Well, here is a bit of an unexpected news for the smartphone world. It looks like OnePlus and Realme are merging.
According to a leak from Digital Chat Station over on Weibo, these two popular Android brands are merging into a single entity. The new setup will see OnePlus China president Li Jie taking the reins, reporting straight to Pete Lau, who is a co-founder of OnePlus.
So, what does this actually look like for the average user? Essentially, the two companies are going to be pooling their resources, sharing everything from product development and strategy to software and launch schedules. It is a massive consolidation of power under one roof.
Wang Wei, who used to be the vice president over at Realme, is tipped to step in as the deputy general manager for this new combined business unit.
Despite the merger, you probably won’t see the brands vanish from shelves. They will keep their individual identities for the public, even though their domestic and global operations are being mashed together.
They will also be sharing marketing and service departments behind the scenes to streamline the way they organised their teams. Neither brand has come out to confirm the news just yet, but if the leaks are right, the Android landscape is about to get a lot more interesting.