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We've all heard of delayed product announcements or releases due to various quality control issues, manufacturing difficulties, as well as a wide array of other "conventional" reasons, but the recently unveiled OnePlus Watch 3 is certainly pretty "special" from this standpoint, hitting a totally unconventional and outright bizarre snag before its commercial debut.
Believe it or not, the makers of the latest Wear OS-powered Apple Watch alternative engraved the device with a misspelled "Meda in China" text, and as hilariously innocent as the typo may have originally seemed to both prospective OnePlus Watch 3 buyers and casual mobile industry followers, this is now leading to a delay of nearly two months.
Wait, what?!
That's right, the very promising-looking smartwatch that was initially scheduled for a February 25 release is officially "postponed until April 2025." If that sounds annoyingly vague (and potentially quite distant), a quick look at the OnePlus US website reveals that deliveries for pre-ordered units are expected to happen from April 15, which is obviously way less vague but also frustratingly distant.
The rotating crown is just one of the OnePlus Watch 3's welcomed improvements over its predecessor. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Before you start concocting conspiracy theories and suspecting other reasons might be behind this radical change of plans, you should know that OnePlus is refreshingly honest about its embarrassing blunder, calling it a "minor typographical error" and explicitly identifying it as the one and only cause for the Watch 3's postponement.
Of course, a delay of more than 45 days doesn't exactly feel "minor", especially for a product that was once expected to see daylight in late 2025. Then again, the OnePlus Watch 2 is only turning one in March, and with the lower-cost Watch 2R released around seven months ago, you can't say the brand is underrepresented in today's global smartwatch landscape.
Still, it's definitely not a good look for such a big company to lose so much precious availability time due to a "minor typographical error", although at the end of the day, our glowing OnePlus Watch 3 review praising everything from this bad boy's extraordinary battery life to its super-high-quality display, improved design and functionality, and last but not least, excellent overall value for your money could convince plenty of prospective buyers out there to wait until shipments begin with the correct "Made in China" message printed on the wearable's back.
OnePlus Watch 3
$299
99
$329
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$30 off (9%)
Wear OS Smartwatch, GPS, Bluetooth, 1.5-Inch AMOLED Display with 466 x 466 Pixel Resolution, Sapphire Crystal, Stainless Steel Case, Titanium Alloy Bezel, Up to Five Days of Battery Life (16 Days in Power Saver Mode), Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 Processor, 32GB Storage, 2GB RAM, Heart Rate Monitor, Blood Oxygen Sensor, Sleep Tracking, Wrist Temperature Sensor, IP68 Water and Dust Resistance, Two Color Options, TIME1010 Promo Code Required for $30 Discount
Don't forget that pre-orders remain active at $329.99, and if you remember to enter the "TIME1010" promo code at checkout, you'll save 30 bucks without meeting any special requirements or jumping through hoops.
What about the smaller OnePlus Watch 3?
Well, there's an interesting thought - perhaps this snag will prove to be a blessing in disguise for those who were considering buying the OnePlus Watch 3 but felt the 46mm case was a bit on the large side.
The company has recently confirmed plans to "fix that" issue at some point "this year", and while that might mean an eventual budget-friendly OnePlus Watch 3R will be sold in two sizes, an equally plausible theory is that the "regular" OnePlus Watch 3 could get a smaller model in the relatively near future.
If the delayed OnePlus Watch 3 looks a little bulky to you, maybe you should wait for a smaller version. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
This is naturally just me making assumptions to try to find a silver lining in an otherwise completely gloomy situation, but maybe, just maybe this lengthy delay will allow OnePlus to release the Watch 3 in two sizes at the same time in less than two months.
Does that feel unlikely? Perhaps. But it's certainly not impossible, and in a way, it would be a totally characteristic move for an often very unconventional and unpredictable brand.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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