How to view Huawei's return? Liu Zuohu: Not overly anxious, OPPO promotes new business people

Cui Yuxian/WenHuawei's return is like a shock wave, stirring up the entire mobile phone market. How should other mobile phone manufacturers respond at this time? This seems to be a topic that all mobile phone manufacturers need to consider, and OPPO is no exception

Cui Yuxian/Wen

Huawei's return is like a shock wave, stirring up the entire mobile phone market. How should other mobile phone manufacturers respond at this time? This seems to be a topic that all mobile phone manufacturers need to consider, and OPPO is no exception. After the launch of the new generation folding flagship machine OPPOFindN3 on October 19th, OPPO Chief Product Officer Liu Zuohu admitted in an interview with media such as NetEase Technology that he had already discussed this topic with the team.

For OPPO, which has been established for nearly 20 years and has seen various storms, Huawei's return has actually made OPPO more indifferent. We firmly believe that we must return to the origin of things, and only good products are the best way to cross the cycle, "Liu Zuohu said.

OPPOFindN3 is the "good product" mentioned by Liu Zuohu, a brand new folding screen flagship that can rival or even surpass the straightboard machine. OPPO positions it as the most high-end folding screen, with typical users being new business people. What is a user profile of new business people? What adjustments and changes have FindN3 made to this? Liu Zuohu answered one by one in the interview.

Huawei Returns, Liu Zuohu: Don't Overanxious

The Huawei Mate60 series officially announced the return of Huawei smartphones. What impact will Huawei's return have on the market? This is not only a hot topic of media attention, but also a challenge that other mobile phone manufacturers need to face. However, Liu Zuohu looked very calm.

It is very normal for Huawei to return and everyone is thinking. I have also talked to the team about this topic. OPPO has been established for almost 20 years and has seen too many storms. When functional machines turn to smartphones, it is a battle of life and death. After seeing so many storms, we become even more indifferent. "Liu Zuohu admitted, We have summarized internally that we still need to return to the origin of things and produce good products. Although you have heard the cocoon, only good products can resist the cycle

The Chinese mobile phone market has already entered an era of stock competition, and the return of Huawei mobile phones means competing for market share and shipment volume from other mobile phone manufacturers. Despite this, Liu Zuohu remained calm and said, "Extending the timeline, the mobile phone market is so large, and OPPO is still a global enterprise. I don't think there is any need for excessive anxiety

The external environment is constantly changing, and OPPO knows the white and guards the black. As OPPO CEO Chen Mingyong mentioned, adhering to the principle of deeply cultivating the main channel, adhering to one's duties, and being a person through technology, as the saying goes, a gentleman's work is the foundation, and the foundation is the foundation of the Tao.

OPPO stated that it is firmly optimistic about the future mobile phone market, especially the high-end market, where folding screens are a good opportunity.

According to the latest data from the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology, the overall shipment volume of mobile phones in the domestic market reached 130 million units in the first half of this year, a year-on-year decrease of 4.8%. Although the mobile phone market has entered a platform period as a whole, foldable screens have become a category with continuous growth in shipment volume in recent years. Foldable screens have emerged as an important support for the recovery and growth of the mobile phone market.

According to the latest data from market research firm Counterpoint, the global shipment of foldable screen smartphones is expected to experience strong growth. It is expected that the compound annual growth rate of this market will reach 114% from 2019 to 2025. This means that by 2025, the global shipment volume of foldable screen smartphones will reach 55 million units, doubling from 2022. In 2022, the Chinese market accounted for 26% of global foldable screen shipments, and China has become a leader in the development of foldable screen smartphones.

Counterpoint also stated that with its mature supply chain and software ecosystem, China has leapt to become the world's largest market for foldable screen smartphones and is expected to gain higher market share globally.

Industry insiders believe that the development of smartphones (straight board machines) has accumulated for 10 years, and perhaps starting from 2022, domestic folding machines have the opportunity to define a new decade. Especially in the high-end market, there is a new possibility that those who have folding screens will have the world.

