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OnePlus is Dead… (In the US)

So much happened this week! First, Marques, Andrew, and David talk about everything from the new pickle emoji to OnePlus shutting down operations in the U.S. Then they get into all of the Pixel 11 color and pricing leaks before talking…

Marques BrownleehostAndrew Manganellihost

Jul 17, 20261h 42mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Marques’ secret New Year’s resolution: learning to juggle
The episode cold-opens with Marques revealing he’s spent months practicing juggling, surprising the rest of the crew. He explains what he can juggle reliably and sets up a quick demo before the official show intro.
- •Marques shares he chose juggling as a New Year’s resolution and bought three juggling balls
- •He’s practiced daily for about six months and feels “pretty good” with similarly sized objects
- •The others react with disbelief that they didn’t know about it
- •Marques tees up a demonstration
“Did they even test this?”: Gboard’s accidental sloth-sticker problem
The hosts kick off their recurring segment with Andrew’s oddly specific complaint about Gboard. He describes repeatedly hitting the emoji/sticker button by accident and unintentionally inserting sloth stickers in messages—including an HR email.
- •Andrew keeps accidentally opening emoji/sticker menus while typing comma-space
- •He frequently inserts sloth stickers by mistake and describes an especially bad email moment
- •Marques says he uses sloth stickers intentionally and praises them
- •The group riffs on blobs vs sloths and how people communicate now
Nine new emojis (including the pickle) and a debate about who still uses emojis
The crew discusses a Substack post previewing new emojis and walks through the list, including reactions to the designs. The conversation turns into a generational argument about whether younger people still use emojis and what counts as “the right” emoji.
- •A speaker references Jennifer Daniel (Unicode Emoji Subcommittee chair) and her early emoji previews
- •They run through examples like monarch butterfly, bug-catching net, meteor, “this guy” thumbs, cracking face, lighthouse, pickle, and an eraser/soap confusion
- •Discussion that platform vendors may render emojis differently
- •They argue about whether younger generations use emojis, voice notes, FaceTime, or other styles
- •Office joke about using skull-and-crossbones instead of the skull and getting corrected by younger coworkers
Google Play must host third-party app stores: Epic trial fallout and what changes next week
The show shifts to Google’s upcoming requirement to carry third-party app stores inside the Play Store. They recap the Google vs Epic case and a reported behind-the-scenes settlement attempt, then speculate on what it means in practice for distribution and fees.
- •Google is described as beginning to carry third-party app stores inside Google Play starting next Wednesday
- •A speaker recaps the Google vs Epic trial and the remedy requirements, including app store availability and catalog expectations
- •They discuss a reported attempted settlement involving Epic buying Google services and the judge’s concerns
- •Speculation about which stores could appear and how this might impact Google’s commission structure
- •They compare Play Store’s default status to downloading other browsers from a default browser
OnePlus shutting down in the US/Europe: cancellations, ColorOS return, and what went wrong with carriers
Marques announces the core news: OnePlus is shutting down operations in the US, North America, and Europe, while continuing in Asia and India. The team reflects on OnePlus’s history, the OxygenOS-to-ColorOS transition, and why the US carrier market made long-term success unlikely.
- •Marques says OnePlus is ending operations in the US/North America/Europe, after device cancellations
- •They note OnePlus continues in Asia and India and is still popular there
- •Discussion of OnePlus’s software identity shift: OxygenOS vs ColorOS and the rebrand confusion
- •Marques reflects on OnePlus as an enthusiast disruptor that eventually lost its edge
- •Extended take on why OnePlus and US carriers weren’t a good fit, including subsidies and incentive structures
- •They describe US carrier sales dominance by Apple and Samsung and how that squeezes smaller brands
Marques’ top three OnePlus phones and the era that defined the brand
With OnePlus effectively exiting their region, Marques lists his favorite OnePlus phones of all time and explains why each mattered. The group discusses design trends like pop-up selfie cameras, early high refresh-rate displays, and usability drawbacks like ghost touches on curved edges.
- •Marques ranks his top three OnePlus phones: OnePlus 15, OnePlus One, and OnePlus 7 Pro-era devices
- •He highlights battery life, performance, and minimal bloat as peak OnePlus traits
- •Nostalgia for invite-era hype and the sandstone/white OnePlus One variants
- •Discussion of 90Hz displays, near edge-to-edge fronts, and pop-up selfie cameras
- •They mention usability issues like ghost touches and waterfall-like edges
- •Marques recounts recommending a OnePlus phone to his dad and the frustration when the OS experience changed
Pixel 11 leaks: confusing color names, shiny rails, and big price jumps
The team reacts to a wave of Pixel 11 leaks—especially the tangled color naming across listings and rumored variants. They then turn to the more contentious part: leaked specs and prices, questioning value and what would justify upgrades this year.
- •They discuss an accidental Amazon listing as the source and why it may be unreliable or mislabeled
- •Andrew lays out leaked colors with multiple possible names for Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro variants
- •Debate over bold vs muted colors and why “Pro” models often get less interesting finishes
- •Marques complains about glossy rails on Pros versus matte rails on non-Pros
- •Leaked pricing is criticized: higher starting prices and tier jumps across models
- •They question whether rumored changes (like selfie camera differences) make upgrades feel worse
Samsung ‘Flex Titanium’ foldable display: stiffness, crease reduction, and durability hopes
