Chinese handset makers Oppo and OnePlus are working together to bring an integrated operating system by merging their Oxygen OS and Color OS by early next year. This follows their recent merger at the group level, with the two companies integrating their research and development capabilities in India.
The integrated OS will be launched with OnePlus’ latest flagship smartphone in the first half of 2022, OnePlus founder Pete Lau told ET.
“Directionally, things are moving to having teams focus on the integrated OS. However, it is important to know that across software, there are many different teams focusing on many different aspects like chipset integration, OS experience, animations,” said Lau, who is also the chief product and experience officer at Oppo.
The OS will be available on other OnePlus global devices as a 2022 major Android update. OnePlus currently uses Oxygen OS for its smartphones. Oppo smartphones will also use the integrated OS in the future instead of its Color OS.
The combined company will maintain differentiation for all products of Oppo and OnePlus, said Lau. “There are different audiences in different regions which both brands will tap,” he said.
OnePlus will continue to focus on three price segments globally but will keep its “regional” product approach to focus on countries like India, said Lau. “India may have certain products more than others… We have regional product strategies,” he said.
OnePlus’ premium flagship series will target the $500 and above segment, while the OnePlus R (entry-level flagship), OnePlus Nord (premium mid-range) and the OnePlus CE (entry-level to mid-range) series will focus on the $300-500 price segment. The Nord N series is its affordable smartphone series and will focus on the $100-300 price segment.
“To better maximise resources and further position OnePlus for growth, we have integrated our R&D capabilities with Oppo,” said Lau. “Our India R&D team is a very important pillar for both our India and global operations, and we continue to stay true to this roadmap.”
According to a Bloomberg report, Oppo is shedding about 20% staff in key software and device teams after it merged operations with OnePlus. Lau, however, did not offer any comment on the impact on India operations.
The company did not share an update on OnePlus’ R&D and offline retail-related investment roadmap for the Indian market. It had previously said that it was investing Rs 1,000 crore in expanding its India research and development centre and Rs 100 crore in offline expansion.