OnePlus denies rumors about the company's demise
OnePlus denies a report about the end of the brand, but its parent company Oppo appears to be undertaking restructuring – also at OnePlus.
Uncertainty at OnePlus?
(Image: OnePlus)
Things seem to be in disarray at smartphone manufacturer OnePlus. While the company denies a report about the end of the brand, its parent company, Oppo, appears to be undertaking restructuring that also affects OnePlus. OnePlus has not provided concrete answers to questions about this so far.
OnePlus is a company of the Chinese BBK Group, which was taken over by the BBK brand Oppo in 2021. According to a report by the magazine Android Headlines, Oppo is now planning to wind down the OnePlus brand. OnePlus has been struggling for market share for years, and a financial injection from Oppo announced at the end of 2022, amounting to 1.4 billion US dollars (almost 1.2 billion euros), has not led to the hoped-for improvements.
Following disappointing results in India and China, the parent company is now apparently trying to limit losses, the report continues. According to market figures from Omdia, OnePlus lost more than 20 percent in sales between 2023 and 2024, while Oppo itself was able to grow. Furthermore, rumors are circulating about the discontinuation of the OnePlus 15s and the foldable OnePlus Open 2 – allegedly signs that OnePlus might be giving up the smartphone market.
Vague statements from Europe
An initial reaction from OnePlus came from India, one of the brand's most important markets: Robin Liu, CEO of OnePlus in India, firmly rejected the “misinformation” in a post on X, stating that the company would not be closing down. He also urged “all stakeholders to urgently verify information based on official sources before disseminating unfounded claims” in his post.
OnePlus North America also issued a statement with a less convincing tone: “OnePlus North America continues to operate and remains committed to providing comprehensive customer service, software updates, and upholding the rights of our users.”
A similarly worded statement was sent to us upon inquiry by the company's European branch: “OnePlus Europe's existing business operations continue as usual. Customer service, software updates, and the rights obligations of all users are fully guaranteed.”
When asked further if new products could be expected from OnePlus in Europe, we received no answer. Instead, OnePlus reiterated that “all existing devices will continue to receive software updates and customer service.” “At this time, we can only provide the statement above.”
The last sentence in particular suggests that OnePlus might currently be in the process of restructuring but is not yet ready to communicate it. However, considering the Indian CEO's statement, a complete discontinuation of the brand does not seem to be imminent. It is possible, however, that OnePlus might reduce or cease its activities in some regions.
Videos by heise
Restructuring
That Oppo, or rather BBK, is reorganizing its smartphone divisions was already evident at the beginning of the year: the independent smartphone brand Realme, active in India, Southeast Asia, and Europe, among other places, has become a sub-brand of Oppo. As Reuters reports, the resources of the two companies are to be pooled to reduce costs.
Another indication of changes in brand focus was seen with the introduction of Oppo and OnePlus's top smartphones: the high-end device Oppo Find X9 Pro suddenly featured a Hasselblad logo, while it was missing on the OnePlus 15. OnePlus had only brought the Swedish camera specialist into the smartphone market with the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. Furthermore, the cameras of the current OnePlus top model are considered less good than those of the Oppo flagship.
It will likely be some time before clarity emerges regarding the future of OnePlus. The manufacturer's best days may be behind it, at least in Europe. Since its return to the European market after a forced break of several years due to patent disputes with Nokia, OnePlus has not returned to Germany with full force.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(afl)
