What you need to know
- Verizon certifies the OnePlus 9 smartphones to work on its 5G network.
- As the exclusive OnePlus 9 carrier, T-Mobile was initially the only carrier to support 5G on the new smartphones.
- There's still no word on any certification for AT&T's 5G network.
The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are arguably the most impressive 5G smartphones from OnePlus, and among the best Android phones of the year. With preorders now live, it seemed for a moment that T-Mobile would be the only carrier to support 5G on either phone. It was a weird situation since the devices technically have the hardware and bands to support 5G on the other carriers. It seems that Verizon was lagging on certifying the device on its 5G network, and today the company announced that the new smartphones have finally been certified for its network.
Verizon's PR manager made the announcement on Twitter, which came just as preorders are under way:
I'm psyched to announce that the @OnePlus 9 Pro & OnePlus 9 have been certified to work on @Verizon & @Visible. That means you can buy it from your fav retailer and know that it will work great on Verizon 5G. Visit https://t.co/iPWwLCbRrn when you get your new phone to activate. pic.twitter.com/SK6eUyhJFKI'm psyched to announce that the @OnePlus 9 Pro & OnePlus 9 have been certified to work on @Verizon & @Visible. That means you can buy it from your fav retailer and know that it will work great on Verizon 5G. Visit https://t.co/iPWwLCbRrn when you get your new phone to activate. pic.twitter.com/SK6eUyhJFK— George Koroneos 🗿🍹 (@GLKCreative) March 26, 2021March 26, 2021
The announcement opens up options for customers who aren't subscribed to T-Mobile but want to take advantage of their carrier's fastest network. Verizon 5G isn't quite as accessible or robust as T-Mobile 5G since the company placed much of its earlier focus on mmWave. Still, the recent launch of its nationwide 5G network thanks to low-band spectrum and DSS should help boost network speeds for OnePlus 9 owners, although only the 9 Pro will have additional access to Verison's mmWave 5G.
It also means that Visible customers will also be able to take advantage of Verizon's 5G network when they pick up the new OnePlus devices. As one of the best MVNO carriers, Visible recently gained access to Verizon's 5G network, which customers can take advantage of for as little as $25 a month. This opens the OnePlus 9 to more people in the U.S. on postpaid or prepaid plans, although AT&T subscribers seem to remain left out of the fun for now.
Now you just have to head over to Best Buy and figure out what color OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro you should buy.
OnePlus camera upgrade
The OnePlus 9 Pro represents a new commitment to smartphone photography thanks to the partnership with leading lens manufacturer Hasselblad. With 5G, 60W fast charging, a 120Hz OLED display, and super-fast touch-response, OnePlus' latest flagship is all about speed.
