Oppo reportedly begins merging Realme operations, cuts job roles in India teams
Oppo has begun integrating Realme's India operations into its own structure, triggering job cuts and suggesting a big push to streamline costs amid rising competition.
Oppo has reportedly started reorganising its India business by bringing Realme’s operations closer under its own management, a move that has already led to job cuts across select teams. The changes point to a big change underway within the company as it looks to simplify operations and manage costs in a market where smartphone competition has become increasingly intense.
People aware of the developments told Money Control that the restructuring has begun with internal teams that support sales and service functions. Employees in these areas have been informed about changes to reporting structures, while some roles are being phased out as Oppo works to remove duplication between the two brands. The process, according to report, is not a one-time exercise and is expected to expand to additional departments over time.
The decision to merge operations follows a global strategy to reposition Realme as a sub-brand rather than run it as a fully independent organisation. While this approach has already been implemented in China, the India rollout is expected to be slower and more measured due to ongoing legal matters involving Oppo, the report stated.
“In China, this has already been done. In India, it’s a bit different right now because there are ongoing legal issues involving Oppo. So, they can’t move as aggressively here but this will happen gradually and across functions,” a person close to the matter told Moneycontrol, requesting anonymity.
Even with a cautious approach, structural changes are already visible. Realme’s sales teams have been asked to align with the revised setup, while employees working in sales support and service network roles have been told to step down by April 30. This is something that India Today Tech independently verified and found to be true. Going forward, Oppo’s existing marketing and service infrastructure is expected to handle a larger share of the combined operations.
This change would be a symbolic return for Realme. The brand was introduced in 2018 as an Oppo-backed label and initially carried “By Oppo” branding on its first smartphone. Later that year, Realme was spun off as a separate brand with its own teams and strategy. Nearly eight years later, the brand is now being folded back into Oppo’s operational structure.
Neither Oppo nor Realme has issued a public response to queries from India Today Tech regarding the restructuring. We will update the article once we receive any statement from any of these tech companies.
A familiar strategy inside BBK’s playbook
The India consolidation suggests a pattern previously seen within BBK’s smartphone ecosystem. In 2021, OnePlus also merged with Oppo in India, so several operational functions were made common. BBK Electronics, which housed brands such as Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus and Realme, deregistered in 2023 but continues to influence how these brands operate.
According to people tracking the changes, the reasoning behind the merger is largely financial. “For BBK, both brands operate under the same parent. The logic is simple — if the parent is one, why run fully separate operations? Instead of spinning off sub-brands as independent companies, keep them within the same umbrella structure, align operations and ideally the P&L. That’s how operational costs get optimised,” the report said, citing a source.
In India, the focus of the exercise is expected to remain on backend and operational roles, especially in employee-heavy areas such as after-sales service and offline distribution. Product development work between Oppo and Realme is already closely aligned, limiting the need for major changes on the R&D side.
“Brand identities and front-end marketing will remain separate, but backend resources will be shared for optimisation. The structure is expected to mirror the Vivo model. iQOO, for instance, was never spun off as a separate entity and continues to operate within Vivo,” the source added.
Oppo has reportedly started reorganising its India business by bringing Realme’s operations closer under its own management, a move that has already led to job cuts across select teams. The changes point to a big change underway within the company as it looks to simplify operations and manage costs in a market where smartphone competition has become increasingly intense.
People aware of the developments told Money Control that the restructuring has begun with internal teams that support sales and service functions. Employees in these areas have been informed about changes to reporting structures, while some roles are being phased out as Oppo works to remove duplication between the two brands. The process, according to report, is not a one-time exercise and is expected to expand to additional departments over time.
The decision to merge operations follows a global strategy to reposition Realme as a sub-brand rather than run it as a fully independent organisation. While this approach has already been implemented in China, the India rollout is expected to be slower and more measured due to ongoing legal matters involving Oppo, the report stated.
“In China, this has already been done. In India, it’s a bit different right now because there are ongoing legal issues involving Oppo. So, they can’t move as aggressively here but this will happen gradually and across functions,” a person close to the matter told Moneycontrol, requesting anonymity.
Even with a cautious approach, structural changes are already visible. Realme’s sales teams have been asked to align with the revised setup, while employees working in sales support and service network roles have been told to step down by April 30. This is something that India Today Tech independently verified and found to be true. Going forward, Oppo’s existing marketing and service infrastructure is expected to handle a larger share of the combined operations.
This change would be a symbolic return for Realme. The brand was introduced in 2018 as an Oppo-backed label and initially carried “By Oppo” branding on its first smartphone. Later that year, Realme was spun off as a separate brand with its own teams and strategy. Nearly eight years later, the brand is now being folded back into Oppo’s operational structure.
Neither Oppo nor Realme has issued a public response to queries from India Today Tech regarding the restructuring. We will update the article once we receive any statement from any of these tech companies.
A familiar strategy inside BBK’s playbook
The India consolidation suggests a pattern previously seen within BBK’s smartphone ecosystem. In 2021, OnePlus also merged with Oppo in India, so several operational functions were made common. BBK Electronics, which housed brands such as Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus and Realme, deregistered in 2023 but continues to influence how these brands operate.
According to people tracking the changes, the reasoning behind the merger is largely financial. “For BBK, both brands operate under the same parent. The logic is simple — if the parent is one, why run fully separate operations? Instead of spinning off sub-brands as independent companies, keep them within the same umbrella structure, align operations and ideally the P&L. That’s how operational costs get optimised,” the report said, citing a source.
In India, the focus of the exercise is expected to remain on backend and operational roles, especially in employee-heavy areas such as after-sales service and offline distribution. Product development work between Oppo and Realme is already closely aligned, limiting the need for major changes on the R&D side.
“Brand identities and front-end marketing will remain separate, but backend resources will be shared for optimisation. The structure is expected to mirror the Vivo model. iQOO, for instance, was never spun off as a separate entity and continues to operate within Vivo,” the source added.