OnePlus’s New Watch Lite is Anything But ‘Lite’

When a company puts “Lite” in a product’s name, it usually sets a clear expectation: fewer features, cheaper materials, and a lower price. OnePlus seems to have missed that memo. The company just unveiled the OnePlus Watch Lite, and a quick look at the spec sheet makes you wonder if they sent the wrong press release. This isn’t just a stripped-down version of a flagship; it’s a surprisingly premium device hiding behind a budget moniker.

The first clue is the build. The Watch Lite is encased in 316L stainless steel, available in Silver or Black, and measures a slender 8.9mm thick, making it the thinnest watch OnePlus has ever produced. That case surrounds a 1.46-inch OLED display that can reportedly blast out an eyeball-searing 3,000 nits in its high-brightness Sports Mode. It even features an “Aqua Touch” mode, designed to improve touchscreen accuracy when your fingers are wet—a thoughtful touch for swimmers or anyone caught in the rain.

Under the hood, however, is where the trade-offs begin. The Watch Lite does not run Google’s Wear OS, opting instead for a proprietary operating system. This decision is a double-edged sword. The major upside is a claimed battery life of up to 10 days on a single charge, with a quick 10-minute top-up providing a full day’s power. The downside is a closed ecosystem, meaning no third-party apps from a broader app store. It does, however, connect to both Android and iOS phones and even supports a dual-pairing feature to stay connected to two Android devices at once.

OnePlus is clearly targeting fitness enthusiasts. The watch comes loaded with over 100 workout modes, with 12 designated as “professional.” The running mode, for instance, leverages dual-band (L1/L5) GPS for more precise location tracking and introduces a new lactic acid threshold detection feature. For badminton players, a dedicated mode analyzes swing speed and shot distribution. It can also broadcast your heart rate to compatible gym equipment.

Health monitoring is also robust, featuring a 60-second “Wellness Overview,” SpO2 detection, and comprehensive sleep tracking that analyzes blood oxygen, breathing, heart rate, and even skin temperature overnight.

But with a proprietary OS and a price point that rivals established competitors, who is this watch actually for?

The OnePlus Watch Lite is up for pre-order now for £180 / €180, with general availability starting December 24. The pricing strategy is complicated by a web of launch deals. There’s an initial £20 discount, a potential £20 trade-in bonus, and free OnePlus earbuds (valued at £80, while supplies last). For those already committed to the ecosystem, bundling the watch with the new OnePlus 15R phone nets a 40% discount on the wearable. If you’re planning on buying the new phone anyway, we recommend going for the bundle to get the most significant savings. It’s a dizzying array of offers for a device that seems to be having an identity crisis—a premium watch that insists on calling itself Lite.