Oppo Rising
I visit China a lot and for the past 1~2 years Xiaomi has been the hot smartphone brand there. Apple can complain all it wants about trade wars and exchange rates, but the Chinese will tell you that the iPhone is last year’s news and technology.
It’s now the Chinese New Year and that is when families all get together and network. China is like one big party line and word travels fast within families and between friends.
The news this Chinese New Year is that Oppo is the hot brand. They eliminate the display notch by popping up the forward facing camera. I saw and handled one. It was sleek and attractive and lightweight and had good balance. It had multiple SIM slots, which is pretty much a mandatory feature in China these days.
I don’t know a lot more about Oppo since they don’t target the US market. But I hear they are also very big in India. Hmmm, interesting, since India is the other big market Apple is struggling in.
Anyway, my friends tell me to keep an ear perked for Oppo. We may be oblivious to them in the US, but they have the ear of China. China seems to be leading the in smartphone trends these days.