Place your bets: OnePlus 6T might be Verizon certified

The launch of the OnePlus 6T is only 12 days away, and we already know a lot about the latest-and-greatest smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer. However, that doesn’t mean there still isn’t plenty of room for rumors and speculation!

For example, a new rumor just popped up online — via PCMag — which suggests the OnePlus 6T could work on the Verizon network. If true, this would be the first OnePlus device to work on Big Red — or any CDMA-based network, for that matter.

According to the anonymous sources speaking with PCMag, Verizon is working on certifying the OnePlus 6T for use on the nation’s largest mobile network. If the OnePlus 6T earns certification, it will be one of a very select group of unlocked devices to achieve such a feat.

For those of you who don’t know why this would be a big deal, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA networks while T-Mobile and AT&T are GSM networks. Traditionally, OnePlus devices are designed for the global-friendly GSM standard and thus don’t work on CDMA networks. This has been a big roadblock for OnePlus in the United States, as a huge swath of Americans can’t use a OnePlus phone without switching carriers.

With Verizon in particular, it’s not just a matter of OnePlus adding specific band support to its phones. Verizon has to test and certify every unlocked device on its network, which is a long process from which only a few unlocked phones emerge victorious.

Granted, if you were to pop a Verizon SIM card into an unlocked device with the proper band support, you might have some decent functionality, depending on where you are located and what you are doing (data, phone calls, texts, etc.). However, the only way to ensure that the device works most everywhere with dependability is to get certified.

As such, OnePlus has so far simply not bothered and only issued GSM-compatible phones.

With this rumor being based on anonymous sources, Verizon certification being so tough, and the OnePlus 6T already confirmed to be sold at T-Mobile stores, I’m going to put the likelihood of Verizon certification for this device in the “possible, but very unlikely” category. What do you think? Will the OnePlus 6T launch on T-Mobile with Verizon certification this month? Sound off with your opinions in the comments.

NEXT: OnePlus now has a request form for bootloader unlocks, but don’t worry yet