OnePlus says OxygenOS will stick around in Oppo merger despite Android 12 beta being ColorOS

Ben Schoon | Jun 18 2021 - 6:57 am PT

OnePlus and Oppo are formalizing their relationship and merging internal teams with the goal of improving software and speed up other actions. Despite that, though, CEO Pete Lau says OxygenOS will survive the OnePlus/Oppo merger.

In response to questions from fans, Pete Lau directly mentioned that OnePlus devices globally will remain on OxygenOS for the time being. Devices sold in China will ship with Oppo’s ColorOS, a practice that started last year.

OxygenOS will remain the operating system for global OnePlus devices outside of the China market.

While this does make it seem like OxygenOS will stick around through the OnePlus/Oppo merger, there are certainly hints that it could go by the wayside in time. The Android 12 Beta that’s available on the OnePlus 9 series has been shown to be ColorOS at its core. A tweet from Max Weinbach, for example, shows pretty clearly that ColorOS is what’s installed on the device.

What does this mean for the future of OnePlus devices? It’s hard to say for sure at this point. This is the second time OnePlus has clarified that OxygenOS is sticking around, but at the same time, the promise of “faster and more stable” updates only makes sense if two completely different Android skins aren’t in the question. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.