OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe

(community.oneplus.com)

132 points | by pilililo2 2 hours ago

28 comments

  • rock_artist 45 minutes ago
    I'm not sure as others why others feel this is a major change.

    OnePlus was always a subsidiary by Carl Pei [1] who eventually left the brand to create a new gadgets/tech company.

    Nothing [2] is the next project he started that keeps many of the ideas started with OnePlus, good value for money and aim for quality Android.

    Bootloader also seems to allow unlocking [3]

    In recent years OnePlus was just another Chinese phone.

    But if I've misunderstood something, I'll appreciate me being corrected.

    [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Pei

    [2] https://nothing.tech

    [3] https://nothing.community/d/6047-policies-for-rootingunlocki...

    • alias_neo 6 minutes ago
      As someone who was a big OnePlus fan from the 3 era to the 9 Pro, I saw the decline, I moved over when Nexus died, and had used a mixed bag before then.

      OnePlus was on the decline and it was clear it wouldn't be a contender for much longer here in the UK, especially when they merged OSs with the OPPO (?) OS, and software quality went through the floor. I moved to Pixels and currently have a Pixel 9 Pro XL which I'm looking to change as they destroyed the battery life with the march update and it still hasn't been resolved. The Pixel has been solid otherwise and performance is still excellent, but I can't abide having my phone entering battery saver every day by late afternoon.

      Nothing(TM) looks like it could be a decent choice, but they're generally weak hardware compared to a 9 Pro XL class device, and I'm not a fan of Samsung any more as a company, though it seems a S2X Ultra might be the only real option.

    • roryirvine 30 minutes ago
      Playing in slightly different markets, though - OnePlus targetted gamers / power users, whereas Nothing is much more fashion-focussed.

      (And seem to be doing so successfully - certainly, you see a lot more Nothings than OnePluses in London)

    • jstummbillig 16 minutes ago
      I mean... the major change is that it changed, no? It's kind of unprecedented, or, at least, highly unusual?
  • mellosouls 1 hour ago
    Editorialised! No new products, not halts operations. Please be more careful.

    OnePlus has decided to conclude new product rollouts in Europe and North America.

    The difference matters for those of us on OnePlus devices:

    Though we will no longer launch new products in Europe, our commitment to you remains unchanged. Backed by OPPO, existing OnePlus devices will continue to receive scheduled software updates and security patches within the support periods originally committed for each device model.

    Etc.

    • maxerickson 53 minutes ago
      Looks like OnePlus and OPPO are different companies. Shared ownership, but different companies.
      • ChocolateGod 35 minutes ago
        Oppo owns OnePlus completely.

        There used to be BBK Electronics that owned both, but it split up and OnePlus got placed under Oppo.

  • Scene_Cast2 1 hour ago
    They were one of the brands with unlockable bootloaders and slide switches for mute. Unfortunately the Oppo takeover didn't preserve either.

    Written on a OnePlus 8 Pro.

    • LorenDB 4 minutes ago
      My OnePlus 13 has a slider switch. Isn't the 15 the only flagship OnePlus that dropped the slider?
    • electroglyph 36 minutes ago
      i just today pulled the back off my old oneplus 8 pro and put a new battery in it after putting lineageos on there. i decided i was tired of using my locked down Samsung that's full of crap
    • cmoski 57 minutes ago
      The loss of the slider switch still breaks my heart. It is my most loved feature on the phone.
  • bearjaws 1 hour ago
    When they increased prices to $900 for roughly the same quality as Samsung it was doomed.

    The OnePlus 7 was such an amazing phone and honestly I remember buying a Pixel after it and realizing how crappy Tensor was and well optimized OnePlus was.

    • amarant 39 minutes ago
      I had the exact opposite experience. I replaced my pixel 1 with a OnePlus 8t and I've been kicking myself ever since for not going with a new pixel. This phone is awful! My original pixel was so much better than the several years newer 8t. I absolutely long for the day I can finally, in good conscience, replace this piece of trash with a new pixel phone. I think the day is near. Finally.
      • fn-mote 12 minutes ago
        I would be so much happier with this comment if it gave any detail about what was worse.

        As it is, it’s just a rant not a contribution to dialog.

