OnePlus Is Leaving The US Behind – So What Happens To Your Phone?

After more than a decade of trying to compete against Samsung and Apple (and others), Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus is finally ending its efforts in several global markets. The company recently confirmed that it will no longer release new products in North America (U.S. and Canada), and Europe, essentially bringing an end to the OnePlus story in the U.S. While a Bloomberg report had suggested that it would exit India as well, OnePlus has issued a press note confirming that its current India operations remain unaffected.

While this marks the end of the road for future OnePlus smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches in the U.S., the company said it will continue to support existing customers for the foreseeable future. This means, the company will honor its warranty commitments and issue regular software updates and security patches to all eligible devices. For OnePlus smartphones, this also means users will be able to witness the planned transition from the current OxygenOS platform to Oppo's ColorOS platform.

OnePlus' withdrawal from North America, however, will also mark the end of the OnePlus community in the region. The company has confirmed that it will close the North American community website and app on August 16, 2026. After that time, users will not be able to access discussions and user generated content. To carry forward the discussions from the closed community, OnePlus will open a Discord channel so that longtime members can remain in touch. However, this will not be an official support channel for OnePlus.

OnePlus was the brainchild of Oppo executives Carl Pei and Pete Lau, who co-founded the company in 2013 with the backing of Oppo. The company quickly garnered attention thanks to its community first approach, including the willingness to accept feedback and feature requests and actually implement them on devices. To this day, OnePlus retains an active community in almost all the markets it serves. OnePlus launched several critically acclaimed smartphones during the course of its existence, ranging from the first-generation OnePlus One, right up to the current generation OnePlus 15.

While dedicated users will remember OnePlus for its user-first approach, for general consumers, OnePlus marketed itself as a company that makes "flagship killers". The company's approach was simple; pack a phone with top tier hardware while leaving out some not so necessary bits. This approach worked wonders in several emerging markets where people want the most bang for the buck, leading to an explosion in OnePlus' popularity. It was much harder to replicate that success in the U.S. and Canada, where carrier availability, installment plans, trade-in promotions, and in-store visibility heavily influence smartphone purchases.

OnePlus secured partnerships with T-Mobile and, more briefly, Verizon, but it failed to turn those relationships into a lasting, mainstream retail presence. T-Mobile stopped carrying OnePlus flagships after 2022, while Verizon's involvement was also short-lived. As of 2026, OnePlus remained a fringe player in the U.S. smartphone market which continues to be dominated by Apple and Samsung.