Verizon is reportedly working on a partnership with OnePlus to sell its smartphones next year.
According to a new report from Android Police, citing unnamed sources, the deal will include the sale of one phone.
Verizon selling OnePlus was bound to happen
It may have been only a matter of time before Verizon jumped on board with OnePlus.
Devices like the OnePlus 6T have been certified to work on the carrier since October of 2018. Even the OnePlus 7 Pro is certified with all of Verizon’s bands so that it will work properly.
The OnePlus 7 Pro is the company’s latest device so far, so it should make sense that future device may not only be certified, but even make their way onto Verizon shelves.
It’s unclear which phone will be available or when it will launch
Though reports appear to be stating Verizon will be an official carrier, it’s still unclear which phone it will be.
Some may have speculated that it would be the 7T Pro, an upcoming model that has yet to be released. That will apparently not be the case though. It could however, be a 5G variant of that in the form of a special edition McLaren model.
Verizon is also said to be the exclusive carrier of this particular edition of the phone. That being said there is no confirmation from either company at this time.
Verizon could help popularize the brand even more
Despite how you feel about Verizon, it helped put Android on the map in a major way.
That’s the power of Verizon’s marketing. The same thing could happen if it were to start selling OnePlus phones. It’s the largest carrier in the US, so it has plenty of people to market this brand to.
OnePlus already has a huge cult following, bu nowhere near the size of Samsung or Apple phones. Being available on Verizon wouldn’t necessarily skyrocket things, but it could certainly help bring awareness to the brand and popularize with more US consumers.
Specifically those who are entirely unaware that the brand exists. A few years ago not many people knew what Pixel phones were. Three generations later and with help from the less expensive Pixel 3a model, it’s a lot more popular.
Of course, OnePlus phones may not actually make it onto Verizon’s store shelves. Whether or not they do likely depends on a few things, one of those being the current state of affairs between the US and Chinese consumer goods.