Verizon to Sell OnePlus’s $699 5G Phone in Apple-Dominated U.S.
Verizon to Sell OnePlus’s $699 5G Phone in Apple-Dominated U.S.
(Bloomberg) -- Verizon Wireless Inc. will sell and distribute OnePlus’s flagship smartphone model in hundreds of stores across the U.S. for the first time, a big boost for a Chinese company with a cult international following.
The deal to market the $699 OnePlus 8 is a significant win for the mobile device maker at a time Chinese smartphone names such as Huawei come under scrutiny. Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. account for well over two-thirds of the U.S. phone market, and now that Android manufacturers like LG Electronics Inc. and Sony Corp. are receding from the top tier, carriers need competition to avoid an over-reliance on iPhones and Galaxy devices.
From its outset in 2014, OnePlus has fashioned itself as a niche player with global ambitions. Like fellow Chinese brands Oppo and Vivo, it’s affiliated with BBK Electronics Corp., but neither has made as much progress with U.S. audiences as OnePlus.
The Verizon tie-up builds on OnePlus’s partnership with T-Mobile US Inc. from last year and is the closest any Chinese manufacturer has yet come to accessing the country’s premium phone market. Others, such as TCL’s Alcatel, mainly target the budget end of Verizon’s range.
The OnePlus 8 goes on sale this month and comes with flagship-worthy specifications. It has fifth-generation wireless networking, a triple-camera system on the back, an OLED display with an embedded fingerprint reader. The Snapdragon 865 processor housed inside is Qualcomm Inc.’s most powerful part.
The company will also offers the OnePlus 8 Pro starting at $899 directly from its website and via Amazon.com. But the key to the U.S. mobile market has always been securing a presence in the stores of the biggest carriers such as Verizon and AT&T Inc.
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