Mystery OnePlus 5G Smartphone To Grace Sprint's Growing Next-Gen Network

Sprint is going all-in with 5G wireless connectivity, and has announced that it will make available a fourth 5G-compatible device for its network. The fourth-place wireless carrier – which will soon merge with third-place T-Mobile – already sells the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, LG V50 ThinQ and the HTC 5G Hub. The fourth device will be an unnamed smartphone from OnePlus.

The most obvious device that Sprint could introduce is the already announced OnePlus 7 Pro 5G. The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G looks largely identical to its OnePlus 7 Pro counterpart, including its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, 6.67-inch 90Hz display, 4000 mAh battery and 256GB of internal storage. The primary difference is with its inclusion of a separate Snapdragon X50 5G modem.

However, there is no guarantee that this is the smartphone that Sprint will launch. The company simply states, “Device specifications, pricing and exact timing will be announced soon.” For all we know, Sprint might wait to launch a 5G compatible version of the rumored OnePlus 7T Pro.

"We value OnePlus’ reputation for balancing high-end quality at a great value," said Dow Draper, Sprint chief commercial officer. "This new smartphone gives Sprint customers another exciting option for accessing their True Mobile 5G experience."

All four major wireless companies in the U.S. have launched 5G mobile networks this year, but their penetration is woefully inadequate at this point. AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have lit up 5G service in a handful of cities using mmWave technology, which offers incredibly fast transfer speeds over a short range. Sprint, however, isn’t using mmWave and is still able to deliver speeds topping 600Mbps over much longer distances using mid-band 2.5GHz spectrum. 

At this moment, Sprint 5G service is only available in limited areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Kansas City. The carrier will soon launch service in Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.