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Deep Dive - OnePlus Band Design Jan 11, 2021

Eric L. , Jan 11, 2021 :

Hi Community friends,

With the release of the OnePlus Band in India, we wanted to share a deeper dive with all our community. As our first-ever smart wearable device, it packs key features into a highly compact and stylish form factor. These include a dedicated blood oxygen sensor, continuous sleep monitoring, and dedicated exercise modes. This deeper dive will focus on the vibrant design language, providing key insights into the behind-the-scenes thinking of the ID (Industrial Design) team here at OnePlus.



Alongside the many functional benefits and features provided by the powerful OnePlus Band, one of the key goals of our ID team was to achieve a good balance among key intangibles: usage-versatility, refined ergonomics, and comfort. These define the overall OnePlus Band experience.

Form and function
Crucially, we had to take into account a wide range of potential usage scenarios – from casual/formal occasions, urban settings, fitness, to swimming and sleeping. Simply put, OnePlus designers had to ensure the OnePlus Band seamlessly blends function and form.


The main tracker unit comes with an understated and versatile dark-toned band strap (Gray and Black). The color styling choice is a great fit for most usage cases. However, design teaches us that anything worn on the wrist is naturally considered to be a style accessory, communicating and amplifying the style and image of the wearer. Consistent with this thinking, our accessory band straps (sold separately) provide additional colorway options to transform your original styling to even more expressive and premium fashion styles.

These colorways include distinctive Navy as well as the energetic Tangerine Gray – both are ideal picks for sports, fitness and street style.


The language of color
Our research informed us that almost all band straps are single-tone, and too bright, dark or dull in color. The direction we took addressed this oversight, creatively transforming the user experience. In short, our design team was determined to rewrite the rules using the following goals:

• Simplify the user experience for added convenience
• Personalize the experience using color psychology
• Inject youthfulness to convey always being ready and active
• The strap design and colorways boldly express our Never Settle vision

Reflecting the interaction between mood and color, the dual-tone Tangerine Gray band strap in particular creates a dramatic and compelling contrast. The difference between the gray and bright tangerine on the band’s underside is bold and striking. This combination exudes a charismatic positivity and energy in the wearer – both outwardly and in terms of personality. At the same time, the wearer retains the flexibility and convenience of using the band in more formal settings, maximizing its overall versatility. With OnePlus Band straps, standing out is now as easy as stepping out.

Style that matters
In choosing these vibrant color tones and cues, our in-house design team wanted to make it effortless to dynamically create mix and match combos with modern fashion wear. This opens up more contemporary, high-end fashion options complementing the latest street fashion and sneaker trends.



To add even more refinement, we etched compelling and provocative concave and convex patterns and motifs into the strap. This has two benefits: first, it provides visual freshness and dynamic energy continually revitalizing the product; second, it maintains the contemporary and bold experience expected of the OnePlus Band. This echoes the OnePlus ‘burdenless’ design philosophy, our commitment to create powerful technology that provides clear benefits while being effortless to use.

Moreover, the precise sculpting and craftsmanship to create the strap decals significantly reduces the amount of TPU material used. This reduces the overall weight of the band, significantly enhancing the comfort and making it ideal for long-term wear. This is especially important as a single battery charge lasts up to 14 days of use, and key features such as the continuous blood oxygen saturation monitoring requires the user to wear the band during sleep.


Future direction
Looking ahead, we ensured that the detachable design of the main tracker would offer future expandability. Third party manufacturers will be able to create exciting band strap accessories for the OnePlus Band, each with their own unique mood and tone. This allows even more options to change up your style.

We hope our brief overview helps you to better understand the benefits and versatility of the dual-tone straps, the choice of material, and the expandability of OnePlus Band. If you have any further queries, please do drop your question into the comments below.

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