OnePlus appointed new manager for the most important region

Chinese smartphone giant OnePlus is undergoing a significant leadership change in its India operations. The company re-appointed Robin Liu, who has been the head of sales at OnePlus India for a long time, as CEO. This change coincided with the resignation of Lincle Peng and the departure of other senior executives. Former offline business head Samrudh Pai and sales director Ranjeet Singh are among those who have left the company. Singh was appointed head of the online sales channel.

OnePlus India is making this leadership change at a challenging time. The company is going through difficult times due to tensions with its offline retailers. In April, major retail chains in India stopped selling OnePlus phones, citing reasons such as low profit margins, delayed payment of claims and product packaging policies. South India Organized Retailers Association (ORA) accused OnePlus of prioritizing online channels and not offering a strong distribution network to traditional retail stores.

This dissatisfaction has also spread to retailers in North India. OnePlus allegedly shifted stock from offline channels to online wholesalers, disrupting sales cycles and tax collection. Although OnePlus claims to have resolved most claims, ORA members report that 10-20% of claims are still unresolved, which is why purchases have stalled since April.

The appointment of a Chinese executive to head India operations runs counter to the Indian government’s efforts to promote local talent in leading positions. This decision could raise further questions about OnePlus’ commitment to the Indian market and its long-term offline retail strategy.

OnePlus is holding an event in Milan on July 16 where it will introduce the Nord 4 smartphone. It is said that Nord 4 is a rebranded version of the OnePlus Ace 3V sold only in the Chinese market and will have features such as metal design, 120Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chip and 50MP main camera. Additionally, OnePlus Watch 2R (the international version of Watch 2) and OnePlus Buds Pro 3 are also expected to be introduced.