      • opan 7 minutes ago
        I'm using a OnePlus 8T with LineageOS and it's been great for me. I replaced the stock OS day 1, after getting the latest firmware update. I got it off eBay for a decent price a few years ago when AT&T made a bunch of old phones stop working via a whitelist. My OnePlus 5 I had at the time supported VoLTE on paper but didn't make the whitelist for some reason so I had to get a newer model. I don't really see the appeal of Pixel phones. I think I'd still wanna replace the stock OS right away to get the experience I'm used to if I had one. Not even sure I'd wanna go with Graphene.
    • setsewerd 57 minutes ago
      I was on Pixels since the first generation, and only I recently switched from the Pixel 8 Pro to the OnePlus 15, so I was very late to the game here and missed the peak OnePlus days.

      But even so, I've been way happier with the OnePlus than the Pixel. Only thing I miss is the camera quality of the Pixel.

      Bummed that I won't have the option next time.

    • gosub100 10 minutes ago
      Maybe that's the true cost of these devices, and the discounts we enjoy on other platforms reflect just how much they make selling our data and apps?
    • mgcross 56 minutes ago
      Yep, I went from a OP7T to P6Pro and it did not feel like an upgrade. I still miss the macro camera.
  • rickdeckard 28 minutes ago
    The headline "Oppo stops sale under OnePlus brand in US and Europe" would be more appropriate.

    OnePlus products were mostly slightly redesigned Oppo products for the past years, built on the same hardware and running the same OS.

    Early-on it was an impressive corporate experiment to observe: The giant company Oppo gave one of its members Carl Pei the chance to create an agile sub-brand with an own OS and access to Oppo's supply chain.

    Carl Pei succeeded and OnePlus became a disruptive force in many markets for several years.

    But Carl Pei already left (to start the UK-based tech company 'Nothing'), the OnePlus OS was discontinued and product development was largely folded into Oppo many years ago already...

  • methuselah_in 1 hour ago
    It all started when Carl Pie left i suppose. Nothing devices are good but aren't cheap as one plus. They will i guess continue to move in Asia for now i guess.
    • xiaoyu2006 1 hour ago
      They don't sell well in Asia. It's mainly xiaomi, oppo, vivo and huawei.
      • throwa356262 57 minutes ago
        OnePlus is owned by Oppo, no?

        IIRC it started as an experiment to understand what works in western markets.

        • nomercy400 42 minutes ago
          It wasn't even an experiment for western markets. It was a small team that convinced leadership to try and sell for the international market. The initial focus was China. And then it became an unexpectedly large international success.
  • haunter 1 hour ago
    "Never Settle"

    Well it's settled then

  • takipsizad 55 minutes ago
    Its a pretty big loss for people who care about bootloader unlocking on devices. even the typically bootloader unlocking friendly companies (this includes oneplus in china at least) restricting bl unlocking, i dont know what happens next neither do i want to find out.
  • mdrzn 1 hour ago
    I had a OP1, OP3, OP5 and OP7 pro or something before I switched back to Samsung. In the beginning they were flagship phones being sold for half prices, lately I've even forgotten about them.
    • amarant 36 minutes ago
      Good call. I've got the 8t and it's horrendous. I bought because I kept hearing good things about their earlier models and figured it would translate. It didn't.

      Next will be a pixel for sure.

  • sixhobbits 1 hour ago
    Loved my oneplus2, the rest were mediocre at best.

    Went from great value hardware with open, minimalist software to overpriced hardware and shitty bloated software.

