There is a saying, “there is no smoke without fire,” and this seems to be the case for OnePlus. Earlier this year, a report surfaced alleging that OnePlus would exit major markets – Europe, the US, and India soon. At the time, the phonemaker denied these claims. But now, it seems that the report may have been accurate after all, as OnePlus is reportedly planning to wind down its operations in the US and Europe as early as this week, with India operations likely to get the axe later.
As per a report from Bloomberg, OnePlus is expected to announce plans to shut down its operations in the US and Europe this week. This is part of OnePlus’ parent company Oppo’s global restructuring plans, with sister brand Realme also exiting certain markets.
OnePlus to exit India in 2027?
The report states that OnePlus plans to eventually shut down in most global markets outside China, including India. That is, if the report is accurate, you may no longer be able to buy a OnePlus device from “some point” next year.
Oppo is said to be making these changes amid financial pressure in its phone business and weak momentum in the US, Europe and India. The report cited geopolitical concerns around Chinese brands selling phones in the US and a lawsuit from Apple related to trade secrets.
Rather than retreating equally across Europe, Oppo is expected to focus on Central Europe, while Realme is expected to target the Nordic region, including Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, where it has seen stronger results. Realme is also expected to exit China, though it is believed that the brand may continue in India.
OnePlus, which was once loved by techies, has seen a sharp decline in recent years. At the same time, Oppo has expanded its flagship devices, such as the Oppo Find X9 Ultra to more markets, including India.
OnePlus changes in recent months
In the past few months, OnePlus has made some changes. You can now get service for your OnePlus device via Oppo’s service network, with rumours of separate OnePlus service centres potentially shutting down entirely in India.
While OnePlus has introduced a new N series of smartphones that sit below the Nord line-up, as per rumours, it is unclear whether new OnePlus flagships will be launched in India.
As per reports, in select European markets like Germany and Spain, the OnePlus website has started showing Oppo products. The website also has banners that say, “Oppo has the speed you need and the experience you trust.”
As per a previous report, Oppo is also planning to put an end to separate Android skins – OnePlus’ OxygenOS and Realme’s Realme UI. Instead, all OnePlus and Realme phones may use Oppo’s ColorOS in the near future. Do note that the three Android skins already use the same codebase.
The wider smartphone market has also come under pressure from rising memory costs, higher phone prices and a shortage of components, particularly for lower-cost devices such as the OnePlus Nord line. A recent report by Counterpoint estimated that smartphone shipments had fallen to the lowest levels since the summer of 2013 – back when OnePlus did not even exist.
