The Death of the Flagship Killer: How OnePlus Lost Its Way
It appears that OnePlus is no longer just restructuring its operations - the company has officially exited the North American and European markets.
While OnePlus has been rumored to be in the process of such a restructuring since the beginning of the year, the company downplayed the reports, stating that its operations were running smoothly. However, OnePlus confirmed on July 16th that the company will be exiting the Western markets.
But how did this happen? Let’s take a walk down memory lane to revisit the company’s meteoric rise and fall.
1. Founding and Early Years (2013–2014)
Founded by former Oppo executives Pete Lau and Carl Pei in December 2013, OnePlus entered the smartphone market with the battle cry of “Never Settle.”
While being closely linked to Oppo at the time, OnePlus was able to successfully market itself as an independent and more enthusiast-friendly alternative to its larger sibling. OnePlus followed up on its founding by announcing the OnePlus One in April 2014.
The Price: $299 (compared to $650 for a flagship Samsung Galaxy S5 at the time
The Specs: Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 5.5-inch display
The Vibe: Exclusive invite-only sales and a distinctive Sandstone finish
The Result: The “flagship killer” sold 1.5 million units in the first year
2. The Golden Age of OnePlus
In the years that followed, OnePlus cemented its reputation as a favorite among tech reviewers and enthusiasts. The OnePlus 3 saw the end of OnePlus’s invite-only sales and the introduction of more premium materials and features such as Dash Charging and 6GB of RAM. The OnePlus 7 Pro in 2019 was the company’s most ambitious design yet, featuring a full-screen display with no cutouts (the pop-up selfie camera was a huge hit) and a 90Hz high refresh rate screen that saw widespread adoption in the industry in the following years.
However, as OnePlus’s hardware grew more competitive with the likes of Apple and Samsung, its pricing model had to change. OnePlus phones with flagship-grade hardware (120Hz displays, official water resistance, and wireless charging) now cost around $900, on par with the entry-level models from the aforementioned competitors. However, OnePlus struggled to match the competition in terms of camera quality.
3. Downfall and OnePlus’s “Oppo-ification”
The year 2020 marked the beginning of the end for OnePlus as we knew it:
Carl Pei, one of OnePlus’s co-founders, left the company (and later announced the launch of a new startup called Nothing). OnePlus was officially merged with Oppo in 2021
As a result, OnePlus began to lose its identity. OnePlus’s custom software (Oxygen OS) was merged with Oppo’s Color OS, and the company’s design language was phased out in favor of Oppo’s. OnePlus devices became indistinguishable from Oppo and Realme devices sold in Asian markets. The most notable examples include:
Oppo Find N3 ￫ OnePlus Open
Oppo Pad 3 Pro ￫ OnePlus Pad 2
Realme GT Neo 3 ￫ OnePlus 10R
4. The Aftermath
OnePlus’s loss of identity, along with market challenges, led to a significant drop in sales:
In India, OnePlus’s second-largest market, its market share dropped from 33% in 2019 to just 1.7% in early 2026. Worldwide sales dropped by more than 20% between 2023 and 2024. Increased RAM/storage costs and delayed regional launches contributed to the discontinuation of the budget-friendly OnePlus Nord series.
What Happens Next?
For now, OnePlus has assured its customers that it will continue to provide hardware support and warranty services in Europe and North America. Additionally, OnePlus has stated that it will transition its remaining Oxygen OS software updates directly to Color OS. Looking ahead, Oppo is expected to invest more resources in its primary brand in the European market. OnePlus devices will no longer be available in Western markets, with the company focusing on the Chinese market and selected regional sales for the time being.
OnePlus is a prime example of how quickly the smartphone market can change. For nearly a decade, OnePlus has been at the forefront of the industry, forcing competitors to release higher-end devices at lower prices. While OnePlus may not be the same company that it was in 2014, its legacy will live on in the smartphone market for years to come.