    Great example of how chasing short term wins can bleed you dry over a few years

  • corford 14 minutes ago
    Sad :( I love my OnePlus 13R. The battery life is amazing and the stock skin is close enough to pure Android that it doesn't bother me.
  • skeledrew 50 minutes ago
    I don't even feel about this as I think I should feel. I've owned the OnePlus One, 2, 6 and now 12. Since I got it I haven't been fond of the restrictions which I guess piled up over 7-11, particularly the hell I faced when I wanted to update (but am now avoiding any more updates due to the Anti-Rollback Protection thing they're rolling out). It's still a very sturdy and performant device and I don't intend to upgrade for maybe another 8 years, but I'm already looking to move to another brand (NOT Samsung nor Google) when the time inevitably comes.
    • huem0n 3 minutes ago
      nothing.tech is the spirtual successor to OnePlus
  • broodbucket 56 minutes ago
    Since they became Oppo in a wig there's really been no reason to buy their products.
  • HelloUsername 34 minutes ago
  • virajk_31 42 minutes ago
    It doesn't really matter for One plus/Oppo/Vivo/Realme/IQOO they all share the same parent BBKE, even they share same OS (at least for some variants), and hardware is very identical across the models, its better they if they reduce it to two sub-brands instead this will atleast reduce consumer's confusion and dilemma while making the purchase.
  • danilafe 11 minutes ago
    Still running on OnePlus 5. The ideal phone in my opinion.
  • ChocolateGod 34 minutes ago
    I preferred OnePlus over Oppo simply because OnePlus phones visually look cleaner, despite likely being from the same design team.

    It seems Oppo (and Chinese OEMs in general) are allergic to symmetrical camera bumps.

  • lynndotpy 1 hour ago
    The OnePlus 3 was my first proper smartphone and the best phone I ever used. Running Lineage, it's faster and more responsive, even today, than a $1000 iPhone from 2024. The quality was amazing. It's a shame to have seen their slow decline over the years as they chased expensive and unpopular hardware trends. RIP
  • throwa356262 1 hour ago
    Never good when a highly innovative player disappears. Maybe they lost their northern star when Carl left.

    I had heard a lot of good things about their smartwatches and was planning to get one. I guess I will have to import one via Chinese stores now.

    • gl0wa 23 minutes ago
      Before getting one, make sure you can have Play Store and Wallet on it, if that matters for you.
  • surgical_fire 6 minutes ago
    That's too bad. Had exactly 2 OnePlus devices in the past 8 years.

    My current one is a 4 year old Nord 2T still going strong, and in fact K am surprised it still received a recent security update when EOL has been reached.

    Time is approaching to switch to a new device. Not sure where to go next. Perhaps I'll wait for the GrapheneOS device.

    • huem0n 1 minute ago
      Nothing.tech is the spiritual successor to OnePlus
  • spiffytech 42 minutes ago
    I've owned four OnePlus phones, but I've been buying other brands lately.

    1. OnePlus became nearly as expensive as flagships but wasn't as good 2. The official software used to be almost-stock Android but they bloated it up 3. The ROM scene came to steadily lag several generations behind phone releases 4. Android/OnePlus ROMs are a worse experience than they used to be (dealing with proprietary camera drivers, SafetyNet) 5. They didn't keep pace when other brands committed to longer OS updates

    They used to be a good bargain, a clean OS, and a good modding target if you wanted a ROM anyway.

    The first two haven't been true for a while now, and the third became a lot less appealing on OnePlus.

    I'm disappointed to see OnePlus go but the brand I loved has been gone for years.

  • alexdns 1 hour ago
    They were pushing people to OPPO for a long time now its not really a surprise
  • m00dy 1 hour ago
    It’s been irrelevant in the market for a while now.
    • jcbrand 1 hour ago
      I love my OnePlus 9 pro phone. What would be a good replacement?
      • rippeltippel 52 minutes ago
        How about Nothing phones? I'm considering those, when my OP7 will die.
      • darkwater 58 minutes ago
        Fairphone 6 maybe? It's on my radar when my Pixel 6a dies
        • amarant 31 minutes ago
          My wife had fair phone 4, and it was unusable. It was only time she replaced a phone prematurely. She cares a lot about camera though, and likes to take pictures. Her main complaint was that the camera took like 5 seconds to start, so she'd miss the moment. And when it did finally start the quality was really bad.

          I tried using it a bit but I couldn't stand how unresponsive it was.

          I don't know if their later phones have gotten better,I hope so, because I love everything about that company except their (previous) products.

