OnePlus announces new unified OS with Oppo; confirms OnePlus 9T is dead
The OnePlus 9T won’t happen. In an interview with The Verge, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau announced that this year the company has no plans to release a T-series phone. Rumors about the cancellation of the OnePlus 9T have been circling for a while now, but it is now officially confirmed.
The T-series debuted with the OnePlus 3T in 2016 and since then the company has introduced a new T-branded phone each year. The latest T device is last year’s OnePlus 8T, but skipping the 9T means that the OnePlus 9 series’ successor will be the OnePlus 10.
Lau also spoke about the merger of Oppo’s ColorOS with OnePlus’ OxygenOS. The two phone manufacturers are part of the same BBK Electronics company, and previously OnePlus confirmed the merger of its software team with Oppo's one.
OxygenOS and ColorOS officially unite
Lau also spoke about the merger of Oppo’s ColorOS with OnePlus’ OxygenOS. The two phone manufacturers are part of the same BBK Electronics company, and previously OnePlus confirmed the merger of its software team with Oppo's one.
What’s new today is that both companies will not only be merging the codebase of their software, but also the operating system themselves. The codebase integration was completed recently, and the new software will be released next year.
Lau says that while the new software will be the same on both brands, both will keep their unique branding and features. It’s the code that will be shared across Oppo and OnePlus devices. The new software is created by a unified team that strives to keep it as “fast and smooth” and “clean and lightweight” as OxygenOS, yet “reliable” and “smart and feature-rich” like ColorOS.
Both companies' fast charging technologies, OnePlus' Warp Charge and Oppo's SuperVOOC, will also merge into one. The unification of the two charging standards and other technologies was "necessary" to make OnePlus more efficient.
A report from last week stated that the merger of OnePlus and Oppo is creating staff cuts. Reportedly as many as 20% of the employees across some of the software and device teams are being laid off. This is allegedly due to Oppo’s unachieved big goals and aggressive moves to new markets that disappointed in sales.
But according to The Verge, Lau played down the possibility of layoffs because of the merger, stating that there were no instances of staff being cut during the merger.
Both the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 8 devices will receive the new co-developed with Oppo software
Lau says that while the new software will be the same on both brands, both will keep their unique branding and features. It’s the code that will be shared across Oppo and OnePlus devices. The new software is created by a unified team that strives to keep it as “fast and smooth” and “clean and lightweight” as OxygenOS, yet “reliable” and “smart and feature-rich” like ColorOS.
"I would like to tell you confidently that after overseeing the product development of both systems for a year, I believe that the unified operating system will keep the DNA of OxygenOS that many of you love so much, while also giving you an upgraded experience overall. And of course, OnePlus has a unique group of users, therefore we will customize the unified OS specifically for OnePlus devices to make sure it meets your expectations, for example by keeping it as clean and lightweight as before, and continuing to support unlock bootloaders." - Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus
The new Android-based platform will come to both future and current devices. It will debut on the OnePlus 10 series, and, while unconfirmed, possibly the Oppo Find X4 too. Older OnePlus and Oppo phones that are still supported will receive the new software too, but they'll have to wait until the rollout of Android 13.
Both companies' fast charging technologies, OnePlus' Warp Charge and Oppo's SuperVOOC, will also merge into one. The unification of the two charging standards and other technologies was "necessary" to make OnePlus more efficient.
OnePlus and Oppo staff cut by 20%... or is it?
A report from last week stated that the merger of OnePlus and Oppo is creating staff cuts. Reportedly as many as 20% of the employees across some of the software and device teams are being laid off. This is allegedly due to Oppo’s unachieved big goals and aggressive moves to new markets that disappointed in sales.
“(redundancies haven’t) been something that’s come up during the merger. We have a focus on bringing together the OnePlus and Oppo teams to be able to bring together the strengths of both sides into the merged entity.” - Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus
Things that are NOT allowed: