Oppo Becomes The Biggest Smartphone Maker In China, Beats Out Huawei & Vivo

China is one of the largest markets for smartphone makers. And Oppo has taken the spot of the leading smartphone maker in China as per the stats of January 2021 in a report by Counterpoint. The homegrown brand overthrew the giants like Huawei and Apple to become the leading manufacturer in China. Oppo’s closet rival, Vivo, also got left behind in the race to the top.

Given the huge size and diversity of the China market, it is commendable how Oppo managed to acquire a larger market share with its impressive 33% month-over-month growth. One of the reasons behind this abnormal growth of Oppo is Huawei’s continual doom after the US trade ban. Huawei’s loss turned into Oppo’s gain in China as it finally got the opportunity to march ahead.

This trend falls closely in line with what Xiaomi is experiencing in Europe. The brand rose to become one of the top players in the European market owing to Huawei’s decline.

Oppo’s Success Attributes To Huawei’s Decline

Counterpoint Research clearly shows the growth trend of Oppo positively impacted by Huawei’s slump. Not just the smartphone business, Oppo’s 5G offerings also witnessed high-power growth after Huawei suffered a loss for its HiSilicon chipsets. Oppo’s access to Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipsets like Snapdragon 888 propelled the brand to offer powerful alternatives for Huawei to consumers in China.

Oppo's Growth in China
Counterpoint Research

The Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research, Varun Mishra, credited Oppo’s growth to its diverse and impactful offering in the flagship and mid-range segments. Smartphones like the Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G have risen to become the affordable alternatives for flagships from premium brands like Huawei and Apple.

In a statement, Varun Mishra said:

The strong momentum of the A-series in the mid-segment strengthened the product portfolio for OPPO, and it was able to cater to the 5G demand in China across a wide price band. This was further helped by the decline of Huawei.

Varun Mishra, Counterpoint Research

Rebranding & Smart Positioning of Reno Series

Oppo smartly positioned its product offerings in 2020. The Reno series’s successful rebranding with budget price tags helped it capture a greater market share in China’s smartphone market. The latest phones launched in the Reno series are more affordable than the previous models.

Oppo X 2021 rollable phone
Oppo’s rollable phone

Not just the Reno series, Oppo also marched ahead of the technology curve with its upcoming smartphones featuring rollable displays. Although the rollable phone by Oppo is still far from a commercial release, a leaked hands-on video of the phone managed to grab the spotlight it deserved. The phone looked impressive in the video and piqued the interest of every smartphone enthusiast.

Oppo is also planning to launch some new flagships next week; we can expect the Oppo Find X3 smartphone making an official entry. The launch of a new 5G phone could further contribute to Oppo’s stellar growth in China.

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Zara Ali
Zara is a seasoned tech journalist with over 6 years of experience and expertise in producing content around consumer electronics, software, hardware, and more. She has worked with some of the leading tech publications like ExtremeTech, Wccftech, MakeTechEasier, MySmartPrice, and several others. When not writing about the latest in the world of tech, she likes to indulge in creating memes!