OnePlus responds to Watch 3 typo with launch delay. We explain why that could spell more trouble.
OnePlus has announced that open sales for the OnePlus Watch 3 will be delayed until April 2025 after reports of a typographical error on the rear of the case.
The Wear OS smartwatch was fully unveiled last week and was set to go on sale on 25 February. However, following several reports of a ‘Meda in China’ error appearing on early units (such as ours, shown above), the brand decided to pause production and produce a new batch without the typo.
Pre-orders for the corrected version will still begin on 25 February, and OnePlus states that anyone who receives a ‘Meda in China’ device can return it.
It’s unclear when the Watch 3 will eventually debut in April, though we’re told this will be announced ‘as soon as possible’.
Wareable’s view
While this started out as a seemingly harmless typo, OnePlus has escalated things with an extended delay. While we understand it has some pride to protect regarding quality control, we’re not sure many users would really care all that much (assuming they ever discovered the typo). After all, it doesn’t in any way affect the watch’s functionality.
How long the delay ends up being also has other practical knock-ons.
As we discussed in our review, the Watch 3’s only real advantage over upcoming Wear OS rivals (rumored to arrive this summer) is its battery life. This delay significantly reduces the already limited window of opportunity it had to entice those considering next-gen smartwatches from Samsung and Google.
As revealed by Wareable last week, the Watch 3 also isn’t the only smartwatch OnePlus is developing this year. This means the window between its releases will likely also be reduced.
Stay tuned for more on this one – we’re sure there’s more to come.
