Another glaring example of how everything is political, even the launch of third-tier phones.
Despite a massive review embargo lifting this week, the OnePlus 15 is still not available for sale in the United States. And why is that, you might be asking yourself? Well, there's nothing like a good government shutdown to shutter the doors of the FCC, or the Federal Communications Commission. That's the governing entity that doles out the pass or fail for new smartphones operating in the U.S. market. Without a body of regulators to hand out device certifications, OnePlus is not technically cleared to sell its latest flagship.
"As a result of the government shutdown, device certifications have been delayed," a spokesperson for OnePlus said in a statement, adding that sales of the OnePlus 15 will be postponed until the certifications are secured. "We are hopeful that approvals can be generated quickly."
There's no timeline on how long it will take. Keep in mind that we're also waiting for National Parks and other important federal facilities to reopen, so the impact of the shutdown extends beyond the U.S. release of a smartphone. It's also a poignant reminder that even when you're not directly soliciting it, everything is political.
If you can't wait for the U.S. to pull it together, you can still purchase the OnePlus 15 in Canada. But wait until we do the show next week! Until then, preoccupy yourself with my review of the OnePlus 15 and how it fell out of a window and survived.
It's the OnePlus 15! A hands-on look at a phone that you cannot buy. Plus, Jason reviews the Nubia Z80 Ultra.
