Oppo looks to strengthen position in premium smartphone segment

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo is looking to strengthen its presence in the premium smartphone space globally as it expands its operations in the European market, a top company official has said.

The smartphone major unveiled here its flagship device 'FindX', priced at 999 euros (over Rs 78,000).

Oppo ranks among the top five players in the Indian smartphone market in terms of shipment.

FindX, which will compete with flagship devices from the stables of players like Apple, Samsung and Huawei, will be launched in the Indian market on July 12 and is expected to be available for sale from August.

Oppo will announce the India pricing closer to the launch of the smartphone in the country.

FindX also marks Oppo's entry into the European market.

Oppo, which at present operates in over 30 markets, including India, will enter the European market through operations in France, Italy, Spain and Netherlands.

"France, Italy, Spain and Netherlands are the first four pilot countries for our European entry. After establishing presence here..we will gradually go to other countries," Oppo vice president Anyi Jiang told reporters at the global launch of the device in Paris.

As per research firm IDC, Oppo ranked third with 7.4 percent share of India's smartphone shipments after Xiaomi (30.3 per cent) and Samsung (25.1 per cent) in the January-March 2018 quarter.

India is among the largest smartphone markets globally, and saw 30 million units being shipped in the first quarter of 2018.

Oppo has also tied up with sports car maker Lamborghini to launch a special edition smartphone at 1,699 euros for the 512 GB variant with Super VOOC charging technology. This device, however, will be launched only in China and Europe.