Verizon to Sell OnePlus’s $699 5G Phone in Apple-Dominated U.S.
- OnePlus 8 to be distributed nationwide by largest U.S. carrier
- Biggest incursion into American market by Chinese phone maker
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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.