OnePlus merges with Realme as consolidation continues under BBK: Report

OnePlus has reportedly been combined with Realme under a unified structure, covering global and domestic operations. This follows Realme's integration into OPPO as a sub-brand

OnePlus has reportedly undergone a major internal restructuring, with its operations now being merged with Realme. This follows an earlier report in which Realme told Reuters that it was being integrated into the Chinese consumer electronics company OPPO as a sub-brand. Now, according to 9To5Google, OnePlus has also joined this integration by merging with Realme. For the uninitiated, all of the aforementioned companies are part of the BBK Electronics conglomerate. 

The report, citing Digital Chat Station on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, claims that OnePlus and Realme have been brought together under a new “sub-product centre,” covering both global and China operations. This restructuring is also said to extend to marketing and after-sales services, which will now be handled jointly across both brands. 

 

The report added that the newly merged teams will operate under the leadership of Pete Lau, OPPO's chief product officer and the founder of OnePlus. It further emphasised an increased focus on reusing product lines across brands, suggesting closer integration in product development going forward.

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Where does OnePlus stand

Earlier in January, several reports claimed that OPPO was dismantling OnePlus. This was based on activities in the market that suggested that OnePlus was undergoing a controlled global scale-down, marked by declining shipments, reduced regional presence, and centralised decision-making in China. Android Headlines reported that the brand had shut its US headquarters in Dallas without public disclosure, scaled back marketing, reduced regional teams, and cancelled key products such as the Open 2 foldable and a compact flagship. 

Following this report, OnePlus India CEO Robin Liu refuted the claims and clarified that business operations in India would continue as normal. Notably, this happened in January; however, by March, OnePlus India announced Liu’s exit from the company while reiterating that operations in the country would continue without disruption. 

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Following this, OnePlus reportedly pivoted towards a largely online-driven sales approach while reducing its presence in offline retail. At the same time, it expanded after-sales support by relying more heavily on OPPO’s service network. 

According to a report by Moneycontrol, the company had begun a transition that could lead to most of its offline sales channels being phased out. Partner-operated exclusive stores across India were reportedly asked to shut down, with only three company-owned outlets in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru expected to continue. Distributors in the general trade channel were also said to have been given a March 31 deadline for final billing, along with instructions to clear existing inventory without a transition window.

 

Now, with this merger with Realme in the picture, it appears that BBK Electronics is continuing its efforts to consolidate its portfolio globally.