health features, many are locked to their phones or require additional calibration, diminishing their universal appeal. The Oppo Watch X3, with its accurate health tracking, comprehensive workout options, and seamless integration with any Android phone via a single app, presents a compelling alternative.

Given its expected affordable pricing (details to be updated on Oppo’s official website for Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America), the Oppo Watch X3 is not just a strong contender; it’s a new benchmark. For anyone seeking a feature-rich, long-lasting, and aesthetically pleasing Wear OS smartwatch that doesn’t lock you into a specific phone ecosystem, the Oppo Watch X3 is an undeniable triumph.

✅ Pros:

• Exceptional battery life
• Premium build quality
• Accurate health tracking
• Open strap system
• Intuitive physical controls

❌ Cons:

• No native phone DND/bedtime sync (non-Oppo/OnePlus phones)
• No unique gestures
• No blood pressure monitor

===DISCLOSURES===
✅ The video above was sponsored by Oppo and this post is based on the video.
✅ Affiliate shopping and merchandise links above earn us commission.