The change traces back to a report from Smartprix, which cited an industry insider saying Oppo wants to fold three separate Android skins, ColorOS, OxygenOS and Realme UI, into a single one. Realme users probably won't feel a big jolt from this, and honestly, most people outside a phone forum won't care much either. Its software has leaned on ColorOS's codebase since Realme broke off as its own brand back in 2018, so the two already look and feel close. OnePlus users have more reason to be upset, since OxygenOS built its whole reputation on being lighter and simpler than ColorOS. And this isn't happening in isolation. Oppo has been quietly pulling its three brands closer together for years, ever since OxygenOS and ColorOS shared a codebase starting in 2021. Running three separate skins costs real money, with each one needing its own team, its own testing, its own update schedule, and right now, with a global memory and storage shortage squeezing the whole industry, cutting that cost matters more than usual.
Realme officially became an Oppo sub brand this January, eight years after first splitting off as its own label back in 2018, and by April its day to day operations had merged with OnePlus under one shared management team. None of this has been confirmed officially by Oppo, Realme or OnePlus, but small signs are already showing, like OnePlus's after sales support in India getting folded into Oppo's own service network. And OnePlus itself is said to be narrowing its focus down to just India and China, while Realme moves the other way, stepping back from China to chase markets abroad. Oppo hasn't said yet when Realme phones already sitting on store shelves in India will actually get the ColorOS switch.
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