Once upon a time, Chinese people wanted to use good products, and only foreign brands were on the list. Although most people do not want to admit it, buying foreign brands has both face and inside. The vanity that is covered by foreign brands has been dominated for a long time.
In contrast to Chinese brands, "cheap and low-quality" is the label they carry all year round. But in recent years, things have changed.
From an open perspective, Li Ning went to the Paris show. BYD looked up to the praise of foreign leaders, and Huawei's communication technology once again broke the sky... The meaning of the word "national tide" has undergone a qualitative change. It is no longer limited to the fashion industry, but represents a phenomenal wave of Chinese brands across the globe.
It turns out that after several years of dormancy of Chinese brands, not only the quality is better, the price is affordable, the brand is high-end, but also the products and culture are brought overseas, and the chest of Chinese people is filled with pride.
To study the rise of Chinese brands, smart phones are a very typical industry. In the era of functional phones, Samsung, Nokia and Motorola took the initiative in the domestic market. Later, with the change of communication technology, Chinese brands seized the opportunity to grow side by side with the domestic supply chain. Huawei, OPPO and vivo and other brands emerged and gradually became the mainstream of the market. While tearing down the label of "low quality", Chinese brands gained more say in technology.
This "right to speak" is more obvious in the field of intellectual property. In December 2023, the patent dispute between OPPO and Nokia for many years reached a conclusion, and the Chongqing First Intermediate People's Court confirmed the global fair, reasonable and non discriminatory (FRAND) rate of Nokia's standard essential patent portfolio. This is the first global rate judgment made by the Chinese court, and also shows the international value of OPPO intellectual property.
There is no denying that the high-end seats in the global mobile phone market are no longer monopolized by oligarchs, and a pattern of three strong brands, Apple, Samsung and China, has been formed. Especially when OPPO showed stronger strength in the 5G era and became a representative enterprise showing China's scientific and technological strength, the influence of China's high-end mobile phones was further consolidated. So far, the competition in the global mobile phone market has returned to the original point: return to the technical basis and user demand, and make the best products.
High end mobile phones, based on technology
According to the latest report released by Counterpoint Research, the market sales of high-end smart phones in 2023 will increase by 6% year on year. The high-end mobile phone segment is the only part of the reverse growth of smart phones, and hitting the high-end "incremental" market has become the common choice of global smart phone brands.
As the representative of Chinese mobile phone brands, OPPO's high-end strategy on the product side is very clear: domestic dual flagship, overseas folding screen, no matter which one can not do without technical strength.
Technology is often a symbol of high-end. Although Samsung mobile phones are not popular in China, this company won 6248 patents in 2022, ranking first. Its position of technological innovation has never been questioned in the industry.
Coincidentally, according to third-party statistics, OPPO's number of intellectual property patents has ranked second among domestic mobile phone manufacturers for many consecutive years, while Huawei ranks first. In the 5G field, OPPO's strength is far underestimated - in the October report of the patent data statistics platform LexisNexis IPlytics, OPPO ranked eighth globally.
However, technology investment can not directly make the public feel, and only when the technology is put into practical application can it cause the intuitive perception of users. In the smart phone industry, Huawei pioneered satellite communications and achieved a leap from zero to one.
On the latest Find X7 Ultra satellite communication version, OPPO takes it a step further and solves the "last mile" problem of satellite communication. Generally speaking, the use scenarios of satellite communication are very special. The first is urgent needs, the second is harsh environmental conditions, and the third is the need for continuous communication. OPPOFind X7 Ultra satellite communication version can use earphone and handsfree dual modes, instead of just earphone mode, or satellite signal disconnection caused by earphone mode. The support behind it comes from OPPO's achievements in communication technology: satellite antenna pattern control technology.
This is a key technology that can save lives at special moments, and it is also the "breaking point" for high-end mobile phones to perform dissimilation on business trips.
Another function of high-end mobile phones is video.
The year 2023 is called OPPO's image big year in the industry. From the Find X6 series to the folding screen Find N3 series, OPPO's hyperlight engine is consistent, introducing the concept of computing light and shadow into the industry, and promoting the technological innovation and development of the mobile phone industry.
