"OnePlus and Realme merge backend operations under OPPO"

"OnePlus and Realme merge backend operations under OPPO"

                    OnePlus Merged with Realme? Here’s the Latest on What’s Happening with OPPO Sub-Brands.

            

Has OnePlus merged with Realme? Fresh reports have added a new twist to the ongoing uncertainty around OnePlus, suggesting the smartphone brand may now be merging its operations with Realme.

The development, if accurate, comes at a time when OnePlus is already facing questions over its future in global markets, including Europe, after signs of restructuring and internal changes.

Introduction: The Merger Question That Has Everyone Talking

For months, the smartphone world has been buzzing with speculation. Is OnePlus shutting down? Is it pulling out of Europe? What is happening to the brand that once defined the "flagship killer" segment? Now, a fresh twist has emerged: OnePlus and Realme, two of OPPO's most prominent sub-brands, appear to be merging their operations under a new unified structure-1-2.

But what exactly does "merging" mean in this context? Are the brands disappearing? What happens to existing OnePlus users? And why is this happening now?

This article breaks down everything we know about the reported merger, the organizational changes sweeping through OPPO's ecosystem, and what it means for consumers across global markets, including India and Europe.

The Big News: OPPO Creates "Sub-Series Business Unit"

On April 29, 2026, OPPO reportedly issued an internal announcement regarding a significant organizational restructuring. According to multiple sources, OPPO has formally established a "Sub-Series Business Unit" (子系列事业部) to oversee the operations of both OnePlus and Realme under a single management framework-1-5-9.

This is not a rumor or a leak from an anonymous tipster. The announcement has been confirmed by several major technology publications, citing OPPO's internal documents. The move represents one of the most significant organizational changes within the OPPO ecosystem since OnePlus first integrated with OPPO back in 2021-3.

The creation of this new business unit effectively means that OnePlus and Realme will now share backend operations, including research and development, marketing, sales channels, and customer service. However — and this is crucial — both brands are expected to retain their distinct brand identities, product designs, and target audiences-2-3.

Key Leadership Changes: Who Is Running What?

With any major restructuring comes a reshuffling of leadership. The new Sub-Series Business Unit brings together executives from both OnePlus and Realme under a unified command structure.

The Overall Head: Li Bingzhong (Sky Li)

The newly formed business unit is being led by Li Bingzhong (also known as Sky Li), who serves as OPPO's Senior Vice President-1-5. Li is no stranger to the Realme brand — he was the founder of Realme and has been instrumental in building it into a global player since its launch in 2018. His appointment as the head of the Sub-Series Business Unit signals that OPPO is placing significant trust in his leadership to steer both brands through this integration-6.

Marketing and Services: Xu Qi

The marketing and services functions for both OnePlus and Realme are being consolidated under Xu Qi (also known as Derek Xu), formerly the Vice President of Marketing and Services at Realme-1-5. Xu will now serve as the head of marketing and services for the entire Sub-Series Business Unit, overseeing campaigns, channel strategies, customer support, and user engagement for both brands-2.

This consolidation is designed to eliminate redundancies. Previously, OnePlus and Realme had separate marketing teams, often competing for similar budgets and audience attention. By merging these functions, OPPO hopes to reduce internal competition and improve efficiency-1.

Product Development: Li Jie

On the product side, the new structure establishes a "Sub-Series Product Center," which will oversee product planning and development for both domestic (Chinese) and international markets. This product center is being led by Li Jie, formerly the President of OnePlus China-5-9.

Li Jie will report directly to Pete Lau (Liu Zuohu), OPPO's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer, as well as the founder of OnePlus-1-6. This reporting structure ensures that product decisions remain closely aligned with OPPO's broader strategy while maintaining the distinct identities of each brand.

Deputy Product Head: Wang Wei

Assisting Li Jie is Wang Wei (Derek Wang), formerly the Vice President of Realme. Wang will serve as the Deputy General Manager of the Sub-Series Product Center, bringing Realme's product expertise to the unified team-1-3.

R&D Integration: Realme's研发 Team Returns to OPPO

One of the most significant aspects of this restructuring involves research and development. According to the announcement, Realme's entire R&D team — including its imaging (camera) and hardware departments — is being reintegrated into OPPO's existing hardware divisions-1-5.

This is a particularly notable move because Realme had historically operated with a degree of independence from OPPO, even while sharing supply chains and manufacturing resources. The full reintegration of Realme's R&D team into OPPO's structure means that going forward, OnePlus and Realme will effectively be building their products using the same core technology platforms developed by OPPO-3.

What does this mean for consumers? In practical terms, it likely means even greater technology sharing across the three brands. Cameras, displays, charging technologies, and other hardware innovations developed by OPPO will flow more seamlessly to both OnePlus and Realme devices. However, it also raises questions about product differentiation — if all three brands share the same underlying technology, how will they distinguish themselves?

