Early yesterday, rumours started circulating that Oppo and OnePlus, both owned by BBK Electronics, were leaving the European market starting with the United Kingdom (UK), France, Germany and the Netherlands, with the rest of the European countries to follow in due time.
Max Jumbo, the original source of the leak, later clarified that the aforementioned countries would be the only ones affected for the time being, with the Oppo and OnePlus brands continuing to operate in the other European markets.
Smartphones from the two brands are not available for purchase in Germany at the moment following a lawsuit by Nokia regarding 5G patents, however, their products can still be bought in other European markets.
After Max Jumbo’s leak went viral, Oppo and OnePlus have been quick to deny the reports and have reiterated their commitment to their operations in the European market
“OnePlus will not exit from Europe and the UK and maintains stable operations in local markets. OnePlus will continue to invest in Europe and provide more innovative products and solutions for its users,” reads a statement from OnePlus sent to Tech Advisor.
“Oppo is committed to all the existing European markets… We had a great start in 2023 with the successful launches of several products in Europe and have a line-up of upcoming products for the rest of the year. As always, Oppo will continue to provide more innovative products and the best-in-class service for users moving forward,” Oppo reiterates in a press release.
Aside from Oppoand OnePlus, the BBK Group also owns a few other smartphone brands, including Vivo and Realme. Furthermore, both Oppo and OnePlus sell wireless earbuds and smartwatches in the European market.
Max Jumbo’s leak now appears to be unfounded, as the statements put out by the BBK-owned companies show, which is a good thing as competition is always a good thing and by the two companies leaving, Apple and Samsung would have an even easier time dominating the European market.