If the success of Huawei's night scene has opened the competition for the dark light ability of mobile phone images, then the super light image engine of OPPO Find X7 series has opened a new page for the combination of software and hardware of industry computing light and shadow. For the first time, users can clearly see the correct light shadow relationship on the mobile phone screen, and feel the multi-dimensional reality from the two-dimensional picture.
In fact, this technology landing of OPPO is also in line with the current trend of AI application. Some analysts pointed out that the generalization and implementation of AI and big models will completely subvert the development path of smart phone, MR, AIGC and other industries. All of you are the witnesses of this change.
Therefore, we can see that large models have sprung up in various product carriers. OPPO has even produced a 7 billion parameter model, which has realized the landing of the mobile phone end - the end cloud integrated end side model has a very rich imagination space. At present, OPPO has applied it to functions such as the small cloth assistant, AI call summary and image AIGC elimination.
With the further growth of the big model, there are more application possibilities for the future end cloud integration. The foundation of all this comes from the trend of differentiation and personalization of high-end products.
The background of the brand is technology. With the potential energy of technical force, Chinese brands such as OPPO can leverage consumers' perception of high-end brands at home and abroad. In the Indonesian market, OPPO's flagship mobile phone recognition has surpassed Samsung, which is an opportunity for the rise of Chinese brands.
Global layout, looking into the future
A fact that needs to be clarified urgently is that the global smartphone market is still in a negative growth stage. TechInsight data report shows that in Q3 of 2023, the global smartphone shipments will be 296 million, down 0.3% year on year. In order to find new growth points, every enterprise has made every effort.
On the one hand, the domestic mobile phone market is already a red sea, and it is a necessary way to expand the business territory overseas. In fact, the global layout of Chinese enterprises is not new. Huawei, Ali and OPPO are among the top Chinese enterprises going to sea all the year round.
Huawei's global influence is needless to say. OPPO also has considerable scale in global operation. From Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Africa, to Europe and other places, OPPO's business has spread to more than 60 countries and regions around the world.
Relying on its own innovation strength, OPPO has won an excellent reputation in the world. What few people know is that the first 5G commercial terminal in Europe comes from OPPO, and OPPO is a big seller in Southeast Asia.
IDC data shows that OPPO will surpass Samsung with 18.3% market share in the Southeast Asia mobile phone market in Q3 2023, ranking first. In the market segment, OPPO ranked first in Cambodia with a market share of 31%, while Indonesia ranked first with a market share of 20%.
You should know that Samsung, as the largest mobile phone giant in the world in terms of sales volume, has long held the top position in the Southeast Asian market, and almost all its peers have avoided its edge. OPPO is one of the few Chinese brands that can directly compete with Samsung abroad.
In China, Huawei and OPPO are Apple's most direct competitors. IDC data shows that Q3 OPPO will surpass Apple in 2023, ranking second with a market share of 16.2%, and Apple will rank third. Consumer electronics also cannot be separated from the most basic consumption logic. With the rise of the "national trend", people seem to have become accustomed to Chinese enterprises going overseas, and begin to disenchante foreign brands entering China.
Get out of the oligopoly dilemma
We are lucky to be born in this era.
China's consumer market has undergone many reshuffles, and the strong still stand. Consumers gradually break the inherent impression of foreign brands and choose more domestic brands, which is the progress of the domestic business environment.
In particular, in the mobile phone market, we now have not only Apple, but also Huawei, OPPO and other domestic manufacturers who are deeply involved in technology. This market has bred the world's richest form of technology products. Whether it is to help you improve your sense of happiness in life or enhance your social cohesion, the rise of domestic technology has changed your and my views on consumer goods. The high-end and high-quality brands are the only way to make progress in China.
Nowadays, domestic mobile phones are going out of the cognitive dilemma, and the high-end is no longer an oligopoly game.
We don't lack flagship mobile phones, but an enterprise that can take products seriously and produce good products for a long time. OPPO's philosophy of investment, continuous innovation and healthy operation is the most important core for Chinese enterprises to face uncertain factors.
