T-Mobile's OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren will tap into its newer, wider 5G network
OnePlus' latest top-of-the-line phone is coming in a 5G flavor to T-Mobile.
The OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren edition is heading to T-Mobile's new 5G network later this year.
T-Mobile is adding a new phone to its 5G stable, and it'll be one of the first to support its forthcoming, new, low-band 5G network.
On Wednesday the wireless carrier announced that it will be adding the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren later this year when it turns on its new low-band 5G network. While not as fast as the millimeter-wave, high-frequency 5G service it has deployed in a handful of US cities, this low-band (or sub-6) network is significantly better with coverage, though its speeds won't be as fast as millimeter-wave.
In addition to carrying the new phone, T-Mobile says its low-band 5G network will cover 200 million people "nationwide" when it goes live later this year, with the company planning to use its 600MHz spectrum to broadcast the signal. T-Mobile has been touting the spectrum in recent TV ads lately for its 4G LTE network, including its ability to perform better over long distances and in buildings.
No pricing has been given for the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren yet, nor a release date. In addition to the OnePlus phone, T-Mobile has previously announced that it plans to carry a low-band version of Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G later this year as well.
Low-band is one of three flavors of 5G, specializing in wide coverage, including indoors. There's also the fast but short-distance millimeter-wave. Then there is a third, "midband" variety that has faster speeds than low-band and better coverage than millimeter-wave. Sprint is currently using this technology for its 5G network, and acquiring more midband resources is one of the drivers behind T-Mobile's pending purchase of the wireless carrier.
T-Mobile says that the OnePlus phone will work on both low-band and midband networks but not on millimeter-wave. OnePlus already sells a version of its 7 Pro that works with Sprint's midband 5G network. T-Mobile, meanwhile, already sells the non-5G OnePlus 7T.
Announced earlier this month, the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren is a successor to the OnePlus 7 Pro. While it has a similar all-screen design with 90Hz display and pop-up selfie camera, the processor has been bumped up to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, a few new camera tweaks and a flashier chassis.