The discussion moves to Samsung’s reported new foldable display support material. They explore what replacing plastic backing with a titanium alloy film could change: crease appearance, crack resistance over time, and potential brightness/efficiency benefits due to fewer layers.
- •A speaker describes Samsung replacing a polymer support stack with a titanium alloy film under the OLED
- •Claimed benefit: much higher mechanical stiffness than the previous material
- •They connect it to reducing crease visibility compared to other foldables they’ve seen
- •Concern that foldable creases can crack after a year-plus; they hope this addresses it
- •They mention fewer reinforcement layers could mean less diffusion and potentially lower power needed for brightness
- •They tease that upcoming episodes will likely cover more foldable details soon
Apple sues OpenAI over alleged trade secrets: show-and-tell interviews and security evasion claims
After the sponsor break, the show dives into reports that Apple is suing OpenAI for alleged trade secret theft. They recount alleged behaviors described in coverage, debate the gray area between hiring expertise vs taking confidential materials, and note OpenAI’s public denial.
- •Andrew says Apple is suing OpenAI over alleged trade secrets and describes the allegations as widely covered
- •They discuss claims that interviewees were encouraged to bring unreleased parts to interviews for “show-and-tell” sessions
- •They mention alleged use of code names and internal documents to bypass security procedures
- •Conversation about hiring from Apple being a common startup pitch versus crossing legal/ethical lines
- •They discuss non-competes being curtailed and how knowledge vs secrets can blur in practice
- •OpenAI’s stated response is mentioned: saying it has seen no evidence supporting Apple’s claims
OpenAI’s rumored first hardware: a movable screenless AI companion with sensors (and the ‘next big thing’ problem)
The crew examines a report about OpenAI building a screenless, moveable home device described as an AI companion. They question the implications of a camera and always-listening behavior, then broaden into why it’s so hard to build a post-smartphone device without depending on the iPhone ecosystem.
- •A speaker summarizes a report of a movable, screenless smart-speaker-like AI companion for the home
- •It’s described as controlling smart home devices, playing media, responding to messages, and using ChatGPT capabilities
- •They react negatively to it becoming more “personalized” and “proactive,” especially with cameras/sensors
- •They say OpenAI is reportedly working on multiple hardware devices and speculate about what types might exist
- •They analyze the core challenge: doing messaging and everyday communication without being dependent on the iPhone
- •They reference the broader industry search for “the next big thing” beyond the smartphone
Meta’s always-on recording glasses rumor: metadata claims, trust issues, and inevitable bans
The team reacts sharply to reports that Meta wants glasses that continuously capture audio and frequent images for later AI queries. They unpack the company’s reported framing around metadata, question how that would work, and argue this trend undermines privacy and will lead to bans in many spaces.
- •Marques introduces a rumor that Meta wants glasses constantly recording audio and snapping photos for Meta AI recall
- •They discuss Meta’s claim that raw footage wouldn’t be stored or accessible, only extracted metadata uploaded for querying
- •They question what “metadata” would mean in this context and whether training would still occur
- •They predict trust and acceptability issues and discuss bans in sensitive areas and everyday venues
- •They note the growing difficulty of distinguishing smart glasses as more companies enter the category
- •They connect the issue to broader concerns about hidden recording versus visible, intentional phone use
Show & Tell: desk items, subway tech, and writing tools the hosts are enjoying
After another sponsor break, the crew runs a casual “Show & Tell” segment inspired by another podcast. They share personal favorites ranging from sports cards to retro gaming, a phone-mounted e-reader, and minimalist writing software.
- •A speaker introduces the “Show & Tell” game concept and frames it as sharing recent favorites
- •One host shows a set of identical rookie cards kept on a desk
- •Marques shares modding a Nintendo 3DS XL, including a larger replacement battery and homebrew setup
- •A speaker shows a thin e-reader designed to attach to the back of a phone via a MagSafe ring
- •They recommend Typora as a distraction-reducing writing app with markdown support and a one-time purchase option
- •They briefly joke again about “trade secrets” in the context of show-and-tell
Recommendations: a hyper-specific podcast mystery and an audiobook people can’t stop praising
The segment continues with media recommendations. Andrew recommends a podcast about being fired for having “dead eyes,” and another host praises an audiobook series, highlighting production quality and why it’s caught attention recently.
- •Andrew recommends the podcast “Dead Eyes,” describing its premise and why it’s compelling over multiple episodes
- •They discuss hoping the host ultimately confronts Tom Hanks directly in the story
- •Another host recommends the audiobook “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” praising its performance and sound design
- •They note it’s exclusive to Audible and mention it’s part of a longer series
- •Brief discussion of why the concept sounds silly but works in execution
Trivia answers and season scores: Muji, Google Clips, and the final tally before the next game show
The episode wraps by revealing the trivia answers teased earlier and updating the standings. They close with jokes about trade secrets, tease the upcoming trivia-focused episodes, and do the standard outro credits.
- •They reveal Pete Lau’s quote referenced Muji as the model for OnePlus’s aspirations
- •They identify Google’s 2017 always-on AI camera as Google Clips
- •They read out the current trivia totals: David 35, Marques 32, Andrew 28
- •They tease upcoming Trivia Extravaganza episodes and joke about commenters sharing “trade secrets”
- •Outro includes production credits and a final aside about the short-lived “prompt engineer” job hype

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