Oppo Tops Chinese Smartphone Market

Oppo topped China’s smartphone market for the first time during January, according to Counterpoint Research. The company stated the vendor’s sales grew 26 percent year-on-year.

Their market share stood at 21 percent during the month, followed by Vivo (20 percent), with Huawei, Apple and Xiaomi each on 16 per cent. OPPO’s sales grew 33% month-on-month.

“Oppo repositioned its line-up in 2020. The rebranding of the Reno series and launching a more capable device at a lower price point than its predecessor helped Oppo capture the affordable premium segment,“ said senior analyst Varun Mishra. He also noted strong momentum for Oppo’s mid-tier A series, which strengthened the product portfolio, with the vendor also “able to cater to the 5G demand in China across a wide price band“.

The research company said nearly a third of 5G devices sold in China in January were below the $300 mark. It said Oppo’s A72 5G had been the best-selling 5G handset in the segment since November 2020. Mishra noted Oppo began to gain ground as US sanctions on Huawei began to bite in August 2020. The vendor’s figures may also be impacted by the sale of its Honor brand in November 2020.