Physical Integration: Realme Moves to OPPO Headquarters

The organizational changes are not just happening on paper. Physical integration is also underway. According to multiple reports, Realme's various departments began moving into OPPO's Coastal Bay Headquarters (滨海湾总部) in late March 2026-3-5.

This physical co-location is intended to improve communication and collaboration between teams that previously operated in separate facilities. By bringing Realme employees under the same roof as OPPO and OnePlus teams, the company hopes to accelerate decision-making and reduce friction-3.

The physical integration follows a similar pattern to what happened when OnePlus first merged with OPPO in 2021. Back then, OnePlus teams gradually integrated into OPPO's offices, a process that took several months to complete-3.

Customer Service Integration: One Network for All Three Brands

One of the most practical and immediate changes for consumers involves customer service. Starting April 1, 2026, Realme's after-sales service in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) has been fully integrated into OPPO's nationwide service network-1-5.

What does this mean for Realme users in China? They can now walk into any of the over 200,000 OPPO-authorized service centers across the country for repairs, warranty claims, and technical support-1. This represents a massive expansion of Realme's service footprint, as the brand previously operated a much smaller, independent service network.

For OnePlus users, the integration happened earlier. OnePlus had already merged its service operations with OPPO following its 2021 integration. Now, all three brands are effectively sharing a single after-sales service infrastructure in China-3.

The situation is different in international markets, where service integration is still ongoing or varies by region. In India, for example, OnePlus has reportedly expanded its after-sales service capacity by 50 percent since April 2026, but is relying on OPPO's existing service network rather than opening new exclusive centers-8.

Why Is This Happening? The Market Context

For those wondering why OPPO would undertake such a significant restructuring, the answer lies in broader market conditions. The global smartphone market is no longer growing at the pace it once was. Shipments have plateaued, and in some regions, they are declining-1.

The Challenge of a Saturated Market

According to industry analysts cited in multiple reports, the smartphone market is facing several headwinds:

Rising component costs: The prices of memory chips, displays, and other key components have increased significantly, squeezing profit margins across the industry-1.

Slowing replacement cycles: Consumers are holding onto their phones longer than ever before, reducing the total addressable market each year.

Intense competition: Brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, and Honor continue to compete aggressively on price and features, making it difficult for any single player to dominate.

In this environment, maintaining separate, fully independent brands with duplicative R&D, marketing, and service teams becomes increasingly difficult to justify-1.

The Problem of Overlapping Product Lines

Another key factor driving the integration is product overlap. In recent years, OnePlus and Realme have increasingly released devices that compete directly with each other-1.

Consider the following: Realme's GT series and OnePlus's Nord series target similar price points and demographics. Both brands offer "flagship killers" with high-end processors and mid-range prices. Both have expanded into tablets, earbuds, and smartwatches. From a consumer perspective, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between the two brands-3.

By integrating backend operations while maintaining separate brand identities, OPPO can reduce this internal competition. The two brands can focus on different market segments rather than cannibalizing each other's sales-1.

Industry-Wide Consolidation

It is also worth noting that OPPO is not alone in pursuing this strategy. Across the technology industry, companies are consolidating operations to improve efficiency and reduce costs-1.

As Wang Teng, founder of Yixiu Technology, noted in his analysis of the merger: "This integration is a reasonable choice against the backdrop of a declining market. The core aim is to optimize resource allocation. With rising upstream costs, short-term growth in the mobile phone market is difficult to achieve. This year, major mobile phone manufacturers are advancing personnel optimization, and industry integration has become the norm"-1.

OnePlus's European Troubles: A Complicating Factor

The merger news comes at a particularly uncertain time for OnePlus, especially in European markets. Over the past several months, there have been growing signs that OnePlus may be scaling back or even exiting certain regions entirely-4-7.

Employee Departures in Europe

Starting in late March 2026, reports emerged of significant employee departures from OnePlus's European offices. Among those who left or announced their departures:

Tania Calheiros, UK PR Manager

Aske Ryskov Kjær, EU Senior PR representative

Dani González, Spain PR Manager

Serban Chiscop, UK and Spain Manager (nearly a decade with the company)

Klaus Wichmand, OnePlus Europe Senior Community Manager-4-10

According to an anonymous employee cited by Android Authority, "As you can see, almost the entire EU team has left the company"-4.

Official Statement: "Reevaluating Regional Roadmap"

In response to these departures and the resulting speculation, OnePlus Europe issued a carefully worded statement:

"OnePlus Europe is currently reevaluating its regional roadmap and product layout strategy. All users' after-sales support, software updates, and rights will be fully protected"-4-10.

