They have a “total mobile.” His Oppo Find X9 Pro It’s a beast. A call to which we have given the highest rating of the year on our analysis table. After a time away from Europe, the Chinese manufacturer has returned. And in what way. Its presentation in Barcelona was quite a declaration of intent. A global launch event where we were also able to learn about the vision of its main managers in Europe and Spain.
Oppo has only two national rivals ahead of it in China, according to Counterpoint data. Huawei and Vivo, two large manufacturers that, fortunately for Oppo, do not currently have as much reach in Europe. Its great rival is Xiaomi, which in Spain has been ahead for years but this is not the case in China. Will Oppo be able to repeat the feat that Huawei achieved in its day of placing itself at the top of the top mobile manufacturers? It’s too early for that, but they do have a unique opportunity to achieve it.
Willing to break the current deck
“The European market is one of the most important strategic markets for Oppo abroad. We believe it is our largest growth space,” he explains. Elvis Zhou, CEO of Oppo Europein a group interview in which Xataka was present. “Young Europeans highly value photography and Oppo has always been very strong in this area. We are very confident.” They don’t say it just to say it; The Find X9 Pro really offers incredible photographic results. And that quality, almost unexpected, is precisely what can catapult them to the top.
“Our current market share in Europe, compared to our target, it still has a considerable gap. Secondly, Europe is the best high-end market in the world. And Oppo’s future development strategy focuses on the premiumization of the brand. Third, European users are very demanding about the product experience,” Zhou said.
The brand message is ambitious, somewhat also common in rivals like Honorbut they are aware that they are in a sweet moment. Zhou even dares to criticize the telephone sector itself: “before the emergence of AI, people felt that the smartphone industry was somewhat boring and monotonous, because the functional experience of the product had not changed revolutionaryly. But now that AI has entered mobile phones, we believe that AI can completely reshape the smartphone experience, and even include the entire ecosystem of services.”
“Before the emergence of AI, people felt that the smartphone industry was somewhat boring and monotonous”
“I think the smartphone industry can still bring surprises. Our investment in AI is huge. We have more than 6,000 patents related to AIwhich places us at the global leader,” explains the Oppo manager. “Young Europeans are very eager to see the changes that AI can bring to their lives when integrated into phones.”
This AI, however, is not an exclusive function of the premium range. As he did at the time Huawei with the P Smart rangeOppo knows that to conquer the Spanish market it needs the reindeer series. “Our Reno series, including our A series, will receive the new AI features,” confirms Zhou. Some AI functions that are offered for free, although the brand recognizes that “we do not know if the change in the user experience that AI brings could also cause changes in the industry profitability model. “This is still being explored.”
In this relationship between mobile manufacturers and AI companies there is a prominent player. “Our collaboration with Google has always been very pleasant. Our phones use the Android system and our cooperation with them is comprehensive; whether in products, marketing or customer service. I firmly believe that all cooperation must be beneficial for both parties“.
Oppo’s situation is not the same in Europe as in China. “We have two AI tracks: one specific to China and another for the global market. Outside of China we mostly use Google Geminiwhich is already thoroughly integrated into ColorOS (Settings, Notes, Recording, Documents and AI My Space). The collaboration with Google Gemini is very strong. In China, we use our own models and collaborate with other suppliers.”
Oppo’s approach is hybrid. “The capabilities of the phone itself will be very powerful in the future,” he explains. “Here each manufacturer has its approach. My personal opinion is that the best solution is to combine it, part in the cloud and part taking advantage of the power of the phone.” Of course, with the always necessary qualification of “putting the user’s privacy first.” Something for which they have worked with Google on the Privacy Computing Cloudwhere technically neither Oppo nor anyone else can access that processed data. A promise in line with the European regulation that they also keep in mind.
Manufacturing in Europe?
Without counting on the enormous government support that Huawei has, Oppo is a giant with more than 40,000 employees globally and established as an independent brand of the BBK group since 2023. The company has more than 65,000 patents and has a solid supply chain, also on European soil.
