Oppo is set to unveil its latest smartphone, the Reno4, in Kenya shortly.
Accompanying the Oppo Reno4 in the local market will be an interesting accessory: the Oppo Watch.
The Oppo Watch is the first smartwatch from the Chinese device maker and its flagship wearable device.
It was unveiled half a year ago. However, back then, it was only made available in the company’s home market, China, and ran a proprietary operating system. 2 months ago, the wearable device launched globally and is now set to be available in Kenya.
Available in two variants, a 46-millimetre model and a 41-millimetre, it is the latter that is making its way to the local market.
With the Oppo Watch, Oppo is looking to take advantage of the trend that has emerged among Kenyans, especially those residing in urban areas, of being very conscious about their fitness levels and doing something about it, something that has only increased with the implementation of various restriction measures meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The 41mm Oppo Watch features a 1.6-inch AMOLED display (by comparison, the 46mm model has a 1.91-inch display), a 300mAh battery, 8 gigabytes of storage and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 chipset. It runs on WearOS, Google’s Android-based platform for wearables, with the usual customizations from Oppo that comprise its take on Android, ColorOS.
The watch packs features like Wi-Fi connectivity and splash (water) resistance.
Its display is protected from scruffs and scratches by Corning’s Gorilla Glass.
It pairs with smartphones via Bluetooth and can be used to make and receive calls. For exercising, one can use it to track their swimming routine, their walk, cycling and run. Sleep tracking and heart rate monitoring can also be done using the smartwatch.
In Kenya, where wearables of the Oppo Watch’s stature are still not commonplace, it will be going up against the Tizen-powered Samsung Galaxy smartwatches like the Watch Active2 and the recently-announced Galaxy Watch 3. It will also be up against Huawei’s Watch GT2, which has been selling in the country since December last year. It also takes on the Amazfit smartwatches available from Xiaomi in various outlets locally.
The Oppo Watch will be available in black, pink, gold and silver colours, according to Oppo Kenya.
Look out for our look at the Oppo Watch in coming days.
