OnePlus to be reduced to a sub-brand under the Oppo umbrella, OxygenOS could be in need of resuscitation ^↺

The news of the OnePlus merger with Oppo came as no surprise last week. Not only are the two companies owned by the same Chinese parent company, BBK Electronics, they have often shared components and design elements among their respective devices. Only a few months ago, it emerged that the two companies would be merging their R&D operations, so the most recent announcement was merely the culmination of what seemed inevitable.

Now well-regarded leaker Evan Blass has acquired a leaked internal memo addressing how to answer enquiries about the recent announcement. Of particular interest is speaking point 3: “What exactly is the relationship between OnePlus and Oppo now? Is OnePlus still operating independently or is it more of a product line of Oppo?” In response, employees are directed to advise “With the integration, OnePlus becomes a brand within Oppo however, will continue to function as an independent entity”. 

One of the lingering questions has been around the issue of the OnePlus operating system, OxygenOS, which is its own skinned version of Android 11 and is very popular with its customers. Oppo, of course, uses its own version of Android known as ColorOS. At the top of the memo, employees are advised not to “respond to any OS or ColorOS questions…”, but rather to advise that there is no further information at this stage. In other words, it sounds like the writing is on the wall for OxygenOS too with ColorOS likely to become the default operating system for OnePlus devices moving forward.

Buy an unlocked international version of the OnePlus 9.