OnePlus has officially shared a statement confirming what has been speculated for months: the company is exiting the US and the UK markets. However, the biggest shock is that Oppo's ColorOS will replace OxygenOS and Realme UI, which are being retired, with upcoming phones coming with ColorOS out of the box. How will it affect the software features and overall experience of your existing phones? Let's find out.
Why Are OxygenOS and Realme UI Retiring?
OnePlus and Realme phones are both confirmed to receive ColorOS 17 as their next major update. The official reason given by OnePlus is that switching to ColorOS allows the company to streamline software development. This will allow them to provide faster updates while also improving the quality of said updates and making better use of their engineering and R&D teams.
We speculate that this might be a cost-cutting decision from the parent company Oppo, given OnePlus' exit from the US and UK markets and Realme seizing operations in China, with India as the only other region. So, it does not seem feasible that Oppo would run different software branches for only two markets.
It is worth noting that since 2021, both OxygenOS and Realme UI have shared the same ColorOS codebase. Moreover, both Realme and OnePlus phones already ship with ColorOS in China. So, the companies might expand the same strategy to India.
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Will Current OnePlus and Realme Phones Continue to Get Software Support?
OnePlus has confirmed that it is phasing out OxygenOS in favour of ColorOS, and existing devices eligible for updates will receive ColorOS 17 based on Android 17 and further Android updates. Users can choose to stay on the current software version or update to ColorOS.
So the recently released OnePlus 15 will receive its 4 years of updates and 6 years of security patches. However, it is unclear if the upcoming phones will come with ColorOS 16 out of the box.
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Will OxygenOS and Realme UI Get New Updates?
While there are no plans for OxygenOS 17 or a Realme UI 8, OnePlus phones will continue to receive OxygenOS 16 updates, and Realme devices will get the Realme UI 7 updates till official ColorOS 17 is launched and available for the eligible devices.
Once ColorOS 17 arrives, both OnePlus and Realme will phase out their OS for ColorOS, and users can decide whether to update their phone or not.
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Will OxygenOS and Realme UI Gain or Lose Features with ColorOS?
OnePlus OxygenOS currently ships with a noticeably cleaner skin with fewer preinstalled apps and an easier out-of-the-box setup, as users are not asked to install apps from Oppo's marketplace. That might be gone with the arrival of ColorOS.
OxygenOS also has a few small identity touches that ColorOS lacks, like a couple of exclusive always-on-display clock styles with red accents, Never Settle and OxygenOS Flux themes, and playful details like the "Never Settle" easter egg hidden in the Calculator app. None of these are dealbreakers, but they are the kind of small touches long-time OnePlus users might miss.
On the gaining end, ColorOS currently includes a few additional AI-powered tools, like OPPO's AI Studio app, which adds AI Portrait, AI Motion, and an AI Group Photo Composer to OxygenOS. ColorOS also bundles a Sound Focus feature in the camera app for directional audio recording in certain devices and a native Calendar app with home screen widgets instead of Google Calendar.
However, since Realme UI leans much closer to ColorOS already, Realme phone users may not notice a major shift in the software experience at all.
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What Will Happen to OnePlus AI Features?
Functionally, OnePlus AI features are almost the same as Oppo AI seen on ColorOS, besides the different branding. Tools included inside OnePlus AI, like MindSpace, AI Writer, AI Translate, AI VoiceScribe, AI Search, and AI Eraser, all have similar equivalents already in ColorOS.
So, it will be only a difference in naming schemes when moving to ColorOS. In fact, moving to ColorOS could mean gaining AI tools that are not seen on OnePlus AI right now. Like OPPO's AI Studio suite, which features AI Portrait, AI Motion, and AI Group Photo Composer, none of which exist on OxygenOS today.
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Does This Mean OnePlus Phones Will No Longer Remain Bloatware-Free?
One of the best things we loved about OxygenOS is the bloatware-free experience, although the Nord series does feature some additional apps and services. However, with the arrival of ColorOS, OnePlus phones will likely see an influx of bloatware apps since Oppo packs additional services even on its flagship phones, something I highlighted in my Oppo Find X9 Ultra review.
Users will find a dedicated App Marketplace that constantly pings with unwanted notifications. It may also install unessential apps if the user is not careful during the setup. Moreover, we will get to see typical Oppo staples like Hot Apps and Hot Games folders and the Hey Tap browser, along with other pre-installed third-party apps and games.
Will Upcoming OnePlus and Realme Phones Launch With ColorOS?
Yes. Every future OnePlus and Realme phone launched in India is likely expected to launch running ColorOS out of the box, with the OxygenOS and Realme UI names and branding absent from marketing materials and promos.
OnePlus ending its operations in the US and UK is a disappointing turn of events. In the meantime, the company has denied rumours of exiting the Indian market, which were also floating around the web. However, the switch to ColorOS from OxygenOS will be the hardest blow to several enthusiasts like me who supported the brand all these years for its clean and snappy take on the software experience. But with ColorOS coming to OnePlus phones, those days might have just come to an end.
