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The OnePlus 9 5G series will ship with Oppo's ColorOS in China

By Joshua Swingle

Updated: Mar 24, 2021, 6:12 AM

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The OnePlus 9 5G series will ship with Oppo's ColorOS in China

The Oppo Find X3 Pro running ColorOS 11

UPDATE: The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are now official with Snapdragon 888 chips, super-fast charging, and cameras made in partnership with Hasselblad. You can learn more about them at the links below:

OnePlus 9 Review
OnePlus 9 deals

OnePlus 9 Pro Review
OnePlus 9 Pro price, deals, where to buy

The original story continues below.

OnePlus and Oppo announced a new development partnership in January that led to their separate hardware R&D teams being merged into one. In China, however, the ties between the two companies are deepening further.

OnePlus and Oppo continue to deepen their ties

The next-generation 5G OnePlus 9 series will ship with a custom version of Oppo’s ColorOS software in mainland China, instead of the usual OnePlus-designed HydrogenOS that Chinese customers are used to.

The change could be met with some backlash overseas, but in China the move is likely to be welcomed with open arms. Oppo is currently the largest smartphone brand in China and ColorOS is immensely popular, far more than OnePlus’ HydrogenOS ever was.

Speaking about the change on the official OnePlus forum, OxygenOS Product Lead Gary C said the following: “We always look for ways to address the different usage habits and preferences among our users worldwide. We truly believe this customized new operating system will bring our Chinese users a software experience that is better suited to their liking.”

The OnePlus 9 Pro

Importantly, the move has no impact on the development of OxygenOS for international users. The software will continue to be included on future devices, including the OnePlus 9 5G line, and OnePlus is “committed to offering a fast and smooth experience.”

The future of OxygenOS is safeguarded, for now

As part of the aforementioned development partnership, OnePlus and Oppo retained separate software departments internationally, so the future of OxygenOS is certainly safeguarded for the time being.

But in China, it’s becoming even harder to distinguish Oppo from OnePlus. The two companies are now sharing more resources than ever before, at least officially, and it begs the question of whether this process will continue until the two companies are essentially one.