The OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition is real - and it’s headed to the US as an exclusive carried by T-Mobile.
It seems the phone is the same as the OnePLus 7T Pro McLaren Edition revealed at the launch of the OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro earlier in October - except, of course, it can hook up to a super-fast 5G network. It will be the second phone capable of hooking up to the T-Mobile 5G network after the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.
The phone itself, like previous McLaren Editions of T-Mobile phones, is top of the line even beyond the 7T Pro: the RAM has been increased from 8G to 12GB and features an orange-and-black color scheme. It’s been available to buy outside the US as a 4G version, while this is the first we’re hearing about a 5G edition.
Unfortunately, we don’t know how much the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition will cost or when it will be available on T-Mobile’s network.
When it does, owners will be able to hook up to the company’s 5G network - which, since it operates on the sub-600MHz spectrum, won’t be nearly as fast as the 1Gbps-and-higher speeds we’ve seen from Verizon’s mmWave network, but T-Mobile’s coverage should go much farther than the scant few blocks that millimeter wave can reach.
Where it fits in T-Mobile’s 5G plans
T-Mobile spent 2019 rolling out its US 5G network, launching in six cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas at the end of June. While the company boasted it would expand to 30 cities throughout 2019, it’s been quiet about the other 24 - or if it won’t meet its rollout goals.
Which might not matter, given the FCC approved the Sprint and T-Mobile merger in mid-October and put it that much closer to reality. Both carriers have been strategically complementary about their 5G plans, with T-Mobile using 600Mhz while Sprint 5G has mmWave and sub-6Ghz spectrums.
Once that merger goes through, the New T-Mobile will add the LG V50 ThinQ 5G, the (non-phone) HTC 5G Hub, and even the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G - which will probably be a cheaper option for folks balking at the almost surely pricier OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition.
- See how the new OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition stacks up to all the current 5G phones
