T-Mobile to sell OnePlus 6T in US, Launch in October

OnePlus has announced T-Mobile will be the exclusive US carrier partner for the OnePlus 6T when it launches in October.

The company, however, will still sell its standard global version that’s unlocked and able to run on either AT&T or T-Mobile. The price of the OnePlus 6T is tentatively set at $550. The only hiccup with the US launch could come from the testing required by T-Mobile to get certification on the network

“Getting carrier shelf space is a prerequisite to volume sales in the US,” said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Global Data. While the typical route for a phone maker hoping to break into the US market is to work with a carrier — typically on cheap phones first — OnePlus took a different route and has steadily built its own cult following here. Other Chinese companies like Huawei have tried and failed to go directly after consumers.

T-Mobile could give OnePlus a shot in the arm. The company’s CEO, Pete Lau, said in an interview with CNET in January that he would begin talking with the US carrier this year. “If the right opportunity and right timing come along, we’ll be very happy to experiment,” Lau said through co-founder Carl Pei, who served as interpreter.

T-Mobile’s version of the OnePlus 6T will be optimized for the carrier’s network, including the new 600 megahertz band of spectrum being rolled out that promises better and faster coverage.