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Realme to Come Under Oppo's Umbrella Years After Separation: Report

Realme to Come Under Oppo's Umbrella Years After Separation: Report

Oppo reportedly announced that Realme will join the Chinese company as a sub-brand and integrate its after-sales services.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 7 January 2026 19:48 IST

Realme to Come Under Oppo's Umbrella Years After Separation: Report

Realme founder and CEO Sky Li will reportedly oversee the combined sub-brand operations

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Highlights

Realme was initially founded as an Oppo sub-brand
In July 2018, Realme established itself as an independent entity
It is said that Realme and OnePlus will now operate as dual sub-brands

Realme is reportedly returning to Oppo's fold nearly seven years after it established itself as an independent company. As per the report, the Chinese smartphone maker is integrating with Oppo to pool resources and reduce overlapping costs in various operations. With this move, Realme will reportedly once again operate as a sub-brand of Oppo, alongside OnePlus. The company's founder and CEO, Sky Li, is said to have been appointed to oversee the overall sub-brand operations. No financial terms of the merger have been disclosed.

Realme to Reportedly Become Oppo's Sub-Brand

According to Lei Feng Network (via 163.com), Realme is all set to rejoin Oppo as a sub-brand to leverage the advantages of collaborative operations. Citing internal sources at Oppo, the publication claimed that going forward, Realme and OnePlus will strategically align themselves with the parent brand to create a differentiated market strategy. One immediate outcome of the merger is said to be the integration of Realme's after-sales services with Oppo.

The integration will reportedly bring Realme's operations closer to Oppo's existing business structure, although the brands are expected to continue selling phones under separate names. Realme's smartphones are sold widely in India, Southeast Asia and Europe, where it has established a strong presence by offering value-focused devices with competitive specifications, particularly in the mid-range and budget segments.

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This shift is said to have come amid broader cost pressures and tightening margins in the global smartphone industry, where manufacturers are seeking scale and efficiency to defend market share. The move reportedly aims to streamline internal processes and reduce overlap between Realme and Oppo's product development and distribution channels.

As per the publication, Realme Founder and CEO Sky Li will oversee both the sub-brands' operations, while OnePlus China President Jie Lie will continue with his leadership over the brand. However, it is said that the future product release timeline of Realme will not be impacted by the merger. No other leadership changes were mentioned in the report.

Realme was originally founded in May 2018 as a brand that spun off from Oppo. However, in July 2018, Li resigned from his position at the company to establish Realme as an independent venture. Since then, the company has been operating outside of Oppo's influence.

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Further reading: Realme, Oppo, OnePlus, Merger, Enterprise

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Chief Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More