Rumour: OnePlus could leave Europe within days

A fresh rumour suggests that OnePlus - the brand that helped popularise “flagship killers” - could be about to pull out of Europe within the next few days.

If today’s market offers a handful of keenly priced phones with near-flagship specifications, OnePlus deserves part of the credit. Alongside Xiaomi, the Chinese manufacturer brought “flagship killer” devices into the mainstream: phones with an unbeatable price-to-performance ratio. As a result, even though OnePlus has never broken into the global Top 5 smartphone brands, it has become a cult name with a sizeable base of loyal fans. Unfortunately, that same brand could soon vanish from France.

OnePlus in Europe: what the rumour claims

For months, various press reports have pointed to a potential dismantling of OnePlus within Oppo, its parent company. This week, the story has sharpened: OnePlus is said to be planning to end its operations in the United States and in Europe (including France).

According to WinFuture, as relayed by GSMArena, Oppo and OnePlus are expected to unveil a new strategy in the coming days, along with “fundamental changes”. In particular, OnePlus would stop selling its products in Europe, effectively leaving the field to Oppo.

Even if OnePlus does exit the European market, it may still have existing stock to sell through after any announcement. In addition, the company would almost certainly continue providing software support for the models already in circulation.

The end of an era

For now, it remains just a rumour. Until there is an official statement or clearer details, caution is still warranted. That said, even though the media has been discussing the possibility for some time, a OnePlus departure would still land as a jolt for the industry.

A smartphone market under pressure

It is also worth noting that these claims are surfacing at a time when the smartphone market is in the midst of a serious downturn. Because of component demand for AI data centres, there is a shortage of memory chips, which is pushing up smartphone manufacturing costs.

As a consequence, global sales are now falling sharply, especially in the entry-level and mid-range segments. According to a new Counterpoint Research report, smartphone shipments dropped by 11% year on year in the second quarter. Volumes also hit their lowest level since 2013.