- OnePlus is switching phones in mainland China to Color OS rather than the regular Oxygen OS.
- This reflects ‘different usage habits across the country’, according to OnePlus.
- It comes into effect from the OnePlus 9 series.
Oxygen OS will no longer be the only software on OnePlus phones. OnePlus has revealed that phones it sells in mainland China will be shipped with a customized version of Oppo’s Color OS, starting with the 9 Series.
The transition to Color OS offers Chinese users a platform that is ‘better suited to their tastes’, OnePlus said. The company wanted software that reflected the “different usage habits” of people around the world, and that apparently included a different operating system in at least one country.
At least so far you will not see Color OS on OnePlus phones outside mainland China. Everyone else will continue to use Oxygen OS.
Related: OnePlus Buyer’s Guide
This is not the first time that OnePlus has juggled more than one platform. Early OnePlus phones were split between Cyanogen OS in most of the world and Color OS in China, and there was a time when the China-specific Hydrogen OS and the international Oxygen OS coexisted. If it is anything, it is a return to previous behavior rather than a radical break.
It is not surprising that OnePlus will accept Color OS in its own country. Oppo is now one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers in China, and OnePlus may be driving its siblings’ brands by offering the same software experience. It can also help OnePlus streamline its development work for Chinese customers by using the same basic code as Oppo devices.
It probably won’t excite everyone. Many have argued that OnePlus stands out precisely because of Oxygen OS’s relatively sleek, fast attack on Android. Between the new operating system and a fast balloon line, there is concern that OnePlus could lose its identity as it uses more and more of Oppo’s strategy. Sales are likely to determine what happens next, but you can expect OnePlus to stick with Oppo’s operating system or even expand its use if there is a corresponding increase in sales.