OPPO Find X8 Series: A Five-Model Matrix Strategy Can It Sustainably Ignite the High-End Market?

OPPO Find X8 Series: A Five-Model Matrix Strategy Can It Sustainably Ignite the High-End Market?The launch of the OPPO Find X8 series marks a significant shift in the company's strategic focus. Unlike the "standard" and "Pro" dual-model strategy employed with the Find X7 series earlier in the year, the October 24, 2024 release of the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro is merely the beginning of an ambitious plan

OPPO Find X8 Series: A Five-Model Matrix Strategy Can It Sustainably Ignite the High-End Market?

The launch of the OPPO Find X8 series marks a significant shift in the company's strategic focus. Unlike the "standard" and "Pro" dual-model strategy employed with the Find X7 series earlier in the year, the October 24, 2024 release of the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro is merely the beginning of an ambitious plan. The subsequent expansion of the Find X8 series showcases OPPO's determination and ambition to conquer the high-end market. Underlying this is OPPO's keen observation of market trends and its adjustment of its product strategy.

Released in late 2024, the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 chipset and share the same main camera sensor. The Pro version boasts superior telephoto capabilities. Screen sizes are 6.59 inches and 6.78 inches respectively neither small nor excessively large, avoiding the extremes of the market. These two models achieved remarkable initial success, surpassing one million units in sales and significantly increasing social media engagement, laying a solid foundation for OPPO's subsequent strategic deployment. This success largely stems from accurately capturing consumer needs and successfully reshaping the Find X series' image in consumers' minds, shedding previous stereotypes. This has given OPPO a significant boost for its subsequent product line expansion.

However, OPPO's ambitions extend far beyond this. According to industry insider Digital Chat Station, OPPO plans to launch at least three more Find X8 series phones in the first half of 2025, further enriching the product line and covering a broader market. These three models are: the camera-focused Find X8 Ultra, the Find X8 S featuring the Dimensity 9400+, and the small-screen flagship Find X8 mini.

The Find X8 Ultra, the "Ultra" variant of the series, will be equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (likely referring to a top-tier variant, potentially the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy or a similar variant). It will undergo comprehensive upgrades, featuring a 2K resolution display with BOE's X2 light-emitting material for enhanced brightness and eye protection. The imaging system will also see significant improvements, with a main camera upgraded to a 1-inch large sensor, along with IMX906 and IMX882 periscope telephoto lenses, while retaining the 5000-megapixel ultrawide lens. It aims for new heights in imaging performance.

In stark contrast to the Find X8 Ultra is the Find X8 mini. This model focuses on lightweight design and a smaller screen, with a 6.3-inch display compared to the Find X8's 6.59 inches, offering improved grip and handling. Other aspects, such as performance, imaging, and battery life, remain largely consistent with the Find X8, targeting the small-screen flagship market.

The Find X8 S acts as a "refreshed" Find X8. While overall configuration is similar to the Find X8, its inclusion of the Dimensity 9400+ processor signifies a performance enhancement, demonstrating OPPO's exploration of different chip platforms to meet diverse user needs.

The five models in the OPPO Find X8 series target different market segments, avoiding a simple "sea of phones" strategy. The Find X8 mini targets the small-screen flagship market, the Find X8 Ultra focuses on extreme imaging performance, the Find X8 S offers enhanced performance, and the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro form the core of the series, targeting mainstream users. This multi-model strategy allows OPPO to reach a broader consumer base, increasing brand influence and market share.

vivo employs a similar multi-model strategy. The excellent sales of the vivo X100 series demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. The X100 series includes the balanced and lightweight X100, the straight-screen eye-protection X100S, the imaging flagship X100 Pro, and the all-around flagship X100 Ultra, successfully catering to diverse consumer needs. Data shows that the vivo X100 series has achieved impressive sales of 3.9 million units in China. While still lagging behind Xiaomi and Huawei's flagship series, it showcases the immense potential of the multi-model strategy.

OPPO's adoption of this "sea of phones" strategy is partly due to the market performance of the Find X7 series and shortcomings of ColorOS 14. The Find X7 series only launched a standard and Pro model, with a significant price gap leading to blurred market positioning, and issues with ColorOS 14's fluidity impacting user reviews. The success of the vivo X100 series undoubtedly provided significant inspiration for OPPO.

OPPO's "All in AI" strategy is also reflected at the product level. The Find X8 series incorporates features like Live Photo, a smaller, straighter screen, and the three retro film simulation filters (NC, CC, NN) popularized on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book). These youthful features have successfully attracted a large number of young users and increased social media buzz.

Looking ahead to 2025, OPPO will face even fiercer market competition. The emergence of strong competitors such as the vivo X200 series, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Huawei P80 series, and Honor Magic7 Ultra will pose significant challenges to the OPPO Find X8 series. To continue its 2024 success, OPPO needs to maintain its innovative approach and develop more attractive features to stay ahead in the intense competition.

In conclusion, the five-model matrix strategy of the OPPO Find X8 series represents a bold attempt in the high-end market. Whether this strategy can sustainably ignite the market ultimately depends on OPPO's ability to continuously innovate and meet the evolving needs of consumers. Future market performance will be crucial in determining the success or failure of this strategy. We will await developments in 2025.