The OnePlus Watch 3 is rumored to be announced at the beginning of next month and now there’s a new rumor suggesting it may be coming with a new style of crown button. For those unaware, the OnePlus Watch 2 has two buttons on the side of it that you can use to interact with the user interface. Much like the buttons on the Galaxy Watch 7, however, all these buttons do is let you select things, go back one screen or to the home screen, or activate voice assistants.
What they don’t let you do is properly navigate the UI. The latest OnePlus Watch 3 leak seems to suggest OnePlus is shaking things up in this regard. As the upcoming smartwatch will give users a new, hardware-based solution to UI navigation. This should make anyone who’s even considering getting a OnePlus Watch 3 very happy. Why? Because navigating a smartwatch UI without having to touch the screen is arguably easier and way more convenient. Plus, you don’t have to smudge up your screen as often.
The OnePlus Watch 3 is rumored to have a rotating crown
According to an article from Smartprix (via Android Central), the OnePlus Watch 3 will have a rotating crown. This would be in place of the regular button that the OnePlus Watch 2 has. Based on the leaked image, it looks similar to the crown on the Google Pixel Watch 3, although its placement is in the same spot as the top button on the OnePlus Watch 2. It’s also worth noting that the Haptic Crown on the Pixel Watch 3 doesn’t let you navigate most of the UI. It does, however, let you scroll through notifications.
Smartprix says that the crown on the OnePlus Watch 3 will provide a new way to navigate through the UI, and it’s basing these details on information shared by Yogesh Brar and Chunvn on X. It isn’t confirmed how navigation will work though.
That means it’s still unclear if the rotating crown will do more than just let you scroll through notifications. It’s possible that it could work similarly to the rotating bezel on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. The rotating bezel lets you scroll through most of the watch menus. So OnePlus may be looking to that sort of navigation for inspiration. Smartprix also says it will provide users with a “tactile experience that complements the touchscreen.”
There will also be an improved heart rate sensor suite
Swapping out the top side button for a rotating crown isn’t the only improvement OnePlus is making. According to the same leak, there will also be a new heart rate sensor suite. The main takeaway here is that it will include the ECG capability. That being said, it won’t necessarily work right away in all regions.
Some of Samsung’s past watches had the hardware for ECG readings to work, but Samsung didn’t have regulatory approval right away to activate them. It’s not clear if this will happen with the OnePlus Watch 3 or not. It’s also stated that the watch may include an LTE option. Samsung, Google, and Apple all offer this. So this would bring the OnePlus Watch 3 up to that standard.