“We are not ruling it out (producing in Europe), but this decision must be left in the hands of our supply chain team”
“With Oppo’s global expansion and changes in the entire supply chain, we have nine manufacturing centers around the world,” says Zhou, who when asked if they plan to open a factory in Europe responds that “the establishment of a manufacturing center is quite complex; we have a professional supply chain team that carries out this evaluation and decision-making. Therefore, We do not rule out the future possibility of producing in Europedepending on changes in market demand and in our supply chain. We don’t rule it out. But this complex decision should probably be left to our supply chain team.”
Thanks to the fact that Oppo has warehouses in Europe, the new Find X9 Pro have been able maintain the same battery level as the Chinese variants. That is, a total of 7,500 mAh, which makes it the flagship with the most battery on the market. A milestone that they have been able to achieve precisely because they are rooted in European soil. It does not seem like something close that they are going to manufacture in Europe, but they are very aware of the logistical advantages of having their own presence in our territory.
Being clear about Spanish culture
He tells us about the Spanish market Kevin ChoCEO of Oppo Spain: “we are going to offer our consumers a complete range of prices across the entire spectrum, from 199 euros to 1,299 euros. The market is crying out for an alternativebut there are already many brands and many options, so we cannot be ‘just another alternative.'”
How do they intend to achieve it? Here’s how Cho describes it: “It’s all about localization. Starting with users. Going down to the channel: creating unique value propositions to be able to reach specific consumer groups through unique channels, in a way that resonates with them. And lastly—and most importantly—building a team. In the last six months we have filled key positions until we reached the front line —promoters and ambassadors—, all with local staff, who understand the culture and can communicate directly with our consumers. This way we can be a truly local, truly reliable brand; not just another distributor that sells products through the channel, but something that we can truly call local in Spain.”
“Spain is the gateway to Europe. Spanish consumers are the most open to foreign brands”
“There are many factors that justify our continued commitment to Spain. First, we are talking about one of our first countries of entry into Europe, so we have a very solid base. Second, Spanish consumers are among the most open to foreign brands and I think we have demonstrated this in the last five years with a fairly solid market share. But now they are asking for something different, something innovative, that truly connects and responds to the needs of consumers in photography, AI, battery, connectivity…”, explains Cho.
Since his arrival in Spain in 2018Oppo has come collaborating with the main operators of our country. Telefónica, Vodafone and Orange. Three telecoms that are named directly by the manufacturer and are proud to work together. Like any manufacturer that wants to attack the top of mobile telephony, they know that the free market is not enough and they need to have the direct support of the operators.
This full channel coveragewith simultaneous presence both in operators and in retail and neighborhood stores, was one of the keys that led Huawei to stand out even above such established brands as Samsung, Xiaomi or Apple. Oppo already has an excellent product catalog, it is time to aspire to eclipse the brands with the most ground in Spain.
And with an ace up his sleeve…
With the Oppo Find X9 Pro they have managed to find the key to what is required in a flagship. A truly round product. And they know it. Elvis Zhou boasts that “after the launch, we have listened to many media and customers, who have given us a very high rating. We have a lot of confidence in our products.” But it feels like they can still go one step further. “At that time, the growth of our market share will be natural.”
That step is abstract, but our questions are directed at the future flagship. to that Oppo Find X9 Ultra which has not even been confirmed for China but that the leaks they point that it will debut globally. It would be a very important change in strategy compared to previous years. And the demonstration that Oppo seriously aspires to be the top mobile phone in Europe. Zhou’s response to this? “As for our future product launch plans, we will share them with everyone at the right time. One thing is certain: our Find series will become the future growth engine for Oppo in Europe. Our product launch plan is very firm and continuous. Stay tuned“
The idea of presenting a device completely focused on AI is much further away. Zhou explains that “over the last decade, many smartphone companies have been looking for the ‘next big thing‘. There have been wearables, headphones and so on, but at Oppo we continue to think that smartphones will be the gateway to the best experience, including AI. Of course we explore other formats, but until one of them really takes off, we will continue betting on mobile“. Under their brand they have one of the best of the year.
Cover image | Elvis Zhou, CEO of OPPO Europe | Xataka
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