      • denidoman 1 hour ago
        Pixel 10 Pro, if you are not into games and fast charging is not a priority.
      • greenavocado 1 hour ago
        Any Pixel from the past few years
      • small_model 44 minutes ago
        Apple Phones are the best by a huge distance.
  • Luker88 1 hour ago
    ...but why?
    • AndrewThrowaway 1 hour ago
      I think they lost their direction and at the same time customer appeal. When OpnePlus started it was something new, now I have no reason to choose OnePlus for some time already.
      • mdasen 25 minutes ago
        When OnePlus started, they were considerably cheaper than flagship phones from others. At $299, the OnePlus One was a ton less than the $650 you'd pay for an iPhone 6 or Galaxy S5. You were getting a 95% flagship phone at half the price. You could get a OnePlus One with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon or you could get a Samsung with 30% the performance and a 640x480 low-res display for the same price.

        I feel like the "something new" was price. Over time, that price kept creeping up. Yes, it went from being a 95% flagship to being a 100% flagship, but it also went from being half price to full price.

        It was also cool that it used Cyanogenmod which meant you got a community OS that actually got updates, but over time other manufacturers started offering updates for their phones (rather than abandoning them soon after manufacturing). And that was something new other than price. But I think the big thing was that it was a half-price phone when it launched. In 2014, it was just such an amazing deal. Today, it's the same price as Samsung phones.

      • nicce 1 hour ago
        I bought many of the first models. They were good and very competitive with price and features. Custom ROMs everywhere. But I guess this is not so true anymore.
      • mrweasel 1 hour ago
        OnePlus was always a strange proposition to me. I remember debating it with colleagues when the hype started around their first phone. A lot of people and reviewers went crazy over the OnePlus phone, to me it seemed, and still does, as a pretty standard Android phone. The last review I saw was Linus Tech Tips reviewing the latest OnePlus, and Carl Pei commented that maybe Linus issue was that he was used to flagship phones and his expectations was a bit to high.

        That really sums it up to me, then OnePlus phones are pretty standard Android phones, they are not really special, at least not to the extend where the brand means all that much to all but a minority of people.

    • JustSkyfall 1 hour ago
      If I had to guess, it's because the phone market is largely dominated by Apple and Samsung, and so it'd be/has been very hard for OnePlus to actually sell their phones there.
      • rwyinuse 1 hour ago
        Where I'm from OnePlus has actually sold pretty well, competing with price. But then again Finland is one of the most broke countries in EU, so lots of people are price-conscious. Hopefully Oppo will bring some replacement models with equally good price-performance ratio.

        I paid 130 euros brand new for my Nord CE 5 with 8GB/128GB configuration. Couldn't be happier with the purchase. All I care is about price/performance ratio and the years of updates promised.

      • dtech 1 hour ago
        There are minor Android players who seem to be standing their ground, so something has to be different here. Nothing, Xiaomi/Redmi, Motorola
        • swiftcoder 48 minutes ago
          > minor Android players ... Xiaomi

          Xiaomi appears to be the 3rd largest smartphone manufacturer in the world (behind Samsung and Apple). Not sure I'd call them a "minor player"

    • w4yai 1 hour ago
      RAMageddon ?
  • ineedaj0b 1 hour ago
    RAM prices take down another.
  • xbas 1 hour ago
    [dead]
  • amarant 44 minutes ago
    Good. I have a OnePlus 8t and it's the worst phone I've ever owned. I've hated it since day one, but I'd feel bad replacing a new phone, so I've kept it all these years anyway. It's now old enough for me to consider a replacement (finally!). This announcement doesn't really change anything for me, I'd never buy OnePlus again anyway, but at least it keeps others from making the same mistake I did.

    They seem to have a lot of goodwill from customers. I'll never understand why.

    Written from my OnePlus 8t.

    I think the t is for "trash"

    • robertlagrant 38 minutes ago
      I've had a few OnePlus phones - currently a Nord 4 - and have always found them good value for money. Early OnePluses (I think I had a 2 or 3 originally) were incredible value. Also, very fast charging and almost stock Android are lovely features.

      I don't understand why you don't like them, because you haven't said!

  • bux93 1 hour ago
    >As part of the proactive global strategy adjustment, OnePlus has decided to conclude new product rollouts in Europe and North America.

    So.. they will roll out new products, conclusively? They will sell the same new products globally, including in Europe and North America? They will.. stop selling new phones because they can't form an intelligible sentence? That's the one.

    • xnorswap 1 hour ago
      If you're going to be pedantic, at least first check you're correct.

      Conclude - verb - to bring to an end.