Industry observers have interpreted this statement as diplomatic confirmation that changes are coming. The phrase "reevaluating its regional roadmap" is typically corporate-speak for "we are considering reducing our presence or exiting."

What does this mean for European OnePlus users? According to the company's statement, existing users should continue to receive software updates and warranty support. However, the lack of new product announcements for the European market in 2026 suggests that OnePlus may not release new devices in the region for the foreseeable future-7.

OnePlus India: Leadership Changes

Similar uncertainty has surrounded OnePlus's operations in India, one of its most important markets. In March 2026, OnePlus India CEO Robin Liu resigned from his position-6-10.

OnePlus officially described Liu's departure as a personal decision: "We thank Robin for his contributions to OnePlus India. He moves on to pursue his personal passions, and we wish him the very best for his future endeavors. OnePlus India operations continue with local strategy and business continuity ensured"-6.

However, several media reports noted that Liu was reportedly asked to report to Realme CEO Sky Li (Li Bingzhong), who had recently been elevated to oversee sub-brand operations. Before this change, Liu and Li were considered equals, each managing their own sub-brand independently. The change in reporting structure effectively demoted Liu, which may have contributed to his departure-6.

Despite these changes, OnePlus has publicly committed to continuing its India operations. The company has even expanded its after-sales service capacity in India by 50 percent starting April 2026, though it is relying on OPPO's service network rather than building its own-8.

Are OnePlus and Realme Actually "Merging"?

This is the question that requires careful nuance. Based on the available information, the answer is: yes and no.

What Is Actually Merging?

The following functions are being consolidated or integrated:

FunctionStatus of IntegrationMarketing and services Fully merged under a single leader (Xu Qi)
Product development Unified product center under Li Jie
Research and development Realme's R&D team reintegrated into OPPO
Customer service Fully integrated across all three brands in China
Physical offices Realme moving to OPPO headquarters
Leadership structure Unified executive team

What Is Staying Separate?

The following elements are expected to remain distinct:

Brand identities: OnePlus will continue to exist as a brand. So will Realme.

Product names: OnePlus devices will still be called OnePlus. Realme devices will still be called Realme.

Target audiences: OnePlus targets premium and upper-mid-range users; Realme targets value-conscious and younger consumers.

Marketing campaigns: Each brand will continue to have its own advertising and promotional materials.

As multiple reports have emphasized, this is not a "merger" in the sense of two brands ceasing to exist. Rather, it is a backend integration — the consolidation of support functions to reduce costs and improve efficiency-2-3.

Think of it this way: OnePlus and Realme will remain separate storefronts, but they will now share the same warehouse, the same delivery trucks, and the same customer service call center.

Timeline: How We Got Here

To fully understand the current situation, it helps to look at the broader timeline of OPPO's sub-brand strategy.

DateEventDecember 2013 OnePlus founded by Pete Lau and Carl Pei
May 2018 Realme launches as an independent brand
2021 OnePlus begins integrating with OPPO
December 2025 First reports emerge of potential OnePlus-Realme merger
January 2026 Realme officially announces return to OPPO ecosystem
March 2026 OnePlus India CEO Robin Liu resigns
Late March 2026 Realme begins moving staff to OPPO headquarters
April 1, 2026 Realme customer service integrates with OPPO in China
Mid-April 2026 Reports of mass European employee departures
April 20, 2026 OnePlus Europe confirms "reevaluating" regional strategy
April 29, 2026 OPPO issues internal announcement formalizing Sub-Series Business Unit.

Source: Compiled from multiple news reports-4-6-9
Consumer Impact: What Does This Mean for OnePlus and Realme Users?

For current OnePlus and Realme users, the most pressing question is: What happens to my phone?

Software Updates

OPPO has publicly committed that software updates for existing devices will continue. OnePlus Europe explicitly stated that "software updates... will be fully protected"-4.

However, the long-term outlook is less certain. If OnePlus does reduce its global footprint, the company may also reduce the duration of software support for older devices. For now, users should continue to receive regular updates, but they should also pay attention to future announcements.

Warranty and Repairs

In China, the situation is clear: Realme users can now access OPPO's extensive service network. OnePlus users already could-1.

In international markets, the situation varies:

India: OnePlus has expanded service capacity by 50 percent and is using OPPO's network-8.

Europe: OnePlus has stated that "after-sales support... will be fully protected," but no specific details about service centers or repair processes have been provided-4.

Future Device Releases

This is the area of greatest uncertainty. If OnePlus is scaling back its European operations, European consumers may not see new OnePlus devices released in 2026 or beyond-7.

However, the merger with Realme could fill this gap. Realme has a strong presence in many global markets and could potentially take over distribution and sales responsibilities in regions where OnePlus retreats-7-8.

