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OnePlus Watch 3 Release Date Delayed to April 2025: What Happened

OnePlus delayed the Watch 3’s open sales to April 2025 after discovering a “Meda in China” engraving error. Preorders continued, corrected U.S. stock arrived later, and the price changed from $329 to $499.99 and then $349.99.
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Yes—the OnePlus Watch 3 release was delayed. OnePlus postponed the watch’s planned February 25, 2025 open-sales date to April after an engraving error was found on early units: “Made in China” appeared as “Meda in China.” Preorders continued, however, and the delay did not necessarily mean every preorder was canceled or pushed to April. Corrected U.S. retail stock was later reported as available on April 10, 2025.

The OnePlus Watch 3 delay in one sentence

OnePlus delayed general availability of the OnePlus Watch 3—not necessarily every preorder shipment—from February 25 to April 2025 while it prepared a corrected batch of watches with the engraving typo fixed. OnePlus described the problem as a typographical error, not a safety or functional defect. OnePlus’s announcement and contemporaneous reporting documented the change.

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OnePlus Watch 3 release-date timeline

Date What happened
February 18, 2025 OnePlus announced the watch for the U.S. and Canada and opened preorders. The announced U.S. starting price was $329.
February 25, 2025 Open sales were scheduled to begin, but OnePlus announced that general availability would be postponed to April.
April 10, 2025 Later reporting identified this as the U.S. retail launch date for corrected units.
April 28, 2025 OnePlus announced a U.S. price reduction to $349.99 and said eligible buyers who paid the higher launch price would receive refunds for the difference.

The original February 25 date came from OnePlus’s launch communication, while the later April 10 date came from launch reporting. They describe different stages of availability, not two contradictory launch dates. See the original OnePlus launch announcement.

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Why was the OnePlus Watch 3 delayed?

Early reviewers noticed that the inscription on the back of some watches read “Meda in China” instead of “Made in China.” OnePlus said it would address the mistake with a new batch before open sales.

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This was a cosmetic quality-control and branding issue. The available evidence does not support describing it as a safety recall, hardware defect, or reliability problem. It also does not establish that every early unit carried the error.

What happened to OnePlus Watch 3 preorders?

The delay applied to open sales or general availability, while OnePlus continued taking preorders. That meant preorder customers could have different outcomes depending on inventory and their preference:

  • Some customers could receive an early unit before corrected retail stock was widely available.
  • A customer who accepted the early version might receive a watch with the “Meda in China” engraving.
  • Customers who wanted the corrected inscription could wait for the replacement batch.
  • Reporting said OnePlus would accept returns without question from customers who received the misspelled version, but buyers should still verify the seller’s actual return terms.

Preorder incentives, including a reported $30 discount, were also part of the early-order discussion. The important distinction is that the delay did not automatically mean that every preorder was canceled or that every preorder customer had to wait until April. 9to5Google’s report provides the clearest account of the preorder situation.

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Was the exact April release date announced immediately?

No. In the February 25 announcement, OnePlus said only that open sales would resume in April 2025; it did not initially provide an exact day. Later reporting identified April 10, 2025 as the U.S. retail launch date for corrected stock. It is therefore more accurate to say that OnePlus first announced an April window and that April 10 was the subsequently reported U.S. retail date.

Dates and availability could differ in Canada, the U.K., Europe, and other markets. A retailer listing should not be treated as proof that a particular unit is from the corrected batch without checking the physical engraving or confirming with the seller.

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The OnePlus Watch 3 price changed three times

The delay story was followed by a separate U.S. pricing controversy:

  1. $329: the announced U.S. starting price in February 2025.
  2. $499.99: the price reported when corrected units went on sale in April.
  3. $349.99: the price OnePlus announced on April 28 as the final U.S. MSRP at that time.

OnePlus said customers who had paid $499.99 would receive a $150 refund for the difference. The $499.99 figure should therefore not be presented as the permanent final price.

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Some reports speculated that U.S.–China trade tensions or tariffs may have contributed to the higher April price. OnePlus did not initially provide a detailed confirmed explanation, so that possibility should remain labeled as speculation rather than fact. The price-reduction announcement is available on OnePlus Community, with additional reporting from Ars Technica.

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What the OnePlus Watch 3 offered

The delay concerned the casing inscription, not the watch’s core specification. The launch model was the large, approximately 46.6mm version, measured without the lugs. Relevant specifications included:

  • 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 466 × 466 resolution
  • Sapphire crystal cover glass
  • Snapdragon W5 processor with a BES2800BP MCU
  • 32GB storage
  • Wear OS 5 by Google alongside an RTOS
  • Dual-frequency GPS
  • 60-second Health Check-In and vascular-health features, subject to regional availability and wellness-use limitations
  • IP68 protection, 5ATM water resistance, and a MIL-STD-810H testing claim

OnePlus claimed up to five days in Smart Mode and up to 16 days in Power Saver Mode. Those are manufacturer estimates based on defined usage scenarios, not guaranteed real-world runtimes. GPS use, health monitoring, calls, display settings, and apps can reduce battery life. Full details are on the official specification page.

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Should you have waited for corrected stock?

Wait for corrected stock if the engraving matters to you, you want the standard retail batch, or you do not want to deal with a visibly misspelled inscription.

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Accept an early preorder unit only if you are comfortable with the typo and have confirmed the seller’s return or refund policy. “Meda in China” is a cosmetic production error, not evidence that the watch is counterfeit.

Buy later if price stability matters. The rapid movement from $329 to $499.99 and then to $349.99 made the exact purchase price more important than the original release date.

Consider another watch if you need LTE, a smaller case, iPhone compatibility, or a more mature ecosystem for your phone. The standard Watch 3 is a large Android-focused Wear OS watch. The separate OnePlus Watch 3 43mm is the relevant option for buyers who prefer a smaller design, while Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch models may be better fits for users committed to Google/Fitbit or Samsung ecosystems.

Historical status

Bottom line

The OnePlus Watch 3 really was delayed, but the precise description is that OnePlus postponed open sales from February 25, 2025, to April after discovering the “Meda in China” engraving. Preorders continued and could have shipped before corrected retail stock. Corrected U.S. units were later reported on April 10, and the U.S. price ultimately settled at $349.99 after a brief $499.99 launch price and a promised $150 refund for eligible early buyers.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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