OnePlus reached an agreement with T-Mobile around twelve months ago to sell the OnePlus 6T and the partnership was subsequently extended earlier this year to cover the OnePlus 7 Pro. More recently, OnePlus announced a separate deal with Sprint that’d see the carrier sell the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G. Now, it seems the Chinese company has its eyes on Verizon.

The OnePlus 8 Pro may launch on Verizon and T-Mobile

The regular OnePlus 7T Pro might not be coming to the US but recent rumors suggest the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition will make it to the market. But unlike the brand’s previous smartphones which have been sold through T-Mobile and Sprint, this particular device will reportedly launch as a Verizon exclusive later this year.

Once the OnePlus 7T series launches globally in October, OnePlus isn’t expected to release any other devices for at least another six or seven months. Therefore, the first mainstream smartphone from the brand that’ll be available on Verizon may be the OnePlus 8 Pro.

Little is known about this particular model at the moment but it seems like the most logical launch for Verizon. After all, the current OnePlus strategy seems to focus on releasing Pro models in the first half of the year for the US market and regular T-branded devices in the second half. This strategy also means that Verizon may launch the OnePlus 8T in just over twelve months’ time.

OnePlus and Verizon’s deal could face hurdles

Although sources say Verizon and OnePlus hope to continue moving forward with the current deal, there’s no denying the future partnership faces one big hurdle. This could ultimately lead to the agreement being scrapped in the near future or even at the last minute much like Huawei’s failed partnership with AT&T way back in January 2018. 

This change may not stop loyal fans from purchasing OnePlus devices but it most certainly will deter regular customers from acquiring the phones. After all, the change would mean parting ways with a substantial amount of extra cash – the OnePlus 7 Pro’s price could increase by over $100 – and it’d also reduce the gap between OnePlus flagships and Samsung and Apple’s latest offerings. 

Ultimately, only time will tell how all of this plays out for OnePlus but a partnership with Verizon could prove extremely beneficial to the company. After all, the company is currently the largest carrier in the US and can grant access to more customers than T-Mobile and Sprint combined.