Industry Reactions: What Experts Are Saying

The news of the OnePlus-Realme merger has generated significant commentary from industry observers and analysts.

Wang Teng (Yixiu Technology Founder)

As quoted earlier, Wang Teng described the integration as "a reasonable choice against the backdrop of a declining market." He emphasized that the core purpose is optimizing resource allocation and that similar consolidations are happening across the industry-1.

Leifeng.com Report

The Chinese technology outlet Leifeng.com, which first reported on the internal OPPO announcement, noted that the integration will help OPPO "better concentrate its resources and expand into the global market."

The report added: "With the return of OnePlus and Realme, OPPO's resources will be better integrated, and the main brand and sub-brands will form a clearer strategic synergy. Judging from the performance in 2025, this integration has already begun to show results, with the Oppo and Realme brands significantly increasing their market share in both China and overseas markets, achieving top-tier growth rates"-6.

Fan Reactions

On social media, reactions from OnePlus and Realme fans have been mixed. Some welcome the integration as a way to streamline operations and improve product quality. Others worry that the unique identities of the two brands will be lost in the process, reducing consumer choice-8.

As Mashable India noted in its coverage: "OnePlus and Realme's reported integration appears to go beyond internal restructuring... Fans aren't sure what to think"-8.

What This Means for the Future of OnePlus

The question many readers ultimately want answered is: Is OnePlus dying?

Based on the available evidence, the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no.
The Pessimistic View

Signs that point to OnePlus scaling back:

Mass employee departures in Europe

No new product announcements for European markets in 2026

CEO-level departures in India

Integration into OPPO's broader structure (suggesting reduced independence)
The Optimistic View

Signs that OnePlus is not disappearing:

The brand is being retained, not eliminated

OnePlus will continue to release products under its own name

The merger is about backend efficiency, not brand extinction

OnePlus India has explicitly denied shutdown rumors

The Most Likely Outcome

The most realistic scenario is that OnePlus will continue to exist but with a reduced global footprint. The brand may focus more heavily on its strongest markets (China and India) while pulling back from regions where it has struggled to gain traction (parts of Europe).

At the same time, Realme may step into some of the markets that OnePlus vacates, allowing OPPO to maintain a presence without operating two duplicative brands in the same region-7.

For consumers, this means that OnePlus devices will still be available, but perhaps not in every country where they were previously sold. And the devices themselves may share more components and software features with OPPO and Realme products than ever before.


The End of an Era, But Not the End of the Brands

The reported merger of OnePlus and Realme under OPPO's new Sub-Series Business Unit marks the end of an era. It signals that the days of fully independent sub-brands are over. In a challenging smartphone market, efficiency and consolidation have won out over autonomy and experimentation.

But for consumers, the news is not necessarily bad. Shared resources could lead to better products, more reliable customer service, and longer software support. And with two distinct brand identities remaining intact, consumers will still have choices.

As for OnePlus specifically — the brand that once disrupted the smartphone industry with its "flagship killer" approach — it is not dying. It is evolving. Whether that evolution preserves what made OnePlus special, or dilutes it into just another OPPO product line, is a question that only time — and future product releases — will answer.

For now, OnePlus and Realme users can take comfort in the official commitments to continued support. And they can watch closely as OPPO's new strategy unfolds over the coming months.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Are OnePlus and Realme completely merging into one brand?

No. The two brands are merging backend operations (marketing, R&D, customer service) but will retain separate brand identities, product names, and target audiences-2-3.

Q2: Will my OnePlus phone still receive updates?

Yes. OnePlus has publicly stated that software updates for existing devices will continue to be provided-4.


Q3: What happens if I need to repair my Realme phone?

In China, Realme users can now use OPPO's service network. In other markets, service integration varies. Check with local customer support for details-1-5.

Q4: Is OnePlus leaving Europe?

It appears likely that OnePlus is scaling back its European operations, though the company has not officially confirmed a full exit. The brand is "reevaluating its regional roadmap"-4-7.

Q5: Why is OPPO doing this now?

The smartphone market is facing rising costs and slowing growth. Consolidating operations reduces redundancies and improves efficiency-1.

Q6: Who is leading the new Sub-Series Business Unit?

Li Bingzhong (Sky Li), founder of Realme and OPPO Senior Vice President, is the overall head-1-5.

Q7: Will OnePlus ever launch another phone in Europe?

No official announcements have been made. However, with no products announced for 2026 and widespread employee departures, a European launch seems unlikely in the near future-7.

Q8: Does this affect OnePlus in India?

OnePlus has stated that India operations will continue. However, the departure of the India CEO and changes in reporting structure suggest significant changes are underway-6-10.