Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The OnePlus Watch 3 has finally gone on sale in the US, but at a much higher price than had previously been announced.
- Listed at $499.99, it’s $170 more than expected. OnePlus declined the opportunity to give any reasons for the surprise price tag.
- The watch is made in China, so it’s possible the new 145% US tariffs on Chinese goods are behind the last-minute uplift.
After a delayed launch caused by an unfortunate typo, the OnePlus Watch 3 is now officially on sale in the US. But anyone hoping to pick up the new Wear OS smartwatch might be doing a double take, as it’s currently listed at $499.99. That’s a full $170 more than the expected $329.99 price OnePlus had previously announced.
At first glance, it would be easy to assume this is just another error — especially given that the Watch 3’s original release had to be pushed back from February to April after early units were found to have “Meda in China” engraved on the back. However, the higher OnePlus Watch 3 price persists until checkout and seems oddly specific to be a typo.
Another reason we might infer that this is the intended price is based on OnePlus’s stance. We contacted the manufacturer to inquire about this discrepancy and received the response, “We don’t have any additional comment to share at this time.” This doesn’t tell us what the reason is, but the brand would almost certainly acknowledge and correct it if it were a typo.
While it’s speculation, a more likely explanation could lie in tariffs. While the Trump administration postponed many of the higher tariffs yesterday, a steep additional tariff on Chinese goods was enacted, which was confirmed to total 145% today. As the now-infamous typo confirmed, The OnePlus Watch 3 is manufactured in China. It’s possible that the Watch 3 was given a last-minute price hike to reflect the extra costs of importing it to the US.
Whatever the reason, we can only hope that this huge price uplift is temporary. We’ve been impressed with the wearable in our testing, particularly the excellent battery life and attractive Wear OS 5 platform. However, a surprise $500 price tag makes it a different prospect entirely and is likely to sour interest — particularly if rival smartwatch brands aren’t also compelled to raise prices.
