For the unaware, OnePlus was started by Carl Pie and Pete Lau. It is interesting to note that both Pie and Lau used to work at Oppo before starting OnePlus. Further, smartphone brands including OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, and Vivo are owned by a Guangdong-based conglomerate called BBK Electronics. So all of these companies have been sharing resources, supply channels, products internally. But here’s the reason that OnePlus and Oppo merger doesn’t surprise us.
OnePlus Has Been Releasing Oppo Inspired Smartphones Forever
If you were unaware of this, know that OnePlus has been releasing Oppo inspired smartphones forever. The company started this with the OnePlus One, which looked a lot like the Oppo Find 7a. The hardware used by both the companies on their respective smartphones was almost the same. The differentiation came from the software that OnePlus (Cyanogen OS) and Oppo (Color OS) used.
It was the same thing with the OnePlus 5 and Oppo R11. Both the companies offered similar looking products because the hardware used was similar. But with their software, brand image, and customer targeting, OnePlus and Oppo seemed like truly different companies.
Later, the OnePlus 6T looked a lot like the Oppo R17. Also, if you have seen the OnePlus Nord N100, you will realise it looks exactly like the Oppo A53. Is it Surprising? You shouldn’t be surprised. Many Chinese smartphone brands keep rebranding other companies smartphones and launch them with their software and marketing approach.
OnePlus Now a Sub-Brand of Oppo
A few days back, a memo leaked from OnePlus suggested that OnePlus is now a sub-brand of Oppo. But there’s nothing to worry about, OnePlus fans. Pete Lau, the co-founder of OnePlus, said that both the companies would keep operating independently. Lau said that this move would allow OnePlus to get the resources of Oppo and roll out faster software updates. There’s no doubt that OnePlus was struggling with its updates. Time and again, the company has become the target of the community because of rolling out updates with bugs. Hopefully, the OnePlus brand ‘Never Settles’ and keeps coming out with amazing smartphones people expect it to.
