The OnePlus Watch 3 is finally available in the U.S., but there’s one detail that's catching more attention than the watch itself: the price. Originally expected to launch at $329.99—right in line with its predecessor—the Watch 3 instead showed up on OnePlus' U.S. website with a price tag of $499. That’s a 52% jump, and naturally, people are asking: what happened?

OnePlus hasn’t officially said why the price increased so drastically, but unless you’ve been living under a rock these days, it’s not hard to connect the dots and figure out who the most likely culprit is. U.S. tariffs.

Earlier this year, the U.S. government rolled out a series of new import tariffs targeting electronics made in China. Some of these tariffs reach as high as 145%, which can make it much more expensive for companies like OnePlus—based in Shenzhen, China—to bring their products to the U.S. market.

Other tech companies appeared to anticipate the changes and adjusted their supply chains or product launch strategies accordingly. OnePlus, on the other hand, had a bumpier rollout.

Before the Watch 3 could even reach U.S. customers, it hit a snag. Early production units had a typo engraved on the back that read “Meda in China” instead of “Made in China.” That mistake delayed shipments and may have cost OnePlus valuable time it could have used to respond more strategically to the incoming tariffs.

By the time the typo was corrected and the watches were ready to ship, the new tariffs were likely already in place—and so was the new price.

At $499, the OnePlus Watch 3 suddenly finds itself in premium territory, priced even higher than some models of the Apple Watch Series 10 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, which are widely regarded as industry benchmarks.

That’s a tough spot for OnePlus, especially considering the brand is known for offering solid specs at competitive prices. Here’s where it gets even more frustrating for US buyers: in Europe and the UK, the OnePlus Watch 3 is not only cheaper, but also comes with bonus items.

In Europe, it’s selling for €299 — even less than the original launch price of €349. In the UK, it’s down to £269 (from £319), and buyers can choose a free gift like the Nord Buds 3 Pro, a charging base, or an extra strap. In the US? No discounts, no extras, just a much higher price.

To be fair, the OnePlus Watch 3 does pack a lot of tech under the hood. It features:

• A 1.43-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 2,000+ nits
• A rotating crown for easier navigation
• Stainless steel body and sapphire crystal protection
• Up to 100+ workout modes and standard health tracking (heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep)
• Dual-frequency GPS for more accurate tracking
• Up to 100 hours of battery life in smart mode (and even more in power saver mode)

However, it’s missing some advanced features like ECG monitoring, which are available on other flagship smartwatches in this price range. Also, while it runs on Wear OS 4, a big plus for app compatibility, the performance and ecosystem integration may not feel as seamless as what Apple or Samsung offers.

Pricing aside, the OnePlus Watch 3 does bring a few upgrades over the Watch 2. It keeps the same Wear OS software, but adds a brighter display, improved battery life (up to five days on a charge), and more advanced health tracking sensors. The design is still pretty premium too, with a sapphire crystal front and stainless steel body.

But the jump from Watch 2 to Watch 3 isn’t as dramatic as the leap from the original OnePlus Watch to the Watch 2. So for many people, the older model — which is currently available for $210 on Amazon — might feel like the better deal.

OnePlus hasn’t made it clear whether this $499 price is here to stay or if it’s a temporary bump related to tariff-related costs. There’s also no word on whether early buyers who expected a lower price will be offered any kind of refund or discount.

For now, this price tag is just one more example of how international trade policies can directly affect the tech we buy—and how much we pay for it.

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