OnePlus and Oppo have historically not been very explicit about their common ancestry in the technology conglomerate BBK Electronics. But now, after years of silence sharing Resources, companies are officially integrating their research and development efforts.
According to a report by the Chinese publication DoNews, the process started in December and was only recently completed. The publication also develops the relationship, saying it will be similar to the relationship between Xiaomi and Redmi – although software development is apparently still independent.
A OnePlus spokesman confirmed the development with the following statement:
To better maximize resources and position OnePlus even further for growth, we are in the process of further integrating some R&D resources into OPLUS, our long-term investor. OnePlus will continue to operate independently and working to provide the best possible user experience for existing and future OnePlus users.
If you didn’t know, OPLUS is a group of investors that oversees Oppo, OnePlus and Realme. Not much is known about this, but OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, who is also senior vice president of OPLUS and oversees the brand synergy and product planning at Oppo and OnePlus, says it has nothing to do with the BBK.
Given that OnePlus is no longer focusing on the niche it used to do and is looking to reach the masses with its Nord series, the integration of hardware R&D with Oppo seems to make sense. The latter already produces several smartphones that cater to a wide range of markets – from budget to premium flagships.
But for what it’s worth, this new development is unlikely to lead to any noticeable drastic changes. Companies have a history of sharing development, and this has been visible on more than one occasion: for example, the color-changing electrochromic glass that we saw on OnePlus Concept One and the 8T concept phone is now being mass-produced on Oppo Reno 5 Pro Plus.
