OnePlus 9 series will boot ColorOS out of the box in China, the company confirmed on social media. Earlier this year, OnePlus and Oppo merged their R&D departments, and this decision could be part of the same. OnePlus' smartphones run OxygenOS in global markets, whereas in China, they run HydrogenOS. OxygenOS used to be one of the best Android skins, but that has changed over the last couple of years. The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro will run ColorOS in China. In India and other global markets like the United States and the UK, the phones will still run OxygenOS. This could mean OnePlus will stop developing HydrogenOS in China. This is underwhelming from OnePlus' side, but it was always coming considering the company's recent developments.
OnePlus to Adopt ColorOS in China
Oppo recently launched the Find X3 series. Barring the design, the OnePlus 9 devices will feature identical specifications as the Find X3 series. The OnePlus 9 will be a revamped Oppo Find X3 and the OnePlus 9 Pro will be the Find X3 Pro. In China, Google Mobile Services are banned, which is the reason why the company develops HydrogenOS exclusively for mainland China. The Find X3 series run ColorOS 11.2 based on Android 11 in China and the OnePlus 9 series may ship with the same.
Since the R&D of Oppo and OnePlus are now merged, the Chinese company decided to ditch HydrogenOS altogether. From a business point of view, it makes complete sense. But from a customer point of view, it doesn't as HydrogenOS offered a unique experience to the users. Hopefully, OnePlus will not make this change in global markets.
OnePlus was heavily criticised last year with its OxygenOS 11 skin because it had a close resemblance to Samsung's OneUI. This move will panic a lot of OnePlus fans in the global markets. In other news, the OnePlus 9 series will go official tomorrow with flagship specs. In India, the company will be launching three phones- OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro and the OnePlus 9R. The OnePlus Watch will also make its debut tomorrow in India.
The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will have 120Hz refresh rate screens, Snapdragon 888 5G SoC, up to 12GB of RAM and a 4500mAh battery. The OnePlus 9R might come with Snapdragon 870 chipset and it is said to be a gaming-centric smartphone. Pricing, availability and official specifications of the products will come out tomorrow.
