If you're looking forward to grabbing the OnePlus Watch 3, there is some bad news as the price will be much higher than originally anticipated.
When the OnePlus Watch 3 was originally announced, it was expected to cost around $329.99. However, it appears that OnePlus is releasing the watch with a 52% increase over that price.
As a result, the OnePlus Watch 3 will now cost a total of $499 in the United States. This is a pretty drastic increase, and what's worse is that OnePlus gave no forewarning that it was happening.
Usually, we would expect companies to alert both the press and long-time users of price hikes. However, OnePlus has been silent on the matter, with the price increase seemingly coming out of the blue.
When asked about the hike, a OnePlus spokesperson told The Verge, "We don't have any additional comment to share at this time." We have also reached out to OnePlus for a response, but have yet to hear anything.
What is the cause of this increase
While OnePlus is being quiet on the subject, there is one possible explanation for this increase. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump introduced ever-increasing tariffs against products shipped from China.
While we knew the tariffs would likely mean price increases for many products, this is one of the first times we've actually seen a smartwatch increase by such a drastic amount since the import levies came into play.
Other companies' response to the tariffs has varied, with some taking a wait-and-see approach after making sure they had enough stock before the tariffs took effect. Others, like Framework, have been forced to pull some models in response to the tariffs.
Nintendo, Apple and several other brands were able to stockpile devices in the U.S. before the tariffs came into effect (as the charges are only applied as they cross into America), but OnePlus probably couldn't do that with the Watch 3.
Early units had an engraving typo that showed "Meda in China" rather than "Made in China," leading OnePlus to delay the launch. This would have made it much harder to import enough stock before the tariffs took effect. As such, OnePlus's likely only option was to increase the cost or pull the watch from the market and suffer a loss.
Regardless of the reason, fans of the brand will now be faced with the difficult question of whether the OnePlus Watch 3 is worth $499. In our review, we had a lot to praise about the watch, especially the battery life.
This increase is what helped to place it on our best smartwatches for Android list. We also praised the more refined design with a larger display and the Comprehensive fitness tracking with unique metrics.
The unfortunate fact is that, while these tariffs are in effect, a lot of tech will likely see price increases or, as is the case with the Nintendo Switch 2, delayed launches. For the time being, we can only wait and see what the future holds for the OnePlus Watch 3 in the U.S. market.
With this price increase in mind, are you still tempted to pick up the OnePlus Watch 3, or will you start looking at other brands like the Google Pixel Watch 3?
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