Reports: OnePlus and Realme to merge

New twist for Oppo subsidiary OnePlus: Contrary to previous rumors that OnePlus could be discontinued or cease its European operations, new reports from China suggest that the company is merging with Realme, including its business in China.

OnePlus and Realme apparently being merged

This is reported, among others, by the insider “Digital Chat Station” (via 9to5Google) on the Chinese microblogging service Weibo: According to the report, “OnePlus and Realme have officially joined forces.” The two smartphone brands of the BBK group, which are in turn subsidiaries of the parent brand Oppo, are said to be merging their global and domestic activities under a new “sub-product center.” The leadership of the new business unit is reportedly to be taken over by the current China president of OnePlus, Li Jie. He will report to OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau, while former Realme vice president Wang Wei is to take on the position of deputy general manager.

The marketing and customer service departments for OnePlus and Realme are also said to be merged, according to the report. Another report from the Telegram channel “Tech & Leaks Zone” mentions that the newly merged teams are to place an additional focus on “reusing product lines”.

No official confirmation yet

After years of largely independent operation, OnePlus has been a sub-brand of Oppo for several years now, while Realme, also a separate business unit for a time, was integrated into Oppo earlier this year. A merger of the two sub-brands is likely to lead to more efficient management, among other things, to better utilize resources within the Oppo group and reduce costs.

The restructuring does not completely rule out a future for OnePlus, but previous indications, such as staff reductions at OnePlus, including in Europe, suggest that the brand is withdrawing from global markets. However, OnePlus has only stated so far that it wants to review its European strategy.

The reuse of product lines is already hinted at by the quietly introduced OnePlus Watch 4. It is almost identical to the Oppo Watch X3. So far, none of the companies have officially commented, and our contact at OnePlus has been unreachable for days.

(afl)