OnePlus is seeking redemption with its second attempt at a smartwatch. The company’s original OnePlus Watch was widely panned for poor software and inconsistent performance. Now, OnePlus is back with the OnePlus Watch 2, priced at $299.99. This time around, OnePlus is placing a big bet on Google‘s Wear OS platform to power its watch.

The OnePlus Watch 2 runs on Wear OS 4 and will have access to the Google Assistant. This is a major upgrade over the proprietary software on the first OnePlus Watch, which lacked key smartwatch features like third-party apps. Wear OS brings the full catalog of Android apps and watch faces to the OnePlus Watch 2.

Hardware-wise, the OnePlus Watch 2 has an intriguing dual-chip architecture. It contains both the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chipset and a secondary ultra low-power BES 2700 chip. The Snapdragon W5 handles the heavy lifting of running Wear OS and apps. Meanwhile, the BES 2700 efficiently handles background tasks like tracking steps and heart rate.

This novel dual-chip setup, along with a 500 mAh battery, allows the OnePlus Watch 2 to achieve a claimed battery life of up to 100 hours. That’s in an ideal scenario with always-on display disabled and only 30 minutes of GPS usage per day. More realistically, OnePlus says to expect around 48 hours of battery with always-on display enabled. Either way, that’s very solid battery life for a Wear OS watch.

The OnePlus Watch 2 ticks all the right boxes in terms of sensors and health-tracking capabilities. It has onboard GPS, heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen tracking, sleep analysis, stress tracking, and even a snore detection feature. The GPS supports dual-band, meaning it can tap into L5 satellite frequency for more accurate positioning data. This is a high-end feature typically seen only in rugged outdoor watches.

In terms of design, the OnePlus Watch 2 has a classic circular watch face and comes in two color options – black steel and silver steel. The body is stainless steel with a durable sapphire crystal lens. At 5ATM water resistance, it can handle swimming and showering without issues.

For fitness, the OnePlus Watch 2 can track over 100 different workout modes. It has advanced run tracking metrics like ground contact time, ground reaction force, and VO2 max estimates. The watch appears well-equipped as an everyday smartwatch and workout companion.

The million-dollar question is whether OnePlus can stick the landing on software execution and reliability. The hardware seems very capable on paper. But poor software plagued the first OnePlus Watch. If OnePlus can deliver a smooth and reliable Wear OS experience, the Watch 2 has a chance to be one of the better Wear OS options available.

The OnePlus Watch 2 goes on sale starting March 4th. OnePlus is offering a limited-time trade-in deal, where customers can trade in any watch for an extra $50 off. This could be a tempting offer for current smartwatch owners seeking to upgrade.

Overall, the OnePlus Watch 2 shows promise on paper. But OnePlus will need to prove it can deliver on both hardware and software fronts. If it succeeds, the Watch 2 could become a popular alternative to Samsung’s Galaxy Watch lineup. For Android users wanting Wear OS on their wrist, the OnePlus Watch 2 will be one to watch.