OnePlus, once known as the “flagship killer” brand, is reportedly planning to exit several markets, including India. According to a new report by Bloomberg, OnePlus is shutting down operations in the US and Europe as early as this week. More importantly for our readers, the company is also planning its exit from India “at some point in 2027”. OnePlus will continue to remain active in China.
Realme, on the other hand, will exit the China market and will shift its focus to the Nordic market, the Bloomberg report added. The brand’s presence in India remains unchanged at the moment.
As per the report, “The change is happening as part of a larger restructuring to parent company OPPO, or Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Ltd., said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing a private plan.” OnePlus’ slow growth in recent years in the US, Europe and India, as well as geopolitical concerns, are reportedly factors behind OPPO’s decision.
The writing on the wall
The latest development doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, as rumours of OnePlus shutting down in the US and Europe markets emerged way back in March. Around the same time, OnePlus India CEO Robin Liu stepped down from his role to “pursue his personal passions”, which added to speculation that all was not well with OnePlus’ India operations. However, the brand had released a statement back then, ensuring that its India operations would “continue with local strategy and business continuity ensured.”
More recently, there were reports that future OnePlus and Realme phones would ship with OPPO’s ColorOS, phasing out OxygenOS and Realme UI, respectively. While this is yet to be officially announced by the brands, this is yet another signal of major restructuring happening within OPPO.
Why OnePlus users shouldn’t worry right now
I personally owned a few OnePlus phones during its early years, my personal favourite being the OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition. These phones were incredibly fast and smooth, a reputation OnePlus built over the years. My OnePlus 5T still runs smoothly even now, when I take it out every so often. While it would be an incredibly sad day if OnePlus announced it was exiting India, this seemingly won’t happen until sometime in 2027.
Existing OnePlus phones are not expected to be affected even if OnePlus exits next year. If rumours of OnePlus axing OxygenOS and moving to ColorOS are true, existing OnePlus phones and those expected to launch later this year will continue to receive software and security updates for years to come via OPPO.
