Samsung’s two Chinese rivals merge amid declining performance

Samsung reclaimed the top spot in the global smartphone market after launching the Galaxy S26 series earlier this year. Now, two of its Chinese rivals, OnePlus and Realme, appear to be undergoing a major restructuring, with reports suggesting they are being merged into a single entity.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that OnePlus was shutting down its operations in several European countries. Now, a new report from China claims that OPPO’s sub-brands, OnePlus and Realme, have been merged for both domestic and overseas operations. They are said to now share a unified product center, while their marketing and service teams are also being consolidated.

The combined teams will reportedly report to Pete Lau (Liu Zuohu). Although OnePlus and Realme will continue to launch new phones, they are expected to reuse each other’s products with different names in different markets.

Realme does not operate in the US, while OnePlus does. However, OPPO now appears to be positioning itself as the premium smartphone brand, with OnePlus and Realme focusing on mid-range and affordable segments. If these brands scale back their presence in several European markets, it could benefit Samsung by reducing competition.