New Delhi: Android Headlines on 20 January reported that OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone brand, was being “dismantled”. The Indian market was supposed to “save” the company, but instead OnePlus faced falling shipments, poor demand and product cancellations. In India, almost 4,500 retail stores across six states stopped selling the smartphone in 2024.
OnePlus India issued a clarification on X, where they rejected reports of the shutdown, calling it “false” and “unsubstantiated”.
“I wanted to address some misinformation that has been circulating about OnePlus India and its operations. We’re operating as usual and will continue to do so. Never Settle,” wrote OnePlus India CEO Robin Liu.
Liu’s press release has done little to alleviate any fears surrounding the brand’s future. But for now, the devices continue to be in operation, with warranties intact and both updates and new models in the pipeline.
According to the report, a three-continent investigation was conducted across the company’s headquarters in China and regional offices across the United States, India and Europe and was corroborated by four independent analyst firms.
Oppo, the parent company for both OnePlus and Realme, has faced challenges in the smartphone market. In early January, it was announced that Realme, an electronics manufacturer, would be integrated into Oppo as a sub-brand, to cut costs and share resources.
The report by Android Headlines predicts a similar fate for OnePlus, “OPPO isn’t restructuring. OPPO is cleaning house — and the body count includes jobs, markets, headquarters, R&D teams, and entire sub-brands. OnePlus is next.”
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OnePlus in India and China
India and China are both key markets for the smartphone brand. Together, they account for 74 per cent of all OnePlus shipments, and both these markets are “collapsing” for the brand.
In 2024, the brand’s shipments fell from approximately 17 million units to between 13 and 14 million units. According to the latest Omdia smartphone preliminary shipment report, Oppo grew by 2.8 per cent during the same period, an indication that OnePlus was dragging down growth numbers. OnePlus saw a decline of more than 20 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
In May 2024, several retail stores across India stopped selling the devices because of delayed warranties and thin profit margins, resulting in a collapse in market share.
Between 2023 and 2024, OnePlus’ share in the Indian smartphone market dropped from 6.1 per cent to 3.9 per cent, according to the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report. In China, it was significantly worse at 1.6 per cent, a 20 per cent decline from the previous year.
The Q3 2025 report by CyberMedia Research (CMR) had noted that OnePlus recorded a 13 per cent decline and accounted for a five per cent market share for tablets.
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State of affairs in other countries
OnePlus also experienced weak demand from the US and Western Europe. In 2023, CNET reported that the OnePlus 11 would not be sold at T-Mobile, an American wireless network operator, despite previous models being sold through the carrier.
“Europe went dark even earlier. In 2020, OnePlus cut its teams across France, Germany, and the UK from around sixty employees to fewer than ten. They just quietly disappeared. No restructuring memo. No press release. Gone,” said the report.
Oppo has been supporting the brand, which included a $14 billion investment in 2022 to save it. The parent company also gave OnePlus customers access to their service centres, retail stores and allowed OnePlus to sell phones at cost to get the units off the shelves.
“The $14 billion lifeline was a three-year bet. The bet didn’t pay off. Now they’re cutting losses,” the report concluded.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)