The OPPO Watch X arrived with the longest Smart Mode battery life in Wear OS at launch - 100 hours, just over four days - in a 178-step hand-finished stainless steel case with sapphire crystal glass. MIL-STD-810H, IP68, and 5ATM certifications cover the physical demands. These specs place it in a distinct tier from most of the Wear OS field. Wear OS offers no native iPhone connection - Merge provides one: install on both devices and Watch X pairs to your iPhone for notifications, Apple Health syncing, contacts, music control, and camera control.
What works with iPhone
Through Merge, the OPPO Watch X handles the full iPhone companion workload. Notifications from every app on your iPhone arrive on the watch in real time, with per-app settings to decide what reaches the wrist. Health data syncs to Apple Health via Merge: heart rate, steps, distance, floors climbed, calories, workouts with GPS routes, and pace all route through Merge's health bridge - and all of that runs for days without a charging interruption thanks to the 100-hour battery. The dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS records accurate outdoor routes independently of your iPhone. The BES2700 co-processor handles background sensor tasks without meaningfully impacting the battery.
iPhone contacts sync to the watch and remain available throughout the extended battery window. Music playback and volume are controllable from the watch for outdoor use where the iPhone stays in a bag or pack. Camera control lets you trigger the iPhone remotely when the camera app is open. Pool swimming is supported with 5ATM water resistance as a dedicated workout mode, and the MIL-810H certification means all Merge features operate normally in environments where lesser watches would be a concern.
Android phone required for first-time activation
OPPO has not built an alternate activation path for iPhone users, so the Watch X's first-time setup requires an Android device. It's a short, one-time commitment: turn the watch on, connect to an Android phone over Bluetooth, sign in with a Google account, and sit back while the watch finishes its initialization. The whole thing takes a few minutes - closer to 10-15 if updates are involved. When setup is complete, that Android phone is done for good. Your iPhone and Merge become the Watch X's permanent home base.
Pairing OPPO Watch X with iPhone using Merge
- Complete the OPPO Watch X's initial activation using an Android phone and the Wear OS by Google app.
- On your iPhone, search the App Store for Merge Watch and install it.
- On the OPPO Watch X, open Play Store, search for Merge Watch, and install it.
- Open Merge on your iPhone - approve the Bluetooth permission when prompted, then keep it foregrounded.
- On the OPPO Watch X, open Merge and approve the Bluetooth permission when prompted.
- Tap Start Pairing - the watch stays discoverable for five minutes.
- On your iPhone, open Settings → Bluetooth and wait for the watch to appear in the list, then tap it to pair.
- Once paired, your iPhone will appear in Merge on the watch - tap it to complete the connection.
- Set up your Merge subscription via the iPhone app if prompted.
- Grant notification and health permissions on both devices when asked.
Using the OPPO Watch X day to day with iPhone
The 100-hour battery claim translates to roughly once-a-week charging for most users, which is a fundamentally different relationship with the device than daily-charge Wear OS alternatives. The 178-step case finishing and sapphire crystal give the Watch X a weight and scratch-resistance that most smartwatches don't approach - keys and pocket debris that mark standard mineral glass leave sapphire unmarked. Snoring risk data and dual-frequency GPS workout tracks sync through Merge to Apple Health alongside the full health metric set. All six Merge features - notifications, health sync, contacts, music, camera control, and notification control - run without interruption for days at a stretch, which is what 100 hours of battery actually delivers in practice.
