Google Pixel Watch 2 vs OnePlus Watch 2R

Google Pixel Watch 2

Google

8.1

The Pixel Watch that fixed the battery

OnePlus Watch 2R

OnePlus

Best-value Wear OS battery champ

Google Pixel Watch 2

What Reviewers Agree On

Fixed the original Pixel Watch's battery flaw — a full 24 hours with the always-on display on, via the new Snapdragon W5 chip.
Switched from the power-hungry Exynos to a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 — the key efficiency upgrade.
New multi-path optical heart-rate sensor — Fitbit's improved HR tech for better accuracy.
Continuous stress tracking via a cEDA (electrodermal activity) sensor — Body Response feature.
Skin temperature sensor — overnight temperature tracking for sleep + cycle insights.
Gorgeous domed-glass design — Wired calls the domed glass + domed display 'hard to look away.'

Pros & Cons

Google Pixel Watch 2

Pros

Fixed the original Pixel Watch's battery flaw — a full 24 hours with the always-on display on, via the new Snapdragon W5 chip.
Switched from the power-hungry Exynos to a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 — the key efficiency upgrade.
New multi-path optical heart-rate sensor — Fitbit's improved HR tech for better accuracy.
Continuous stress tracking via a cEDA (electrodermal activity) sensor — Body Response feature.
Skin temperature sensor — overnight temperature tracking for sleep + cycle insights.

Detailed Comparison

Battery & Charging

Google Pixel Watch 2

A full 24 hours with the always-on display on — the fix for the original Pixel Watch's defining flaw. Fast charging. Still requires daily charging.

24 hours with the always-on display enabled — the headline fix; the original Pixel Watch couldn't reliably last a day with AOD on.
Android Authority's retrospective on the original Pixel Watch: battery was 'my biggest issue' — the Pixel Watch 2 directly addresses it.
Snapdragon W5 chip — the efficiency gain that made the 24-hour battery possible.
Fast charging — a quick top-up before bed enables overnight sleep tracking.
Still requires daily charging — a real improvement over the original Pixel Watch, but far from Garmin's multi-week endurance.

TechTalkTown may earn a commission from purchases made through links below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not influence our reviews. Learn more.

Buy Google Pixel Watch 2

Buy OnePlus Watch 2R

People Also Compare

Google Pixel Watch 2 vs Google Pixel Watch 4 Google Pixel Watch 4 vs OnePlus Watch 2R Apple Watch SE 3 vs Google Pixel Watch 2 Apple Watch SE 3 vs OnePlus Watch 2R Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Google Pixel Watch 2 Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs OnePlus Watch 2R Apple Watch Series 11 vs Google Pixel Watch 2 Apple Watch Series 11 vs OnePlus Watch 2R Google Pixel Watch 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 OnePlus Watch 2R vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 8

Browse all reviews

OnePlus Watch 2R

What Reviewers Agree On

Class-leading Wear OS battery life — a dual-chipset (Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 + BES2700) design gives ~3-4 days of real use, far beyond Pixel/Galaxy Wear OS rivals
Genuinely fast charging for a smartwatch — roughly 0-100% in ~50-65 minutes and a 10-minute top-up for about a full day
Excellent value at ~$229 (often $175-200 on sale) — close to flagship functionality for a fraction of the price
Lightweight, comfortable aluminium build (~25% lighter than the Watch 2) with IP68 + 5ATM and standard 22mm straps
A clean, responsive Wear OS 4 experience with the liked 'Bubbles' app interface — better than its early reputation

Deal Breakers

Single-band GPS and a dimmer 1,000-nit (600-nit typical) screen versus the Watch 2's dual-frequency GPS and brighter rivals
Only ~2 years of software updates and no fall detection — short support for a long-life watch
Basic OHealth fitness/sleep tracking and slow (~8-10 min) auto workout detection — not for serious athletes
Panda Glass (not sapphire) build is more scratch/crack-prone than the steel OnePlus Watch 2
Large 47mm-class body and quiet speaker; no LTE and no rotating crown

