What’s happened? Today, OnePlus officially launched its latest flagship handset, the OnePlus 15, in markets outside of China. While the phone is now available in India (another key market for the company), it could be a while before it arrives in the U.S.
- Per the official product landing page, “the OnePlus 15 open sale in the U.S. has been postponed.”
- The delay, as per a statement from the company’s head of marketing, Spenser Blank, to The Verge, is due to the “government shutdown,” which has delayed the “device certifications.”
- While the company has revealed the handset’s price for the U.S. buyers, i.e., $899.99 for the baseline version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and $999.99 for the top trim with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (same as the OnePlus 13).
Why is this important? Before manufacturers launch their smartphones in the U.S., they must have them certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
- However, due to the federal shutdown, recent certifications, including those for the OnePlus 15, have been on hold.
- Blank clarifies that the smartphone has already “finished” all the required tests from the “FCC’s recognized labs.” However, the company is still awaiting government approval.
- The company is hoping for a quick go-ahead, as the federal shutdown is over, and appears ready to bring the OnePlus 15 to buyers in the region.
Why should I care? If you’ve been eyeing the OnePlus 15 for quite a while, the development comes as both good and bad news.
- On the positive side, OnePlus remains confident about the handset’s launch in the U.S., with aggressive pricing no less.
- However, you’d have to wait a little longer to get your hands on the device, as the company doesn’t have a tentative launch timeline yet.
- At $899, the OnePlus 15 seems to be one of the most value-for-money handsets in the market, especially with its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and a massive 7,300 mAh battery.
OK, what’s next? For now, you can register your interest in the OnePlus 15 on the company’s official website to be notified when it becomes available in the U.S., check out all the features and specifications, and make up your mind about getting the handset.
- There’s no significant difference between the phone’s Chinese or Indian version and the one that will land in the U.S., except for a slight reduction in the charging speed.
- U.S. users get an 80W SuperVOOC wired charger in the box, which is quite fast but not as fast as the 120W charger included in other markets.
