OPPO has released exactly zero flagship smartphones for like four years.
Instead, they were completely focused on
mid-range, 'selfie' smartphones it seems.
But now, all of a sudden they released the OPPO Find X.
Which is probably the most over-the-top,
crazy flagship smartphone that not just OPPO,
but basically any other company has released for
years.
The most expensive version of this costs
1700 euros.
Seems crazy, seems very much unlike what OPPO did until now,
so let me explain what's going on.
Okay, two disclaimers here:
One, I used to work for OPPO, so I obviously have a.. sort of
soft spot in my heart for them.
I think this is the most misunderstood phone company by geeks.
And the second thing is that
I'm just too pumped to get this video out to make any
fancy animations or graphics.
So... not on this video.
So I think there are no real doubts about the OPPO Find X being absolutely crazy, right?
There's basically no bezels, which is crazy.
OPPO actually folded the bottom of the screen under itself,
like Apple did with the iPhone X, which is pretty crazy.
The motorised camera pop-up thing is just.. all-out crazy.
And the premium model actually charges with
50 watts,
which is 2 and a half times as fast as even the fastest
fast chargers on the market today.
And you've guessed it... that is crazy.
So this tech is called Super VOOC. I demoed it myself,
but two years ago at MWC, when it was still a prototype,
and seeing it come to an actual device is...
is just fantastic.
Now I think that, other than Super VOOC maybe,
All the other crazy stuff isn't all that practical and useful
and I don't think the average consumer should really spend a thousand euros or more
for a device that you could probably not even put a case on,
but that is kind of not the point of this phone.
I mean sure, OPPO would like to sell a few of these Find Xs,
but I think sales figures are not the most important part of the story.
To understand the Find X,
we really have to pay attention to two things:
The timing / location of the event,
and the history of the OPPO Find series.
The Find 5 and the Find 7 were the two innovative smartphones
that actually put OPPO on the map as a high tech company, right?
They introduced things like a full HD screen to the smartphone market,
or a notification light that had over 3000 individual LEDs,
and the world's first fast charger in a smartphone back in 2014,
and other things that we now take for granted.
I mean just a quick reminder:
Dash Charge, which OnePlus geeks are still drooling over
in 2018,
is actually OPPO technology from 2014 from the Find 7.
That's what they called VOOC back then.
And after two years of impressive tech innovation the Find series simply
disappeared, because I think these were brand building devices.
And once OPPO was seen as a legit company, and the markets that were important to them,
they could move on to money makers:
the R series, the F series, which are much safer designs where OPPO
could sell them in large quantities,
but still, with reasonable profits.
Which brings us to the Find X and once again
OPPO was trying to introduce itself to a whole new group of people:
Europe
They launched this phone in Paris in the Louvre under that glass pyramid thing.
And sure, OPPO has been to Europe before kind of,
but never really seriously.
They never had offices here, they didn't go through carriers,
No big retail-partners, nothing.
But this time, they're doing all of it:
Offices, retailers, distribution, all of it.
In a month or two from now, I would be surprised if
half of Europe wasn't painted green with OPPO advertisements.
And OPPO wants the crazy, over-the-top Find X to be the first thing an entire continent will remember it by.
It's like them giving a name card to the average Western consumer and saying:
'Hey! I'm OPPO, I do crazy things. I'm really innovative and I charge a lot of money for my devices. Nice to meet you!'
And here's the thing:
I think deep down, OPPO still just wants to sell Western consumers either
generic, mid-range phones like they do in Asia or
just less crazy, flagship phones. Because they've proven that that's a good business.
But, they actually want to charge premium prices for those,
just like they do in Asia.
And in order to justify those prices,
similar ones to those of Samsung and Apple,
they first have to prove themselves as a premium company.
And that's what the Find X does.
And look, I know that many tech enthusiasts aren't big fans of OPPO,
because they think their devices are overpriced,
but here's the thing:
I think OPPO doesn't really care because OPPO, at its core
isn't a brand for enthusiasts,
even if every now and then they release a phone like the Find X.
OPPO, in my opinion is a brand for people who like fashion,
who like designer bags or expensive cars.
There's a reason why there's a Lamborghini logo on the
back of one of the more expensive models.
And I think with the Find X,
OPPO has once again proven that they are incredibly good at
reaching this audience.
OK, so that's basically my theory on the OPPO Find X.
There is a Twitter poll in the description below,
so go there, and let me know what you think about this strategy.
While you add it,
be sure to follow me on my social media channels,
'cause that's where I hang out.
Be sure to binge watch my previous episodes because
they're all still relevant.
And also, be sure to subscribe for future ones,
because I have something very exciting coming up,
so.. I gotta go and edit that right now.
All right, see in the next one!