OnePlus Watch 2R

Pros

Class-leading Wear OS battery life — a dual-chipset (Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 + BES2700) design gives ~3-4 days of real use, far beyond Pixel/Galaxy Wear OS rivals
Genuinely fast charging for a smartwatch — roughly 0-100% in ~50-65 minutes and a 10-minute top-up for about a full day
Excellent value at ~$229 (often $175-200 on sale) — close to flagship functionality for a fraction of the price
Lightweight, comfortable aluminium build (~25% lighter than the Watch 2) with IP68 + 5ATM and standard 22mm straps
A clean, responsive Wear OS 4 experience with the liked 'Bubbles' app interface — better than its early reputation

Cons

Single-band GPS and a dimmer 1,000-nit (600-nit typical) screen versus the Watch 2's dual-frequency GPS and brighter rivals
Only ~2 years of software updates and no fall detection — short support for a long-life watch
Basic OHealth fitness/sleep tracking and slow (~8-10 min) auto workout detection — not for serious athletes
Panda Glass (not sapphire) build is more scratch/crack-prone than the steel OnePlus Watch 2
Large 47mm-class body and quiet speaker; no LTE and no rotating crown

OnePlus claims up to 100 hours in Smart Mode, 48 hours heavy use, and 12 days in power-saving mode from the 500mAh cell.
Real-world: ~3 days with the always-on display off and lift-to-wake — closer to 4 days light, not quite the 100h claim without battery-saver tweaks.
Hands-on: hit ~90 hours in Smart Mode with brightness near max before being forced into battery-saver — the longest battery life of any Wear OS watch tested.
Day test: 100% in the morning, a gym hour plus heavy Google Maps walking, and it still had ~62% the next morning.
Charging: 0-100% in roughly 50-65 minutes on the included charger, exactly as OnePlus claims; a 10-minute top-up gives about a full day's use.
Charging is via a magnetic 4-pin/Pogo dock with a removable USB-C cable — there is no wireless charging (despite some spec listings citing 7.5W wireless, which appears to be Watch 2 data).
Power-saving auto-engages at 10%; the secondary RTOS chip flattens drain so the watch keeps notifications and basics for days more.

Value vs Competition

Google Pixel Watch 2

$349 launch (41mm). Now superseded by the Pixel Watch 3 + 4 — a strong value if discounted. Competes with the Galaxy Watch and (for iOS) the Apple Watch Series 9.

$349 launch price (41mm) — standard premium-Android-smartwatch pricing.
Now superseded by the Pixel Watch 3 (bigger screen) and Pixel Watch 4 (repairable, 3,000 nits) — a strong value if discounted.
vs Apple Watch Series 9: different platforms — the Pixel Watch 2 is the Android flagship, the Series 9 the iOS one.
vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: both run Wear OS; Samsung offers more sizes, Pixel offers tighter Fitbit + Pixel-phone integration.
Best for: Android users (especially Pixel-phone owners) who want the Pixel Watch design with a battery that lasts the day — and find the Pixel Watch 2 discounted now that newer models exist.

OnePlus Watch 2R

At ~$229 (often $175-200 on sale) the 2R is widely called the best-value Wear OS watch — it delivers ~95% of flagship functionality and the platform's best battery, against a Watch 2 that costs more for steel and dual-frequency GPS.

The best budget Android watch tested at this price — frequently discounted a further $50.
Verdict: 'Hey, not half bad' — a genuinely good affordable Wear OS option.
At ~$229 it delivers roughly 95% of flagship-watch functionality (those cost 2-3x) with no significant compromises for everyday use.
Versus rivals at similar money: far longer battery than the Galaxy Watch 7 (40h, ~£289) and Pixel Watch 3 (24h, ~£349), and well beyond an Apple Watch SE (18h).
Versus the Watch 2 (~$299): the 2R felt slightly shorter on battery in real use and trades the steel build for plastic-ier glass — a ~$50-100 saving that doesn't fully justify itself for some.
Two-months-later owner who paid ~$175 at launch (sold a Samsung Watch 4 Classic to switch): confidently worth the money.