OnePlus’ first 5G handset is headed for Sprint

Published August 6, 2019

Sprint this morning announced that it will be the first network to get its hands on OnePlus’s long-promised 5G handset [not pictured]. The Shenzhen-based manufacturer announced late last year that it was targeting 2019 for the device, bucking the trend of being slightly behind the curve on the latest smartphone technologies.

Sprint’s not offering much in the way of actual information here — no pricing or availability. Not even specs or a device name were made available via the press release. Rather, the carrier notes that this is its first 5G smartphone, joining three other non-phone 5G devices for the nascent network.

OnePlus demos a 5G prototype at MWC

Last year, OnePlus made a device available for the first time through a U.S. carrier, partnering with T-Mobile for the 6T. It’s made the jump to Sprint this time out, though given merger plans, that distinction may soon be moot regardless. Sprint’s 5G network is currently available in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Kansas City, with Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. arriving in “the coming weeks.”

“We are proud to join with Sprint to bring an ultra-premium smartphone to their network,” OnePlus CMO Kyle Kiang said in a release. “As a community-driven company, we are thrilled to tell OnePlus enthusiasts on the Sprint network that the wait is finally over. This is a tremendous opportunity to expose Sprint customers to the award-winning OnePlus brand.”

The partnership isn’t being listed as an exclusive, but OnePlus has generally taken a measured approach to expansion, so it seems likely the company will only offer a single carrier partner this time out.