There are plenty of signs that OnePlus plans to bring the Nord line to the US, but we’d recommend folks here in the States steer clear of importing one. I know, it’s a tempting idea while we’re all living in envy of Europe, but there’s more to a phone than a price tag, and even OnePlus is clear that folks using a Nord in the US could run into some issues.
It might seem dead-simple when you pop your SIM in a phone and it’s good to go, but there’s more to it than that. For those that don’t regularly import phones, or who don’t pay attention to some of the more detailed specifications, not all phones will work the same on all networks, even if the device is carrier unlocked. There’s a little issue of band support, and the OnePlus Nord’s selection is a bit limited here in the states.
According to OnePlus, the phone is specifically missing support for US bands 14, 25, 29, 30, 48, and 71, as well as support for 4×4 MIMO. While those numbers don’t specifically rule out compatibility with any one carrier, as they make use of multiple bands across markets, it can still spell trouble.
US carriers have “primary” bands they use across most of the country, and the Nord does support most of those (except for T-Mobile’s 600MHz Band 71), but those other frequencies can also be important. Whether due to simple congestion or pre-existing licenses, subscribers sometimes have to depend on those other bands to maintain decent connectivity. If your phone’s band support is limited, as in the case of an imported OnePlus Nord, you may end up being bumped down to 3G or potentially lose signal entirely. In fact, other US-based reviewers we’ve spoken to that have tried the phone have told us they’ve run into connectivity problems, and OnePlus itself informs US-based customers in its exclusive beta program that folks using the phone “may experience signal stability issues.”
The full list of supported bands on the OnePlus Nord according to the company is just below:
GSM/2G Bands
- 850MHz
- 900MHz
- 1800MHz
- 1900MHz
3G/WCDMA Bands
4G/LTE Bands
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 7
- 8
- 12
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 26
- 28
- 32
- 34
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 66
5G Bands
If you’re determined to get one anyway, you should double-check which frequencies you may be giving up with your carrier’s details. Unfortunately, FrequencyCheck hasn’t been updated with the OnePlus Nord at the time of writing, so you might have to make a manual comparison. And although the phone is otherwise compatible with several of Verizon’s frequencies, the odds are good it’ll never work properly on the company’s network, and almost certainly it won’t activate correctly — you should probably stick with a GSM carrier.
Not all carriers publish nice concise lists for frequency support like T-Mobile, but we’ve got some links for supported frequencies for US carriers just below.
And signals aren’t the end of your woes, either. With the coming switch by US…
Read More:You shouldn’t import a OnePlus Nord in the US, and here’s why
