OnePlus Becomes Sub-Brand of Oppo as a Result of the Merger, Leaked Memo Shows

OnePlus is now a sub-brand of Oppo as a result of the merger of the two, a leaked memo has shown. Both OnePlus and Oppo have also purportedly decided to not respond to any questions related to their plans regarding the operating systems and whether OnePlus' OxygenOS would merge into Oppo's ColorOS, or vice versa. The leaked memo is a set of guidelines in response to the merger that OnePlus Co-Founder and CEO Pete Lau announced last week. Lau said that “after seeing positive impact” from the existing collaboration, OnePlus decided to “further integrate” its organisation with Oppo. However, he did not detail on how the integration would work.

Tipster Evan Blass has leaked a document on Twitter that appears to be an internal memo with talking points that could be used by the public relation department of OnePlus.

“With the integration, OnePlus becomes a brand within Oppo, however will continue to function as an independent entity,” reads the answer to the question on the new relationship between OnePlus and Oppo and whether the former would continue to work independently.

The memo reiterates what Lau wrote in his forum post last week and highlights that the merger would help OnePlus and Oppo “streamline resources” and improve their efficiencies. It also underlines that Lau currently oversees product strategies of both OnePlus and Oppo.

Lau last year took a role at Oppo's holding company OPlus that also owns a majority stake in OnePlus.

The memo also included a note directing employees to refrain from responding to any questions related to the operating systems — both OxygenOS and ColorOS.

OnePlus has offered OxygenOS on its phones that is known for delivering a near-stock experience. Oppo, on the other hand, provides ColorOS, which is highly tweaked custom skin. Although there aren't any changes on the software front in the global markets, OnePlus earlier this year decided to replace its HydrogenOS — the China version of OxygenOS — with Oppo's ColorOS.

“With the merging of both firms, we will have more resources at hand to create even better products. It will also allow us to be more efficient in our operations,” the memo summarises the merger.

It also mentions that there would not be any changes on the part of customer contact channels and public relations as both OnePlus and Oppo would remain as independent brands — at least on those ends. Additionally, the leaked memo claims that the user data OnePlus receives from devices would continue to store in its own servers.

Overall, the merger of OnePlus and Oppo is not likely to bring any significant changes for consumers as both already share their manufacturing and supply chain. The companies also last year decided to more deeply integrate their research and development operations. However, it is not clear right now about how OnePlus would position its future devices against those offered with the Oppo brand to stay competitive for consumers.