Overwhelming OnePlus 16 interest proves hardware was never the issue

I mourned OnePlus’s loss in the US. We need more smartphone competition stateside, not less, and the company’s departure felt like a capitulation. The retreat was especially frustrating because it didn’t stem from a string of poor products. OnePlus fans seem to agree, and plenty of attention has focused on the upcoming overseas release of the OnePlus 16.

A recent Android Authority reader poll showed that 93% of respondents would buy the new OnePlus 16 if it were widely available in the US. It’s not surprising, and if you’ve ever used one of their phones, you know why.

Don’t get it confused. OnePlus had plenty of problems inside the US, but the phones (and customer loyalty) were never the issue.

The OnePlus 15 is still a monster

I’m impressed every time I power up the OnePlus 15. Even though I was disappointed that the company moved away from the OnePlus 13’s design toward a more muted aesthetic on its successor, the OnePlus 15 is still pure OnePlus all the way through. Its spec sheet stands toe-to-toe with any smartphone you can buy in the US. It was the first phone I used with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, and the performance didn’t disappoint, especially paired with 16GB of RAM.

However, the OnePlus 15’s battery life was truly eye-opening. Smartphones overseas had featured large batteries before, and silicon-carbon tech was making its way into more devices. But the OnePlus 15’s 7,300mAh dual-cell silicon-carbon battery is special. I easily got three days of usage on a single charge, and I’m not talking about just a few Instagram scrolls. I took a four-hour drive with Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation the whole time, and I barely dented the battery.

The OnePlus 16 is shaping up to be more of the same. Leaked specs show the phone will again be more impressive than anything we can buy in the US. In addition to its rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, it’ll feature a 9,000mAh battery — easily besting anything available from Samsung or Google. OnePlus is supposedly fitting it with another high-refresh-rate panel and a 200MP primary camera sensor. And don’t forget the phone’s blistering charging speeds.

But as OnePlus found out the hard way, superior hardware and a fair price don’t always lead to success.

People need different options to buy their phones in the US

I know it’s frustrating for many, but it’s fair to say that Android Authority readers are enthusiasts. More than a few of those 93% who say they’re interested in buying a OnePlus 16 probably have a CyanogenMod OnePlus 3 collecting dust in a drawer somewhere. They are a subset of users who are completely comfortable buying a phone sight unseen. They know what they are getting from OnePlus, and they are savvy enthusiasts who wouldn’t give it a second thought.

However, it’s important to remember that’s not the case for most US smartphone buyers.

As OnePlus learned (and I fear Nothing is soon to learn), a robust carrier store presence in the US is vital to success. Most buyers don’t want to be bothered. Convenience matters, and having a place they can go for minor SIM card and other technical issues is worth it. And never discount the financial benefits. Smartphones are expensive, and carriers offer attractive financing options to ensure the hit to your wallet isn’t felt all at once. Paying only $30 monthly for a flagship phone is appealing, and that doesn’t even include the outsized trade-in offers carriers can advertise.

Being in Best Buy stores is nice, but without a presence with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile (plus several MVNOs), OnePlus had no hope.

All isn’t lost if you’re really set on buying one

Thankfully, if you’re a OnePlus fan and desperate for the OnePlus 16 when it’s released, you still have options. By all accounts, a global version will be sold in regions outside China. If you’re alright with the sometimes high costs of importing phones, you should be able to pick one up online. While it’s never a perfect match with our US carrier bands, I’ve never had a problem using overseas devices on T-Mobile. My Xiaomi 15 Ultra works well, even getting a strong ultra-wideband 5G signal.

Unfortunately, T-Mobile and the MVNOs on its network are your best (and only) shot. AT&T’s network does not play nice with devices that aren’t whitelisted, and I’ve had similar struggles with Verizon. Still, if you absolutely have your heart set on a OnePlus 16, you should at least have some success with T-Mobile stateside.

It’s a shame what happened to OnePlus. I always loved what the company represented. It was a legitimate smartphone alternative, often providing the same power and performance for less than the competition. The company cultivated a devoted following, but it was never enough to truly break through in the American marketplace.

I’m glad to see so many fans still passionate about the brand; the OnePlus 16 would absolutely give them plenty to be excited about — but solid hardware alone was never enough for OnePlus.