OnePlus withdraws from Europe and North America, bidding farewell to its former image as a flagship killer

For customers in Europe, the company assures: "The rights and interests of existing users, including customer service, software updates and security patches" would "continue to be fully safeguarded." Hardware support and warranty for OnePlus devices are also to be taken over by Oppo. Parent company Oppo confirmed this in a statement to US media.

However, it initially remains unclear how device support will be handled going forward in this environment, particularly for customers in the USA. Oppo is not active there at all, like most Chinese manufacturers. When asked, Oppo was unable to provide an answer.

End of OxygenOS and Transition to ColorOS

Parallel to the exit of OnePlus, the development of OxygenOS is also being discontinued. OnePlus smartphones are to be transitioned to Oppo's ColorOS, and not at some point in the future, but rather "in the coming months," as stated in a statement to The Verge. Those who do not want this change can decline or reverse it, but will then likely have to live with not receiving any system updates – not even for critical security vulnerabilities.

As an alternative for existing OnePlus users, Oppo recommends its own devices. The company is keen to "wholeheartedly welcome OnePlus users in Europe who are interested in getting to know Oppo products." Oppo also emphasizes: "Oppo has the speed you need, and the experience you trust." Oppo's European business remains stable and is recording strong momentum in the premium flagship segment.

From Flagship Killer to Mass-Market Product

With the gradual increase in prices over the years, OnePlus increasingly became an entirely ordinary manufacturer, finding it progressively harder to stand out from the crowd. The fact that the narrative once conveyed by the young startup, due to its proximity to Oppo and its parent company BKK, never really held true is now clearly evident. The fact that Oppo and OnePlus had recently been bringing notably similar models to market also underscores the close intertwining of the two.

In the run-up, there were also rumors that the Indian market, which had been very important for OnePlus in the past, would also be exited – though not until next year. Oppo does not currently wish to confirm this, but neither does it deny it.

Realme Is Also Affected

The impact is not limited to OnePlus. In return, the other Oppo subsidiary Realme is to remain active only outside of China. "To further pool resources and strengthen synergies in the global product strategy, realme will focus on markets abroad and will no longer bring any new products to market in China," the statement reads. The product roadmap for OnePlus in China remains unchanged. "Both realme and OnePlus will continue to offer users first-class gaming and performance experiences," the company writes further.

Former founder Carl Pei had already stepped away some years ago and has since been heading competitor Nothing. With the announced withdrawal from Europe and North America, an era comes to an end that began in 2013 with the promise of offering top-tier smartphones at significantly lower prices than the established competition.