I wouldn’t describe myself as a Potterhead, yet I was totally blown away during my first visit to ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ that’s part of the Universal studios experience in Osaka, Japan. I guzzled Butterbeer and became a child again; that was five years ago. The last Harry Potter film released 10 years ago and it’s been almost a decade and a half since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows smashed a Guinness World record for most novels sold within 24 hours of its release. The legend of Harry Potter lives on, it’s something you’re likely to relive as you unbox this special edition watch from OnePlus.
It’s a clever move, many millennials probably grew up reading these novels or jumping straight to the films like I did. The box opens in a sliding style (you don’t have to say ‘Accio’), don’t expect any secret key or trick inside though. You will find a hand polished special edition watch; the thing that caught my attention was the Lighting bolt – reminiscent of Harry Potter’s emblematic scar, inscribed on the power button. The frame is finished in a beautiful shade of gold and complemented with a vegan leather band embossed with the instantly recognisable Hogwarts Crest.
The Harry Potter experience doesn’t end there. The Harry Potter logo appears the instant the watch is turned on. You can take sides, choose your house and customise the UI. Pick from one of the Hogwarts houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin or Ravenclaw or opt for the Hogwarts crest or silhouette. You can also choose from a range of UI options from the font and animation to the icons in the main screen, each inspired by the Wizarding World.
Beneath the Harry Potter experience, it’s the same OnePlus Watch that we first checked out for MW back in April this year. Colours are brilliant on the 1.39-inch AMOLED display (454 x 454 pixels / 326 PPI) and the always-on display is now enabled. Set up is mighty simple. This watch only pairs with Android devices, all you need to do is to grab the OnePlus health App. The UI is clean; it’s essentially a standalone App unlike rivals from Fossil that can lean on Google’s Wear OS or Samsung or Fitbit smartwatches that can leverage a more seasoned UI with quite a few third party apps.
The OnePlus watch impressed us with its wellness features. The sleep tracking feature worked quite well during our tests, I was impressed with the ‘no fuss’ SpO2 readings on this watch that got it right in just one go. You get heaps of workout tracking modes, the in-built GPS is a great add-on at this price point. It’s 5ATM IPS68 certified – yes, this one’s pool proof. It’s not just the clean UI that OnePlus transfers to this special edition Watch, it’s also the battery charging solution. This is insanely fast, just like the WarpCharge feature that we totally dig on OnePlus smartphones. You can get a day’s power with a 5-minute charge or a week’s battery backup with a 20-minute charge. Battery life is a big win too – you can stretch it to almost two weeks without GPS and the always-on display.
If you’re an Android user looking for a fitness-focused wearable, this smartwatch brings a lot to the table including in-built GPS, a water proof form factor, multiple exercise modes and SpO2 tracking. The OnePlus Harry Potter Limited Edition Watch is a great option for Potterheads as well as consumers looking for a new user experience. It totally justifies the Rs 2,000 premium over the standard OnePlus smartwatch.
OnePlus Harry Potter Limited Edition Watch costs Rs 16,999
