Oppo is a Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong. Its major product lines include smartphones, smart devices, audio devices, power banks, and other electronic products.
 Logo used since 2019 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Predecessor | BBK Electronics |
| Founded | 10 October 2004 |
| Founder | Tony Chen (陈明永) |
| Headquarters | , China |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Tony Chen (CEO) |
| Products | |
Number of employees | 40,000 |
| Subsidiaries | OnePlus Realme |
| Website | oppo |
| Oppo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 廣東歐珀移動通信有限公司 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd. | ||||||
| |||||||
It was overseen by BBK Electronics until 2023.[1]
History
The brand name "Oppo" was registered in China in 2001 and launched in 2004 by Tony Chen in Dongguan, China. In 2005, they introduced their first device internationally, the Oppo X3 MP3 player. [2] Since then, the company has expanded to over 50 countries and become a major player in electronic devices around world.[2]
In June 2016, Oppo became the largest smartphone manufacturer in China,[3] selling its phones at more than 200,000 retail outlets.[4] In 2018, Oppo Digital announced that they were discontinuing their disc player business in major markets, and focusing on mobile devices. Oppo was the top smartphone brand in China in 2019 and was ranked fifth in market share worldwide.[5]
In 2021, Oppo announced that they were acquiring OnePlus, a major phone manufacturer. This deal was extended in 2022, with OnePlus becoming one of Oppo's subsidiaries and sharing major components with Oppo phones, processors, screens, and even the phones themselves. OnePlus will also essentially serve as Oppo's US outlet with similar phones within the OnePlus brand.
Branding
The South Korean boy band 2PM prepared a song known as "Follow Your Soul" in a promotional deal with Oppo for launching its brand in Thailand in 2010.[6] In June 2015, the company signed an agreement with FC Barcelona to become a sponsor of the Spanish football club.[7][8][9]
In 2016, the Philippine Basketball Association tied up with this company as its official smartphone partner, starting at the 2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup.
Oppo hires celebrity endorsers in Vietnam. Sơn Tùng M-TP endorsed three smartphone units: Neo 5, Neo 7, and F1s. Oppo made a sponsorship to one of Vietnam's top-rated reality shows, The Face Vietnam.[10][11]
In 2017, Oppo won the bid to sponsor the India national cricket team, which allowed their logo to be used on the team's kits from 2017 to 2019.[12]
In 2019, Oppo became a sponsoring partner of the French Open tennis tournament held in Roland-Garros, Paris. The same year, they also became a sponsoring partner of Wimbledon Championships for 5 years as the first official smartphone partner.[13][3]
Starting with the 2019 World Championship, Oppo is the exclusive global smartphone partner for League of Legends esports through 2024, Oppo will have year-round activations centered around the sport’s three annual global tournaments: the Mid-Season Invitational, the All-Star Event, and the World Championship.[14]
Products
Smartphones
Headphones and amplifiers
Released in 2015, the HA-2, was a portable version of the HA-1 amp/DAC, which featured a battery pack option and a stitched leather casing. The phone played music in real-time to the HA-2 (via the included Android micro USB cable or iOS lightning cable, or USB cable if from PC). It also can be charged using an included "rapid charger" charging kit. The battery pack feature can only be used simultaneously while the HA-2 is used to play music if the playing (source) device is an Apple iOS device. In October 2016, an updated version was released with a new DAC chip and now named HA-2SE. Otherwise, it was the same as the HA-2.[citation needed]
Smartwatches
Oppo launched its first smartwatch, the OPPO Watch, on 6 March 2020 in the Chinese domestic market. The next year, they followed up with the OPPO Watch 2, then in 2022 with the Watch 3 Pro, and in 2024 with the Watch 4 Pro.[15]
Research and development
VOOC
VOOC (Voltage Open Loop Multi-step Constant-Current Charging) is a proprietary fast charging method unveiled in 2014 by Oppo. It is unique among fast charging methods in that both the cable and charger needed to utilize its potential are proprietary. It is primarily employed in brands of mobile products under the umbrella of its parent company BBK Electronics.[1][16][17] As of February 2023, VOOC implementation is exclusive to brands closely associated with Oppo.[1] Some Oppo devices support USB-PD chargers, however USB-PD devices can not fast charge from VOOC chargers.[18]
VOOC is implemented in other brands under the BBK Electronics umbrella. Although marketed under different names, the only difference lies in the name. For example, OnePlus calls it Warp [19][20] The interchangeability is not endorsed by the respective brands and cross operability may be voided anytime in the future.[1]
As of 2022[update], VOOC / SuperVOOC comes in a few variations:
- VOOC 2.0 (2015), same as the first version that was introduced in 2014, which operates at 5V/4A.
- SuperVOOC (2016), a successor of VOOC 2.0 with 10 V/5 A (50W). It charges a two-cell battery in series.[21] It is based on "low voltage pulse" charging that works in conjunction with a customized battery.[22]
- VOOC 3.0 (2019), Advertised as 23.8% faster than VOOC 2.0.[23] 5V/6A, also marketed as Warp Charge 30.[1]
- VOOC 4.0 (2019 Sep), a successor of VOOC 3.0, which operates at 5 V/6 A (30W).[24] It can charge the phone up to 67% in 30 minutes.
- SuperVOOC 2.0 (2020), 10V/6.5A. Alternate name: Warp Charge 65.[1]
- SuperVOOC 2.0 (2022), 11V/6-7.3A. Alternate names: Warp Charge 80 and SUPERVOOC Super Flash Charge [25] [26] For regions that use a voltage of 110V, including Taiwan, North America, and Latin America, the charging supports up to 66W. [27]
- 240W version of SuperVOOC (2022). 20V/12A. Announced at 2022 Mobile World Congress.[28] It is advertised as being able to charge 4,500mAh battery in 9 minutes.[29] It is implemented by Realme GT Neo5, which requires the use of bundled proprietary charger and proprietary USB-C cable to utilize the advertised charging rate. The power is delivered through the cable at 20V and converted to 10V inside the handset.[30]
HyperTone camera systems
In November 2023, at Paris Photo 2023, OPPO and Hasselblad revealed their collaboration to develop the next generation of HyperTone camera systems in 2024, focusing on aesthetics and computational photography. These cutting-edge systems will debut in upcoming Find series flagship smartphones, promising users an unparalleled mobile imaging experience. [31]
Controversies
Germany
In 2022, Finnish telecommunications equipment supplier Nokia filed a lawsuit accusing Oppo of using its technology patents without paying a license fee. In August, a German court halted sales of Oppo smartphones.[32]
India
Oppo has also faced challenges in India, a market it expanded into in 2014. In July 2022, the Indian government announced a fine of 43.8 billion rupees ($550 million at the time) against Oppo's local subsidiary for tax evasion.[32]
See also
- Oppo Digital, sharing the brand name with Oppo, is an independently operated division of Oppo that designs and markets audio and video equipment.
- Realme
- OnePlus
