Oppo officially unveiled its first

smartwatch to the world. The new device looks premium, sleek and a lot like an

Apple Watch.

The Oppo Watch series is the company’s

first attempt at wearable tech. Though it bears a striking similarity to the

Apple Watch, there are subtle differences that set it apart.

For their first smartwatch attempt, Oppo created 41 and 46mm variants. The 46mm size is the more stylish of the two, featuring Oppo’s 3D Flexible Hyperboloid Screen technology. The screen curves on either side, just like the Find X2 smartphones released alongside the smartwatches. The curved display adds a unique touch to the new smartwatch line and is a first for smartwatches.

The 46mm watch has a 1.91-inch AMOLED panel with 402 x 476 resolution. That translates to 326 pixels per inch. And with such a small screen, text and iconography should appear sharp and easy to read. The smaller watch has a 1.6-inch, flat AMOLED screen with 320 x 360 resolution.

Oppo tuned the displays well, as each watch covers 100% of the P3 colour gamut. So, the colours should be vivid and accurate. Both watches have aluminium alloy frames, but you can get a more premium 46mm stainless steel version.

Internally, the watch runs on two chipsets.

For high-performance tasks, there’s the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2500 chipset.

Less demanding tasks use an Apollo chip, and the device can switch between the

two to save power. Accompanying the chipsets is 1GB RAM and 8GB storage. Other

specs include WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC.

Oppo Watch Series makes calls with eSIM technology and can do so independently of a smartphone. Oppo’s new smartwatches only pair with Android phones running Android 6 or later.

Power in the 46mm comes from a 430mAh battery that should deliver up to 40 hours of use according to Oppo. The smaller 41mm watch has a 300mAh battery that delivers up to 24 hours of battery life. Power Save Mode provides an even longer battery life.

Oppo claims that this mode provides up to 21 days of battery life for the 46mm and 14 days usage for the 41mm version. Impressive. But that remains to be seen. Additionally, Oppo’s Watch VOOC Flash charging technology promises 50% charge in 17 minutes and a full charge in 75.

Of course, the Oppo Watch Series has a plethora of sensors designed for fitness and overall wellbeing. The watch features heart rate monitoring, sedentary alerts and menstrual management. Oppo’s new smartwatch beats Apple’s in one key area, sleep monitoring. It can tell how well you’re sleeping and create sleep reports.

Like other smartwatches, the Oppo Watch

Series detects several sporting activities like running, walking, cycling and

swimming. And you don’t have to worry about water damage as the watches repel

water up to 50 metres.

All the Oppo smartwatches run Android WearOS with a custom ColorOS skin on top.

Despite the apparent hardware similarities with Apple Watches, the Oppo Watch Series is not a 1 to 1 clone of Apple Watch. It doesn’t have an Apple-style digital crown. Instead, two buttons flank the right-hand side.

The 46mm costs CNY 1,999 (about US$288) while

the 41mm costs CNY 1499.00 (US$216).

The Oppo Watch Series presents Oppo’s take on wearable tech. And though it may look like the competition, it still packs a laundry list of useful specs at a more affordable price.

The Oppo Watch Series will be available in mainland China on March 24, with a global release coming later.