Oppo’s Apple Watch look-alike is a looker

On March 6th, Oppo will unveil its first smartwatch alongside its new Oppo Find X2 flagship smartphone. Rather than waiting until the launch event to show off the new smartwatch, the company has been slowly releasing teaser images of the wearable to build anticipation.

The latest image confirms what we already know: the Oppo Watch Series will sport a rectangular design with curved glass, a metal frame, and two side-mounted buttons. Oh, and let’s not forget that Apple Watch look-alike design.

It's time to say hello to #OPPOWatch. 👀

Unveiled at the #OPPOFindX2 Launch Event March 6, 10.30am CET. ⏰ pic.twitter.com/IwbOJnHoyg

— OPPO (@oppo) March 2, 2020

To be fair, Apple didn’t invent the square or rectangular smartwatch design (Sony recall the Sony Smartwatch from 2013?), but with the overwhelming majority of Wear OS devices featuring circular displays over the past 3-4 years. While smartwatches with circular designs look more like traditional watches, they deliver less usable screen real estate, something that’s already cut down to the minimum.

Fortunately, Oppo didn’t completely rip off the Apple Watch design as Xiaomi did with its latest smartwatch. Rather than replicating Apple’s digital crown, the Oppo Watch Series sports two flush-mounted buttons on the side.

Here's another look at the forthcoming OPPO Watch. 👀 The curved screen and 3D glass will be a game changer. 🤓 pic.twitter.com/ozbl9BXNZq

— Brian Shen (@BrianShenYiRen) February 17, 2020

Whether you think the Oppo Watch is a blatant ripoff of the Apple Watch or not, I’m sure we can all agree that it stands out when compared to all other Wear OS devices currently on the market. Time will tell if that’s a good move or not. At this point, smartwatch makers need to find a way to win back a little more market share from Apple, even if that means borrowing a few design cues here and there.