New report points to the death of OnePlus’ Oxygen OS
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A new report claims that OPPO is discontinuing both Oxygen OS and realme UI on future global devices in favor of Color OS.
- OnePlus is reportedly narrowing its operational focus strictly to India and China, while realme is winding down its Chinese business to focus on external markets.
- Signs of a brand shutdown are emerging globally, with OnePlus recently steering EU users toward OPPO products alongside drying retail stock in the US and UK.
Rumors of OnePlus fading away have intensified in the past few months, and a recent report that said OPPO plans to integrate OnePlus and realme within itself signalled the demise of the once-acclaimed “flagship killer” brand. A new report is now adding fuel to the fire, claiming that even Oxygen OS is being folded into OPPO’s Color OS.
According to a Smartprix report citing an unnamed “highly reliable and seasoned industry insider,” OPPO has initiated a “sweeping consolidation” of its smartphone business. The report corroborates that both OnePlus and realme are being fully consolidated into the core OPPO brand. The big news is that Oxygen OS and realme UI are being discontinued on future devices globally in favor of Color OS.
OnePlus is also said to be narrowing its focus to its two biggest markets, India and China. On the other hand, realme is said to be winding down its China business to concentrate on external markets.
Back in 2021, OnePlus had already merged Oxygen OS with OPPO’s Color OS, stating that both skins now share a common codebase. At the time, the software experience was said to remain separate and continue to serve their individual regions. But as we’ve seen over the years, Oxygen OS has increasingly become a rebrand of Color OS, to the point where it’s difficult to pinpoint unique experiences in either skin beyond just branding and marketing. Note that OnePlus phones sold in China have long shipped with Color OS rather than Hydrogen OS, the Chinese flavor of Oxygen OS, so there’s years of precedence for this merger.
Earlier in the year, OnePlus North America had affirmed that it is still operating and providing full support to users. However, our recent outreach to the company for new statements and comments for the US and global markets has gone unanswered.
We’ve reached out again to learn more about OnePlus’ plans for the US and global markets, as well as the future of Oxygen OS. We’ll update this article when we hear back from the company.
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