The great smartphone illusion: rivals in name, same family in reality

DECODED: TECH, TRUTH, AND THREATS

By Art Samaniego

When you walk into any SM Cyberzone or browse an online gadget store, you might think you’re spoiled for choice. There’s realme, OnePlus, vivo, OPPO, iQOO, POCO, Xiaomi, and even HONOR and Huawei, all seemingly distinct brands, each promising something new, different, and cutting-edge.

But peel back the slick marketing and sleek logos, and you’ll discover something the industry doesn’t want you to dwell on too much: many of these so-called rival brands are actually part of the same extended family.

Start with realme, a brand that quickly rose to fame by delivering flagship-level features at midrange prices. Though now presented as an independent brand, Realme’s deep roots in OPPO are hard to miss.

Originally launched in 2018 as an OPPO sub-brand, Realme still shares extensive operational ties with its former parent, from R&D and manufacturing to software integration. While it is formally considered a separate entity today, the connection to OPPO remains tightly woven into its DNA, blurring the lines between independence and collaboration.

Following the quiet corporate restructuring of BBK Electronics in 2023, which once loosely grouped realme with OPPO, vivo, OnePlus, and iQOO, these brands have begun operating more independently.

However, the operational ties between them remain notably strong. The result is a lingering ecosystem of collaboration that continues to blur the lines between rivalry and alliance.

The illusion of competition is brilliant. Each brand targets a specific segment, realme chases value hunters, OnePlus appeals to enthusiasts, vivo plays to selfie-loving style seekers, and iQOO draws in gamers. OPPO often positions itself as the more refined, flagship-tier player. But in reality, these brands share technology, designs, factories, R&D, and even charging standards. VOOC charging, for instance, was developed by OPPO but appears across realme (as Dart Charge), OnePlus (as Warp Charge), and vivo (as Flash Charge), all using the same core tech.

Even the operating systems aren’t as distinct as they seem. ColorOS powers both OPPO and realme, while OnePlus, once proud of its OxygenOS, has merged much of its software development with OPPO. vivo’s Funtouch OS, too, doesn’t stray far.

Under the hood, these brands use nearly identical foundations, customizing only the user interface to create the illusion of difference.

Design similarities are often impossible to ignore. Camera modules, chassis silhouettes, display specs, and color options frequently mirror each other across brands. A “new” phone launch from one brand can often be traced back to a previously released model from its sister company, repackaged with a new name, a tweaked camera, and fresh marketing.

The shared DNA doesn’t stop at hardware and software. These brands also collaborate in joint ventures focused on AI development, imaging systems, and chip design. OPPO’s MariSilicon X imaging NPU, for example, benefits not just OPPO but potentially its sister brands as well.

They share supply chains, manufacturing facilities, and even vendor relationships—maximizing profits while minimizing costs.

Consumers, understandably, aren’t always aware of this incestuous ecosystem. They think they’re making distinct choices between different players. In truth, they’re often just choosing between cousins from the same tech dynasty.

A similar strategy plays out at Xiaomi, with POCO and Redmi operating as sub-brands that use the same MIUI software base (now evolving into HyperOS), the same chipsets, and the same factories. POCO may act like an edgy, performance-first disruptor, but many of its devices are rebadged Redmi phones with minor tweaks.

It’s segmentation by branding, not by innovation. Just like BBK did, Xiaomi has mastered the art of multiplying its market presence without multiplying its internal competition.

Then there’s the curious case of Huawei and HONOR, which bucks the trend. For years, HONOR was Huawei’s answer to Xiaomi’s budget dominance, a younger, hipper sub-brand that offered lower-cost phones using Huawei’s Kirin chips, EMUI software, and industrial design. But geopolitics intervened.

In 2019, Huawei was blacklisted by the U.S. government, cutting off its access to Google Mobile Services, Qualcomm processors, and key technologies that were essential for competing globally.

To save at least part of its consumer business, Huawei made a bold move: it sold HONOR in 2020 to a consortium of Chinese investors, effectively severing all legal and operational ties. That allowed HONOR to relaunch as a fully independent brand—no longer bound by the sanctions that cripple Huawei’s global ambitions.

Since then, HONOR has struck deals with Qualcomm, Sony, and Google, regaining access to the components and services that Huawei lost. It is now truly on its own. Unlike realme and OnePlus, or POCO and Xiaomi, HONOR is no longer a sibling—it’s a survivor.

However, while HONOR is legally independent, its ownership by state-backed entities has raised questions about true autonomy.

So why does this matter?

Because it’s actually a remarkable feat of modern business. What may look like overlapping offerings from rival brands is, in fact, a sophisticated strategy—one that allows companies to serve every kind of user, at every price point, without starting from scratch each time. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they’re fine-tuning it for different roads, and that benefits all of us.

This interconnected approach means innovations like high-refresh-rate displays, advanced camera systems, and ultra-fast charging reach more users, faster and at lower cost.

Shared infrastructure and resources enable quicker product development and more reliable performance across brands. It’s efficiency on a global scale, and when done right, it delivers real value to consumers.

So the next time you’re choosing between a realme, an OPPO, or a OnePlus, think of it not as picking sides in a tech war, but as selecting from a well-coordinated lineup where each player brings something slightly different to the table.

It’s not deception, it’s diversification. And in today’s competitive market, that’s not just an innovative business; it’s a win for everyone.

Because in the world of tech, few things are more powerful than a family working together behind the scenes to push the industry forward.