OnePlus 8 5G UW, Verizon-exclusive has slight design variation

OnePlus 8 series is what many people had been looking up to. But since the release, the flagship has been undergoing issues that have kept it in the headlines. Though alleged problems in Europe and the UK have seen solutions, the concern in the US is a little different. It’s being noticed that the OnePlus 8 5G UW (Ultra Wideband) edition, designed specifically for the carrier with mmWave radio feature has a slight difference in design. This means a regular unlocked OnePlus 8 case doesn’t fit the model.

Verizon’s version of the OnePlus 8 has been included with mmWave radio band, which is essential for Verizon’s 5G network. This modification, a Reddit user bud-dho has discovered, has brought minor change to the position of the volume buttons. The buttons are moved slightly lower in comparison to the unlocked or T-Mobile variants, which means the standard OnePlus 8 case is not fitting the Verizon model perfectly.

What this means for an average user is that the case you bought for the OnePlus 8 from Amazon will not fit the Verizon’s OnePlus 8 5G UW, and the case bought from the network carrier for your OnePlus 8 will not fit the unlocked version so well. According to PhoneArena, an analysis of the FCC documents for the unlocked and Verizon exclusive model reveals several extra mmWave parts, one of which is right around the volume rocker.

The introduction of 5G mmWave not only brings a small change in design but also bumps up the cost of the phone by $100 (to $799.99). Also, it’s not the phone, even the Verizon exclusive cases are more expensive and choices pretty limited when compared selection available for the unlocked version of OnePlus 8.

Another problem noticed in the US is that the OnePlus 8 series phones with dual SIM slot have only one activated slot in the initial firmware. It is same for the locked and unlocked models. According to OnePlus this may be temporary, per company’s specs page “Upgrade for 4G/5G and 4G/4G Dual SIM support will be implemented via OTA update.”