OnePlus is set to withdraw from the US and Europe as soon as this week.

      TL;DROnePlus is set to withdraw from the US and Europe potentially as soon as this week. Realme will also exit the Chinese market. OnePlus is expected to shut down globally by 2027, with its budget line suffering due to a memory shortage.

      According to Bloomberg, OnePlus, known for its attractively priced smartphones and dedicated fan base, will start winding down operations in the US and Europe this week. This decision is part of a larger restructuring strategy by parent company Oppo. Meanwhile, Realme, another brand under Oppo, will leave the Chinese market. Although OnePlus will continue to operate in China for the time being, plans for its global closure, including in India, are in place for 2027.

      Oppo's decision is driven by financial difficulties in its mobile sector, a lack of market traction in the US, Europe, and India, concerns over selling Chinese phones in the US due to geopolitical issues, and a lawsuit from Apple concerning trade secrets. In the US market, OnePlus competes well behind not only Apple and Samsung but also smaller brands like Motorola and Google Pixel. Its latest flagship, the OnePlus 15, faced challenges during its US launch, which was postponed due to a government shutdown.

      The ongoing component shortage has rendered OnePlus’s core value proposition of offering high specifications at low prices economically unviable. An AI-driven memory crisis has caused a 250% increase in LPDDR prices over the past year, as major manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron shifted their production focus towards data center chips. OnePlus’s budget “Nord” series relied on inexpensive components that are no longer available. According to IDC, Chinese smartphone shipments dropped by 4.3% year over year in Q2.

      As part of its restructuring, Oppo will concentrate on Central Europe and the sale of Realme products in the Nordic region, where it has seen better success. Chinese tech companies are being compelled to choose their markets wisely, as tariffs, rising memory costs, and geopolitical tensions make maintaining a global presence increasingly costly. For OnePlus enthusiasts who embraced the brand's “flagship killer” vision, this exit signifies the conclusion of a brand that demonstrated the potential of creating high-quality phones at affordable prices, until the financial viability of such an approach diminished.