Rumours surrounding the future of OnePlus have taken a new turn, with new reports claiming that the brand has merged operations with fellow OPPO affiliated brand realme. The development follows months of speculation suggesting that OnePlus could scale back or shut down in certain regions, claims that company executives have consistently denied.
Both brands remain closely linked to OPPO. OnePlus has long operated within OPPO’s ecosystem, sharing manufacturing and supply chain resources, although its CEO Pete Lau has maintained that the company operates independently. realme, on the other hand, began as an OPPO sub-brand before spinning off in 2018, and was reabsorbed into the group earlier this year.
A Substantial Shake-Up
According to information shared by tipster Digital Chat Station (via Weibo) and corroborated by a report from Leifeng.com, OnePlus and realme have merged key parts of their operations. The restructuring reportedly covers both domestic and global markets, although no official announcement has been issued by either brand at the time of writing.
Under the new structure, both companies’ product operations are said to fall under a newly established “sub-product centre.” This unit is reportedly led by OnePlus China president Li Jie, who will oversee product strategy across the two brands and report directly to Pete Lau. Meanwhile, former realme VP Wang Wei has been appointed as deputy general manager within the same unit, reporting to Li Jie.
Marketing And Service Teams Consolidated
Beyond product development, the restructuring also consolidates marketing and after-sales services into a separate sub-business unit. This unit is said to be headed by realme founder and CEO Sky Li, with the company’s chief marketing officer Chase Xu overseeing marketing and service operations for both OnePlus and realme products.
As mentioned earlier, neither OnePlus nor realme has officially confirmed the merger. Until an announcement is made, the details should be treated with some skepticism.
(Source: Weibo / Leifeng.com, via Weixin / Android Authority)
