OnePlus and Oppo this week became slightly less distinguishable. OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau announced that the company would “further integrate” with Oppo going forward. However, as the two companies already have a close relationship, the vague reveal leaves more questions than answers.
OnePlus believes the integration will allow the company more resources. This, it notes, will result in better efficiency, especially in delivering timely software updates. But beyond China, OnePlus and Oppo do not share the same Android skin.
Chinese OnePlus devices now rely on Oppo’s Color OS. Globally, Oxygen OS still forms the software basis of OnePlus smartphones. Although OnePlus confirmed to Android Authority that this would remain the status quo now, things change quickly in the smartphone world.
But what if OnePlus dropped Oxygen OS? Would you buy a OnePlus phone if it came with Color OS installed?
Some may welcome such a move, as Oxygen OS’s development life hasn’t been pain-free. Oxygen OS 11 debuted with controversial changes to its design language. Since then, the company has pulled several major updates from its flagships and mid-rangers. Users are also seemingly losing trust in the firm’s ability to push stable updates to its devices.
With Color OS, OnePlus may have a more stable option, albeit an equally divisive one. If its statement is to be taken at face value, Color OS is a skin with more resources behind its development. But gaining Oppo’s signature skin would force OnePlus to abandon a portion of its identity, and we’re not too sure if the company’s stalwart fans would accept this.
Whatever you feel, be sure to vote in our poll above. Also, drop a comment about which skin you believe OnePlus phones should wear in the future.
