OnePlus recently revealed that the OnePlus 9 series smartphones in India will not get support for more 5G bands with a software update in the future. The decision, which was revealed in a recent tweet, contradicts another official OnePlus tweet that had confirmed that more 5G bands could be added to the OnePlus 9 series phones.
OnePlus launched the OnePlus 9 series a few months ago in India. The series included the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, and OnePlus 9R. Of the many features of the new phones, one of the highlights is the new 5G-enabled processors. The Snapdragon 870 chip on the OnePlus 9R and the Snapdragon 888 on the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro boast 5G capabilities.
However, with just two supported bands on the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, and just one band on the OnePlus 9R, users are not very happy with the brand’s decision. Check out the tweets below
OnePlus Confirms they’ll upgrade the 5G bands via a Software Update whenever Network Providers comes up with 5G in India. It’s not a Hardware Limitation
Thanks @Roy0Anonymous pic.twitter.com/FplJE6jS3R
— Vaibhav (@vvaiibhav) April 15, 2021
Well, this is bad. What’s your take?@OnePlus_IN #OnePlus9 #OnePlus9Pro pic.twitter.com/5I5rCnoObd
— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) May 11, 2021
While the two supported bands, the N41 and 78 are likely the 5G bands to be implemented when the next-gen service goes live in the country, the move still handicaps your OnePlus 9 series phone. For instance, if you travel or move overseas in the near future, your OnePlus 9 series device may not be able to function at its maximum capacity due to the local bands in the region you travel to.
Comparing the same to the OnePlus 9 Pro that was launched in the US, you’ll see that the device supports 16 NSA (Non-Standalone) and 10 SA (Standalone) 5G bands. These are N1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78 (NSA bands) and N1, 2, 3, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78 (SA bands).
The OnePlus 9 series also came under scrutiny by many users when users found out that the Indian OnePlus 9 will not be featuring wireless charging, which is a part of the OnePlus 9 US variant.