Amid plenty of evidence that OnePlus is shutting down or at least limiting its global operations, the brand has apparently just been merged with Realme, including its business in China too.
While OnePlus has insisted business as usual for a while, the evidence is mounting that the brand is changing in some massive ways. We reported not long ago that OnePlus would shut down operations in Europe as soon as April and, in the time since, reports of staffing cuts and more have surfaced, alongside confirmation that OnePlus is officially “evaluating” its future in the region.
- OnePlus cutting staff in Europe as it reviews ‘product strategy’ as global shutdown looms
- OnePlus officially says it is ‘evaluating’ its future in Europe
Now, another major change has occurred.
Digital Chat Station on Weibo says that “OnePlus and Realme have officially merged.” The two smartphone brands will merge their global and domestic (China) operations under a new “sub-product center.” Marketing and service for OnePlus and Realme will apparently also be merged. A separate report mentions that the newly merged teams will report to Pete Lau (Liu Zuohu) and that OnePlus and Realme are to put additional emphasis on “the reuse of product lines” (translated).
OnePlus has operated as a sub-brand of Oppo for a few years now, with Realme being merged with Oppo earlier this year.
None of this rules out a global future for OnePlus, but it’s certainly not good news amid the continually mounting evidence that the brand is shutting down in global markets. Realme does have a presence in Europe and other global markets, but not the United States, which OnePlus has operated in for years. OnePlus hasn’t announced any new products for global markets in the past few months. The OnePlus Watch 4 showed up earlier this month, but without any timeline, pricing, or even launch plans announced yet.
More on OnePlus/Oppo:
- OnePlus Watch 4 officially brings Wear OS 6 in a titanium body, mysterious launch plans [Gallery]
- I was happy with my Pixel camera until I tried the Oppo Find X9 Ultra [Gallery]
- The loss of OnePlus in the US will sting but, sadly, won’t actually matter
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Updated to include context from a secondary report.
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