Therefore, in order for domestic mobile phone manufacturers to achieve a comeback and success in the high-end market, folding screens are the highest point that must be conquered. And OPPO is slowly conquering this highest point.

According to Counterpoint data, in the first half of 2023, OPPO had a 20% market share in China's foldable screen smartphones, while OPPOFindN2Flip dominated the vertical foldable market with a 31% market share, making it the most popular foldable smartphone in the Chinese market.

The dual flagship FindN series and FindX series have provided good support for OPPO in the high-end market. According to third-party data, OPPO ranked among the top three in the high-end market of over $600 in China in the first half of 2023.

OPPO Folding Screen Goal: Two Generation Breakeven and Three Generation Stable High End

We have iterated through three generations of folding screens, and each generation's definition is to make the folding machine with the best current experience, "Liu Zuohu said.

The first generation OPPOFindN solved the common problems faced by the industry at that time, such as deep creases and easy damage on folding screens. The ultra-shallow creases of OPPOFindN directly hit the pain points of users. Therefore, lightweight, golden ratio, and extremely shallow creases became the prominent features of the first generation FindN, making folding screen phones "from being fresh to commonly used".

OPPO's second-generation foldable screen product FindN2, on the other hand, was as light as 233 grams. At that time, the flagship benchmark of the straight board iPhone 14 ProMax was even lighter, setting a new industry record and ushering in the era of lightweight foldable screens.

The FindN3 launched this time brings a comprehensive flagship experience, which can be said to be comparable to or even surpassing straight board machines. OPPOFindN3 targets the new business community, focusing on efficiency, privacy, security, and a comprehensive flagship experience, "Liu Zuohu concluded.

The so-called new business people, compared to traditional business people, are those who have grown up together with PC Internet and mobile Internet, have higher education levels, stronger professional abilities, and a more global perspective.

Compared to the traditional business people who are conservative, stable, and rule-based, new business people rely more on independent thinking, learning, and professional abilities, excel in developing and practicing business opportunities brought by new technologies, have a global perspective, and are more concerned about their own data security and privacy.

For traditional business people, giving them a document may require a secretary to print it into A4 paper and place it on the table, or to give a speech on stage with A4 paper. However, today many new business people come on stage with their phones, and they are different people, "Liu Zuohu said for example, For new business people, office efficiency is the most important thing. When you can't open files, it can be very frustrating, which is a painful experience. Therefore, it is important to go back to the pain points and scenarios used by new business people to solve problems

Therefore, OPPOFindN3 has been upgraded and innovated in various aspects such as imaging, efficiency, and security. For example, FindN3 introduced next-generation sensor technology for foldable screens for the first time, allowing lightweight foldable screens to have the light, shadow, and image quality of flagship images. Folding screen photography, only OPPO is selected, "Liu Zuohu shouted at the press conference.

OPPO has created a new ColorOS system specifically for folding screens to address the efficiency issues required by new business users. The "15 inch panoramic virtual screen" can meet the needs of multiple applications for full size display and operation; The "File Any Gate" can quickly retrieve, drag, and share files; And for the first time, 'Open files as you please' allows the Android system to open Apple ecological files such as Keynotes.

In addition, FindN3 also brings the highest national security certification chip, providing the possibility of stealth in the digital age.

It can be said that through the iteration of the third generation, the products are getting closer to our ideal and more perfect appearance. The products are getting better and better from generation to generation, and I believe the business results will also be better and better from generation to generation, "Liu Zuohu said.

It is reported that the strategic goal of OPPO's internal folding screen is to achieve profit and loss balance for the two generations, and to achieve sales of one million for the third generation, and to establish a stable high-end position.

For this goal, Liu Zuohu did not provide a positive response. He said, "The core is to do a good job in the product. I believe that after everyone recognizes it, there will not be too much problem with the business results. A gentleman is the first, and the market always relies on products and innovation to speak