So long, OnePlus! I enjoyed the time we shared
After 12 years, it’s the end of an era. OnePlus is leaving Europe. What began as a cool startup story is ending in brand chaos.
In 2014, OnePlus – a company that was unknown at the time – unveiled the OnePlus One. A smartphone that could hold its own among the top models, with a cheaper price tag and a unique back panel to boot. More importantly, OnePlus wasn’t a budget manufacturer. The company quickly established itself as a cool brand that valued close ties with its community. Twelve years on, this story has come to an end. The parent company BBK is withdrawing from Europe along with OnePlus. Instead, its sister brand Oppo is expected to fill the gap that will be left.
Hotly anticipated launch
The hype surrounding the OnePlus One was huge in April 2014, and the gadget was a hot commodity. Only prospective buyers who managed to secure an invitation were given the opportunity to order it from the manufacturer’s website. It wasn’t until about a year after its launch that the smartphone became available to the general public. The company sold a total of around 1.5 million devices, of which 300 were still in use in 2021.
At first, for the incredible sum of 269 euros, you could get a smartphone that was on a par with the top models of the time, such as the Galaxy S5 or the HTC One M8. Although they didn’t cost four figures back then, like today’s premium devices, they were still significantly more expensive. With CyanogenOS, OnePlus opted for a tailored version of Android right from the start. In April 2015, it was renamed OxygenOS. In any case, the devices remained open to alternative operating systems such as LineageOS, Paranoid Android and Ubuntu Touch.
I was really taken with the sandstone back panel. Thanks to its textured surface, it was resistant to fingerprints and provided a secure grip. No other manufacturer offered anything like that at the time. Besides, no other brand seemed as cool back then. In July 2015, the OnePlus 2 was released, and it became my daily companion for a while. In 2021, I unboxed it again to show how old smartphones can be given a new lease of life.
But to my dismay, the sandstone back panel was discontinued with the OnePlus 3, and was then only available as an optional case. In the years that followed, however, things started looking up for OnePlus, and its product lineup expanded. A T Series and a partnership with McLaren were launched. With the OnePlus X and the OnePlus Nord series, the manufacturer also ventured into the mid-range and entry-level segments.
Past its best
As recently as March 2021, I raved about the OnePlus 9 Pro’s first ultra-wide-angle camera, with a quality that rivalled that of the main camera. The company also added its first smartwatch to the product lineup. But OnePlus no longer enjoyed the same level of success. BBK Electronics, the parent company, began to rethink its strategy. After all, OnePlus was just one of five brands – along with Oppo, Vivo, Realme and IQOO – under which the company sold smartphones.
In June 2021, it was reported that OnePlus and Oppo would be merged within the company. But the brands would remain separate. Shortly thereafter, this merger had another consequence. OxygenOS was merged with ColorOS, and Oppo’s software was also installed on OnePlus devices.
The impact of integrating OnePlus into Oppo didn’t stop there. The collaboration between OnePlus and Hasselblad in the camera sector was extended to Oppo. While I criticised the fact that OnePlus devices had become part of the boring mainstream, a year later my colleague Dominik Bärlocher named Oppo as the clear winner of the merger. Still, the first tablet came from OnePlus – one that Oppo also sold under a different name.
2023 turned out to be a difficult year for OnePlus. In Germany, Nokia secured a sales ban against Oppo and its sister brand. In Switzerland, Oppo shot itself in the foot. It wasn’t until late 2024 that Oppo and Nokia reached a settlement in their patent dispute and the sales ban in Germany was lifted. But the momentum was lost, and OnePlus never really got back on track. Instead, Oppo has been expanding its presence in Germany and Switzerland again since 2025. It seems like the company used up all its marketing budget on sponsoring the Champions League in a deal worth millions.
Into the future with Oppo
The review of the OnePlus 15 is likely to be the last time we write about a OnePlus device. It impresses on all fronts – and not just with its very long battery life.
OnePlus no longer ships new products to Europe. Starting immediately, the company will start selling off its remaining inventory. At least there’s a promise that the warranty periods and the commitment to four Android versions and six years of security updates will remain in effect.
Instead, Oppo is making a full-scale comeback in the market. While the Reno 16 Pro doesn’t really do much for me, I’m really excited about the Oppo Find X9 Ultra with its second telephoto camera.
I’ll miss OnePlus mostly for what it was like in the early years. Back then, the company shook up an industry that had fallen into a rut. But over time, OnePlus became just another mainstream brand, so I won’t be too sad to see it go.
As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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