OnePlus 9 5G explained — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon

(Paradigm credit: Tom's Guide)

The latest phones from OnePlus support 5G — in fact, 5G is right there at the finish of the official names of the OnePlus 9 5G and OnePlus 9 Pro 5G. So you lot'd assume that you lot'd be able to fire up either one of the new handsets and hop on your wireless carrier's 5G network, assuming that network is available in your area.

The reality is a bit more than complicated.

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In the U.S., both the OnePlus ix and OnePlus 9 Pro work just fine with one carrier'due south 5G network, non at all with another one's, and mostly with a 3rd at present that official support has been clarified. It'south a situation that'southward bound to frustrate would-exist buyers of the OnePlus nine and OnePlus 9 Pro.

Here'southward what we know about the OnePlus ix and 5G, besides every bit our own experiences testing the phone.

OnePlus ix and 5G: What's inside

OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro supported 5G bands

AT&T: N/A
T-Mobile: n71/n66/n2/n41
Verizon: n2/n5/n66

Both the OnePlus nine and OnePlus 9 Pro run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 silicon. That organization-on-chip includes Qualcomm's X60 modem, which OnePlus says can deliver faster 5G speeds past using carrier aggregation to combine FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) and TDD (Time Division Duplex) spectrum usage techniques. What that means is that either OnePlus 9 model should be able to work with the latest 5G networks wireless carriers are building both now and a few years into the hereafter.

But in that location's more to 5G connectivity than just a phone's modem. A smartphone also needs to back up the same bands used by wireless carriers. And in the case of the new OnePlus nine models, a check of supported bands reveals a different level of support for each U.S. telephone carrier.

OnePlus actually includes this information on its website. Become to the OnePlus 9 preorder page (or the OnePlus 9 Pro preorder page if that's the model you adopt), and click on Check Carrier compatibility. You'll run into a list of supported bands for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.

OnePlus' list shows extensive 5G band support for T-Mobile as well as support for the 5G bands Verizon uses. In that location's nothing listed for AT&T.

OnePlus 9 and 5G: What networks are supported?

Put another way, if you buy a OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro, it volition work with T-Mobile's 5G network. (That'south to be expected, as T-Mobile is selling the phone directly, with pre-orders underway in advance of the phone'south April 2 arrival at stores.) At launch, OnePlus says that the phone will only piece of work on the LTE networks of AT&T and Verizon.

That makes sense for AT&T since neither the OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro supports that carrier'due south 5G bands. Only what about Verizon, since the OnePlus ix phones do work with that carrier's bands? Simply after the unveiling of its new phones, all OnePlus could tell us was that information technology was to working with Verizon to certify the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro on Large Red's network.

OnePlus 9 review — (Image credit: Tom'southward Guide)

That work paid off, equally Verizon and OnePlus have after announced that unlocked phones will work on Verizon 5G, though with some caveats. Co-ordinate to the announced 5G back up for the OnePlus 9, the Pro version of the phone will work with both the nationwide 5G networks also as Verizon's fast Ultra Wideband installations in more sixty cities. The OnePlus nine apparently just works with the nationwide network, simply not Ultra Wideband.

That squares with our feel testing the phones. My colleague Jordan Palmer was able to connect to Verizon'due south nationwide 5G network when he was testing the OnePlus 9 Pro. That's the more than far reaching Verizon 5G coverage that's built on lower spectrum and, as a issue, features slower speeds than you might expect from 5G. We weren't able to examination the OnePlus ix Pro on Verizon'south faster Ultra Wideband network.

I tested the OnePlus 9 using a T-Mobile SIM card, and I had no problem connecting to that carrier's 5G network whenever it was available. Of form, the speeds I got on T-Mobile 5G were actually slower than other carriers' LTE speeds in that same surface area. That's the reality of 5G at this point, though.

OnePlus 9 and 5G: Outlook

When a major flagship phone like the OnePlus 9 comes out, the question "will it work with 5G" should yield a simple yes/no reply, not a furrowed brow and a litany of caveats.

Phone carriers and device makers deserve credit for the progress they've made on 5G. But making phone compatibility a crystal clear role of the telephone buying experience is essential if people are to exist convinced that the 5G future has arrived.

Philip Michaels is a senior editor at Tom's Guide. He has strong opinions about Apple tree, the Oakland Athletics and quondam movies. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/oneplus-9-and-5g-which-networks-support-the-new-smartphones

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OnePlus 9 5G explained — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon