OnePlus’s departure from some global markets, including the US, is disappointing but not unexpected.
The writing has been on the wall for some time now, and I even wrote that OnePlus needed to decide to come stateside with its phones in force or leave entirely. Unfortunately, the decision was the latter.
It’s a more impactful decision than it appears at first glance. There are several reasons why OnePlus never fully caught on in the US, but the result will be more of the same from Samsung and Google.
OnePlus is exiting the US, and customers will be the ones to suffer.
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OnePlus delivered excellent phones
It had nothing to do with hardware
It’s frustrating, but OnePlus’s shortcomings in the US had nothing to do with its hardware.
Sure, I thought the company went off the rails a bit with the OnePlus 10 Pro, trying to compete with Samsung at the same prices. However, since then, OnePlus has consistently released solid phones that offer top-tier power and performance for less.
The OnePlus 15 and 15R are phenomenal examples. The OnePlus 15 offers the best battery life of any Android phone I’ve used, thanks to its 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery.
It’s absolutely fantastic, and the phone pairs that battery life with flagship-level performance from its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and 16GB of RAM.
Specs that Samsung hasn’t matched with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, unless you want to pay nearly $1,000 more, and that doesn’t even get you the same battery.
The OnePlus 15R is a wonderful blueprint for companies in 2026. It features the cheaper, yet still excellent, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, giving you all the power you need without spending a ridiculous amount. It also gets outstanding battery life.
We may eventually get silicon-carbon battery tech in Galaxy smartphones, but it won’t be because Samsung is pushed by the competition.
OnePlus had the hardware to get the job done, but its US strategy didn’t align with it.
Carrier store presence matters
Online sales won’t cut it
I knew it was the beginning of the end when OnePlus phones were no longer in T-Mobile stores. It’s really unfortunate how our carrier system works in the US, but it is what it is.
Tens of millions of people a year finance their devices through carriers, and I can’t blame them. Prices keep rising, and one way to offset that is to pay monthly through a plan.
If you aren’t in carrier stores, it’s harder to get that financing, and you can’t take advantage of outsized trade-in offers and discounts.
It’s also psychological. If I’m someone who only thinks about smartphones once every three years, it’s much easier for me to walk into a Verizon store and see a OnePlus 15 next to the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
If I can touch and feel the OnePlus and see what it offers, I may view the wallet-punishing price of the Galaxy S26 Ultra differently.
I know carriers make companies jump through hoops in the US, but where there is a will, there is a way. If a smaller manufacturer like Unihertz can get AT&T certification for its phones, so can OnePlus.
Samsung and Google aren’t pushed
There’s no one left to challenge
The smartphone marketplace was already pretty sad in the US. Yes, there is still Motorola, but it is content to stay in its lane with foldables and midrange phones — there is no true flagship powerhouse.
We may eventually get silicon-carbon battery tech in Galaxy smartphones, but it won’t be because Samsung is pushed by the competition.
There are some genuinely exciting camera innovations coming up on overseas devices, yet we are reduced to begging Samsung to upgrade the camera sensors it has used for many years.
A lack of competition at the flagship level hurts Samsung and Google in the long run. If you’re not pushed to innovate, you don’t. It’s human nature, and it certainly applies to business. Why would those companies spend money they don’t have to?
But that doesn’t mean it’ll benefit them over time, and a healthy OnePlus had a shot at mounting a worthy opposition.
All is not lost if this happens
It’s important to attach a huge asterisk to all of this. My colleague, Andy Boxhall, is absolutely correct. If OnePlus’s retreat from US shores is a preamble to Oppo making a legitimate run in our smartphone market, I’m all for it.
Still, I’ll believe it when I see it, and our marketplace isn’t exactly the most friendly to new overseas brands.
I’m sad to see OnePlus go, and we’ll see weaker phones in the future as a result.
