The year 2019 is still very young and the smartphone industry in Nigeria is looking interesting already with the entrance of a new player: OPPO mobile
OPPO is a Chinese smartphone and electronic device manufacturer, a subsidiary of Guangdong Bubugao Electronic Industry Co. Ltd which is also the manufacturer of Vivo and OnePlus which is arguably the premium brand of the three. OPPO is setting its foot into Nigeria with the introduction of the OPPO A3s, a mid-range smartphone released in May 2018.
Over the years, OPPO has placed its focus on making quality camera phones and it continues to improve on mobile photography and processor technology to deliver quality photos for users around the world. In the second quarter of 2018, OPPO had a global market share of 8.6% and plans to increase on those figures by launching in new markets.
Nigeria is a huge smartphone market with an increase in smartphone penetration. Transsion’s TECNO, Itel and Infinix, have enjoyed the dominance in Nigeria by offering mid-range devices that meet the need of the new and existing smartphone user. TECNO put forth effort at playing in the premium space with the Phantom series where Samsung and IPhone are still the fancy of many, however, these devices are yet to favourably compete.
The smartphone space in Nigeria is fiercely competitive with many of the brands shifting focus to low end and mid-range devices. Transsion’s mobile have become a household name and are being trailed by Samsung, Motorola, and other smartphone brands like Tambo, including Huawei that has been trying to stage a comeback after an initial exit from the smartphone business in Nigeria.
OPPO’s success in Nigeria will be determined by a number of factors, however I am of the opinion that they have a chance to get a good slice of the cake considering the quality of their devices and the offering of high end specifications at low price. Some of the smartphone models in their portfolio include Oppo F series, A series and R series. We have words that there will be a launch event sometime in January 2019 and we can only confirm that the Oppo A3s smartphone will be announced but more devices in the other series may be released simultaneously.
