OnePlus says no 9T this yr, 2022 flagship will run merged Oppo OS

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the corporate doesn’t plan to launch its conventional T-series machine within the second half of this yr. He additionally introduced that subsequent yr’s OnePlus flagship cellphone would run on a newly unified working system, following the corporate’s integration with fellow BBK Electronics subsidiary Oppo. OnePlus introduced it could be merging the codebases of its Android-based OxygenOS working system with Oppo’s ColorOS in July.

This means we’re unlikely to see a OnePlus 9T following up this yr’s OnePlus 9. Despite the same names, the corporate’s T-series telephones have supplied important upgrades over its flagships from earlier within the yr. For instance, the 8T had round double the charging speeds of the 8, whereas the 7T bumped the unique 7 show to the next 90Hz refresh charge.

“This year we will not be launching a T-series product,” Lau mentioned through a translator in a roundtable interview with The Verge and different journalists. This would be the first yr with no T-series machine since OnePlus adopted the discharge schedule with the OnePlus 3T in 2016. Since then, like clockwork, OnePlus has launched a brand new T-series cellphone within the latter half of every yr, culminating in final yr’s OnePlus 8T.

In what’s successfully a merger between OnePlus and Oppo, the 2 firms might be unifying the underlying codebases of OxygenOS and Oppo’s ColorOS. The two Android-based working programs will proceed to have their very own branding and distinctive options, Lau mentioned, however the code underpinning them would be the similar, they usually’ll be developed by a unified staff. The manner OnePlus describes it, the method will lead to an working system that’s “fast and smooth” and “clean and lightweight” like OxygenOS, whereas additionally being “reliable” and “smart and feature-rich” like ColorOS.

Lau mentioned the codebase integration of the 2 working programs was accomplished in June, and that it’s already serving to to permit for extra frequent software program updates. But we’ll have to attend till subsequent yr to see the primary OnePlus flagship launch with the newly built-in working system. It received’t simply be new OnePlus telephones getting the brand new OS — it’ll additionally come to OnePlus’s older gadgets is that they’re nonetheless scheduled to obtain assist. These assist intervals embrace three main updates for flagship telephones, two for many Nord gadgets, and one for Nord N telephones. Last week, Oppo introduced that the OnePlus 9 sequence will obtain a beta of the brand new software program in October, adopted by the OnePlus 8 sequence in December.

OnePlus tells The Verge that integrating its operations with Oppo was essential to make it extra environment friendly, and would streamline its R&D sources “to support more products and work more efficiently.” As effectively as integrating the 2 firm’s working programs, OnePlus additionally mentioned it could be integrating its Warp Charge quick charging customary with Oppo’s SuperVOOC.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Oppo’s merger with OnePlus is creating redundancies, together with inside its ColorOS growth unit, as the 2 BBK subsidiaries pool sources. As many as 20 p.c of employees throughout some software program and machine groups are reportedly being lower, in accordance with the report. The cuts are reportedly the results of Oppo increasing too quickly lately, shifting aggressively into new international locations and product classes with huge bets that haven’t payed off.

During our briefing, nevertheless, which came about previous to the publication of Bloomberg’s report, OnePlus’s Lau performed down the opportunity of merger-related layoffs. “[Redundancies haven’t] been something that’s come up during the merger,” Lau mentioned through a translator, “We have a focus on bringing together the OnePlus and Oppo teams to be able to bring together the strengths of both sides into the merged entity.”