Oppo recently held a global launch of the new Find X8 and Find X8 Pro in Bali, Indonesia in an effort to strengthen its market share outside of China.
The launch comes after a two-year hiatus for Oppo's flagship device outside mainland China, as the company looks to challenge Apple and Samsung Electronics in the premium segment.
“Retail network and brand are the core of overseas competition for flagship products, and we have made significant progress in the past two years, giving us confidence in the success of Find X8,” the South China Morning Post (SCMP) quoted Oppo’s overseas marketing director, Elvis Zhou, as saying.
The previous two generations of Find X were only released in mainland China as Oppo focused its overseas marketing on the Find N series of foldable phones.
The Find X8 series features Oppo's latest artificial intelligence (AI) features in photography, such as removing reflections when taking photos in front of windows and removing unwanted objects.
Deeply collaborating with Google, the Find X8 Series is equipped with unique features such as circle to search and Gemini App, allowing users to interact with the device more intelligently and efficiently, turning the device into a smart assistant, improving the quality of daily life.
Boosting overseas sales is also a strategy for many Chinese phone companies. Three-quarters of Xiaomi's best-selling smartphones come from outside mainland China.
Vivo's overseas sales account for half of the company's smartphone sales. Honor also gets about a third of its sales from international markets.
In Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s most populous country, Oppo has rolled out a series of localized initiatives to attract consumers. An Oppo-themed cafe sits at the center of its experience store in one of Jakarta’s most upscale shopping malls, surrounded by bookshelves lining the walls. The cafe aims to entice customers to sit and sip drinks while sampling Oppo products from display tables.
The company has also built its second-largest overseas factory in Indonesia, which produces all the smartphones it sells in the country, including the Find X8.
“The Indonesian market is our fastest growing overseas market with unquestionable scale and diversity,” said Oppo Vice President Billy Zhang.
“We have established very comprehensive capabilities in sales, marketing and manufacturing in this market. Here, we are just an Indonesian brand, not some international brand,” Mr. Zhang added.
Oppo's efforts have paid off in the country. According to IDC, it was the largest smartphone vendor in Indonesia in the third quarter of 2024 with 19% market share, ahead of Transsion and Samsung.
In terms of smartphone market share across Southeast Asia, Oppo accounted for 18.1% last quarter, surpassing Samsung (18%), according to IDC. Transsion, Xiaomi and Vivo followed with 17%, 14.9% and 9.8%, respectively.
Europe is another big market for Oppo. The company said it plans to significantly increase its efforts in the high-end market there after settling patent disputes with Finnish electronics giant Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson. The new Find X8 will also be available in major countries in Western Europe, the company said.
According to Counterpoint data, the European smartphone market is currently dominated by Samsung and Apple, accounting for 32% and 24% of sales respectively in Q2 2024.
