OnePlus and Realme have confirmed what had been rumoured for weeks: OxygenOS and Realme UI are being phased out, with both brands moving to OPPO’s ColorOS going forward as part of ongoing restructuring efforts. The announcement comes just hours after a Bloomberg report on OnePlus’ plans to exit the US, Europe, and eventually India.
Table of Contents
OnePlus and Realme confirm the switch to ColorOS
OnePlus described the move to ColorOS as an “operational adjustment” aimed at improving process efficiency and customer experience. For those unaware, OxygenOS and ColorOS have been sharing the same unified Android codebase for some time, even as OnePlus and OPPO’s teams continued building distinct experiences on top of it.
Going forward, OnePlus said bringing this under a single OS lets the company consolidate resources and talent across the group, rather than maintaining separate software efforts for what is largely shared infrastructure underneath.
OnePlus was careful to frame this as a name and visual identity change rather than a shift in philosophy. The company said the fast, smooth, and intuitive experience OxygenOS built its reputation on remains the core promise, and that meaningful software updates and its user-centric approach continue unchanged.
In a separate announcement, Realme confirmed it’s making an identical move, phasing out Realme UI in favour of ColorOS. The framing from Realme’s side mirrored OnePlus’s: shared underlying code, a push toward consolidating engineering resources across OPPO’s brands, and an insistence that this is a software unification rather than a dilution of what Realme UI stood for. Realme’s own update commitments and hardware identity are expected to carry over unchanged as well.
When will OnePlus and Realme phones get ColorOS?
A OnePlus India executive in a blog post on Thursday said that users of eligible OnePlus devices will soon have the option to update to the latest ColorOS 17. “Following the official release of ColorOS 17, users globally with existing OnePlus devices that fall within the eligible upgrade scope will have the option to voluntarily update to the latest ColorOS. This enables us to streamline software development, accelerate update delivery, improve software quality, and make better use of our shared engineering and R&D capabilities, ultimately delivering a more stable, reliable, and future-ready software experience for our users.”
Users globally with existing OnePlus devices that fall within the eligible upgrade scope will have the option to voluntarily update to the latest ColorOS.
Roadmap details, including timelines for existing devices to transition to ColorOS, are expected to be shared once finalised.
Across both announcements, OnePlus and Realme stressed the same reassurances: existing devices, along with those launching later this year, will continue to receive the same software and security update commitments as before.
While the companies insist on continuity, the shift undoubtedly marks a significant symbolic departure for long-time users. OxygenOS was known to offer a fast, smooth, bloat-free user experience. While ColorOS is similar in many ways, it will be interesting to see if some of the deeper visual and usability aspects of OxygenOS carry over to OPPO’s software.
All part of OPPO’s restructuring effort
The confirmation lands on a busy day. A few hours ago, Bloomberg reported that OnePlus is exiting the US and Europe this week, with an India exit expected sometime in 2027. Realme, per the same report, is said to be exiting China and shifting focus to the Nordic markets instead.
Taken together, the ColorOS and Realme UI confirmations and the reported market exits point to the same underlying story: OPPO is restructuring how it runs its OnePlus and Realme brands, consolidating software and resources, and in some markets, retail presence, under one roof. For now, both brands say their India business continues as usual, and existing users won’t see any changes to update support as a result of the ColorOS shift.
In related news, OnePlus has started teasing the launch of the OnePlus N6x, expected to be a more affordable version of the OnePlus N6 with a possible sub-Rs 20,000 price tag. Realme is also set to launch the C100x 4G smartphone in India later today, i.e. July 16. So the brands are very much active and going ahead with product launches in the country this year.
