iQOO Watch arrives with BlueOS, optional eSIM

24 April 2024

iQOO just unveiled its first smartwatch vivo iQOO Watch, but the company didn’t start from scratch – this looks very similar to the vivo Watch 3. It even runs the same BlueOS platform (rather than Google Wear OS). There is a version with eSIM, so this watch can operate independently from a smartphone, unlike most watches with a proprietary OS. And there is an app store, so you can add new functionality to the watch.

The iQOO Watch measures 46.1mm across and is 11.3mm thick (not including the biometric sensor at the bottom). It weighs 36g without a strap. Speaking of, there are three different straps to choose from – woven nylon, rubber and genuine leather. The straps are interchangeable, of course, so you can swap them to match the occasion (note: these aren’t standard 22mm straps).

The watch has a 1.43” OLED display with 466 x 466px resolution and an always-on display mode. The watch detects when you change the strap and automatically loads a matching watch face.

There are two hardware controls on board – the rotating crown on top and the button on the bottom. There are both a microphone and a speaker for Bluetooth calling and, if you have the eSIM version, calls from the watch itself.

The health tracking system uses an interesting dual setup. During the day, it uses visible light to track your heart rate and blood oxygen levels. At night, it switches over to invisible infrared, so that the watch doesn’t disturb your sleep with flashing lights. iQOO claims that the multi-channel sensor (8 channels for heart rate, 16 for blood oxygen) combined with a deep learning algorithm achieve 97.7% accuracy when tracking your heart rate.

Sleep tracking includes sleep time and score, plus sleep stage classification. The watch can also track naps. If you get an iQOO Watch for every member of the family, you can use the phone app to share your vitals with each other.

The smart watch has over 100 sports modes. It can help you plan your exercise, coach you during it and give you guidance on how to improve afterwards.

NFC is supported, so you can use it for things like public transport. And with the right car, the watch can even unlock your vehicle.

The 505mAh battery inside the watch can last up to 8 days in Bluetooth mode under normal operation (up to 16 days with power saving enabled). If you use it independently with its eSIM connection, then it will last up to 3 days of normal operation (up to 7 with power saving).

The iQOO Watch is now available in China through vivo’s online store. The Bluetooth model with a rubber strap costs CNY 1,100 ($150/€140/₹12,500). The eSIM model is normally CNY 1,300, but is currently CNY 100 off. You can also get a eSIM watch with leather strap for CNY 100 more.

Source (in Chinese)