OnePlus 11 won’t be sold through T-Mobile

Ben Schoon | Feb 7 2023 - 7:30 am PT

It’s been abundantly clear over the past few years that OnePlus has been slowly pulling its focus away from the US market, and this year another nail is going into that coffin as OnePlus 11 won’t be sold at the brand’s only remaining carrier partner, T-Mobile.

With the launch of the OnePlus 11, OnePlus has confirmed that its latest flagship won’t be sold through T-Mobile either in stores or online. It’s the first OnePlus flagship to skip the carrier since the OnePlus 6T, which was the brand’s first device launched with a US carrier. Over the years, OnePlus kept up its partnership with T-Mobile, with the OnePlus 7 Pro being an exclusive to the carrier.

OnePlus also managed a brief partnership with Verizon Wireless in 2020, but that fizzled out after a single generation.

In a statement, OnePlus points to the OnePlus 11 having 5G certification across T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, and pointing to the easy sales channels in its own website, Amazon, and Best Buy.

OnePlus made major strides in making our 10 series devices more readily available by securing 5G certification on all three major US carrier networks. This proved to be a major milestone in our commitment to bringing the Android flagship experience to an increasing number of users at a competitive price point.

We are committed to bringing the OnePlus 11 to market earlier than in previous years and will start selling from OnePlus.com, Amazon, and Best Buy. The OnePlus 11 will still offer 5G compatibility with all three major US carriers, while being available for purchase at Amazon, Best Buy, and our OnePlus online store. Our partnership with T-Mobile remains strong, and we are still offering other flagship models and Nord N series devices through T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. We’re also looking forward to bringing more exciting products to the market through T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile in the future.

OnePlus also points out that its relationship with T-Mobile will remain, but on the more affordable Nord devices. That certainly makes sense, as Nord smartphones have been a hit at T-Mobile and Metro.

9to5Google’s Take

It’s hard to see this move as anything but a negative for OnePlus flagships in the US.

The US smartphone market is heavily influenced by carriers, as that’s where the vast majority of customers purchase their phones. OnePlus was already behind the curve compared to Samsung and Google in this regard, and this just signals even less attention being paid to the US market by OnePlus and its Oppo brethren.

While this move may benefit the price OnePlus can offer in the US market, it really restricts the impact the device can have here.