OnePlus, Realme may ditch their Android skins for OPPO's ColorOS
What's the story
OnePlus and Realme, two popular smartphone brands under the OPPO umbrella, may soon discontinue their respective Android skins. A report by Smartprix, citing a reliable industry insider, suggests that all future devices from these brands will run on ColorOS, OPPO's own Android skin. The decision is reportedly driven by the high cost of maintaining three separate Android skins: ColorOS, OxygenOS (OnePlus's skin), and Realme UI (Realme's skin).
Financial strategy
Transitioning to ColorOS
The potential discontinuation of OxygenOS and Realme UI could drastically cut down on research and development costs, time, and software engineering effort. This would free up more resources for OPPO to invest in ColorOS. Notably, OnePlus phones already run on OxygenOS in China after retiring HydrogenOS in 2021. The same year also saw the merger of codebases for OxygenOS and ColorOS.
Business shift
Other key takeaways from the report
The report also says that OnePlus is likely to focus more on India and China. Meanwhile, Realme could end its China business to focus on other markets. OnePlus's after-sales support in India may also come under OPPO's service network, with standalone service centers being phased out. This comes amid reports of OPPO bringing its sub-brands closer into its core brand.