Another new OnePlus Watch is coming already

The OnePlus Watch 2 Nordic Blue Edition only launched a few weeks ago, but it looks like another OnePlus Watch is preparing for launch already. As spotted by tech site 91Mobiles, OnePlus has applied for certification in India with a brand new model.

The model has the number OPWWE234, and the OnePlus Watch 2 had the model number OPWWE231. But if you're hoping for a full spec sheet, we're sorry to disappoint: the filing only details the battery, which is 500mAh. That's the same as the one in the OnePlus Watch 2.

What does this mysterious OnePlus Watch filing actually mean?

The similarity of the model numbers with separate certifications suggests that we're looking at the next version of the OnePlus Watch rather than another special edition; such editions don't need additional regulatory approval before they can be sold. 

91Mobiles reckons that this is the OnePlus Watch 3, and predicts that it'll contain a new chip: it's been previously rumoured to have the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 inside. However, the very short gap between the launch of the Watch 2, which came out in February of this year, and the new model filing, which was published this June, means you might want to take that suggestion with a large pinch of salt: that's an exceptionally short time between generations as a new system on a chip means some significant hardware changes.

It's also worth noting that the W5 Gen 2 hasn't been announced by Qualcomm yet. Qualcomm announced its W5+ Gen 1 in July 2022, and the first smartwatch to utilise it, the TicWatch Pro 5, wasn't launched until the following May. So an imminent launch for a wearable containing a chip that hasn't been announced yet seems highly unlikely.

According to the leaker Digital Chat Station on Chinese social network Weibo, OnePlus's parent company Oppo has delayed the launch of multiple new devices: the Oppo Pad 3 and OnePlus Pad tablets, the next OnePlus Watch and OnePlus Buds 3 in new colours. The reason for the delay is unknown and seems to be a surprise: the Pad 3 was expected to launch in July.