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China’s OnePlus bows out of Western markets as memory crisis hammers smartphone industry
The industry is staggering under a chip shortage that has dragged down shipments, forcing handset makers to recalibrate strategies
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Iris Dengin Shenzhen
Chinese handset vendor OnePlus is retreating from the US and European markets amid deepening woes from a memory crisis hammering the global smartphone industry.
“After thorough evaluation, OnePlus has decided to conclude product roll-outs in Europe and North America,” the brand operated under Chinese smartphone maker Oppo said on its website on Thursday.
OnePlus said it would continue to support existing devices with software updates, security patches and after-sales service, without providing a detailed timeline for a complete shutdown of operations.
Oppo said in a statement on Thursday that “OnePlus’ product road map in China remains unchanged”.
However, Oppo’s other budget smartphone subsidiary, Realme, would “no longer launch new products in China” and instead focus on overseas markets, according to the statement. The moves were made to “further consolidate resources and enhance global product strategy synergy”.
The retreat comes as the global smartphone market is hit by unprecedented cost surges and supply shortages amid a memory crisis. Smartphone shipments worldwide tumbled 11 per cent in the June quarter, the lowest second-quarter levels in 13 years, according to data from Counterpoint Research on Monday.
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