After announcing that OnePlus and Oppo would be merging more teams behind the scenes, the inevitable has happened. OnePlus has just announced that OxygenOS and ColorOS will come closer together, though with the benefit of OnePlus devices getting three years or more of Android updates.
In a forum post today, OnePlus explains that the sub-brand of Oppo is “working on integrating the codebase of OxygenOS and ColorOS.” Apparently, the change will go unnoticed because it is happening behind the scenes.
OnePlus’ OxygenOS has always been the darling among Android fans, because not only is it very close to stock Android, it also has great performance and (usually) a good update schedule. Oppo’s ColorOS, on the other hand, is none of that. I’m very skeptical of this merger turning out for the better for OnePlus users.
I could get more worked up about this if I were not STILL waiting for an update to Realme UI 2.0 aka Android 11 for the Realme 6 Pro I got last year.
This has me worried for cultural reason. The OxygenOS team was started and mostly based on ex Cyanogenmod devs which I believe created an unique environment of engineers focused on performance and minimalism and that shows, with OPs routnely getting prize for being the smoothest Android phones on the market. I’m afraid this spirit would be lost when the team will be fused with CoS which is a run of the mill corporate Android skin.