Chinese Smartphone 'Oppo' Rapid Growth... Former 'Samsung Man' Involved

Peter Li Leading OPPO
The Person Who Introduced the Galaxy S5 in the Past

OPPO, a smartphone brand rapidly increasing its market share in China recently, is drawing attention due to the presence of a former Samsung employee among its product developers.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 24th (local time), the Chinese foldable smartphone market experienced a significant shift in the third quarter of this year. While Huawei and Samsung Electronics maintained their first and second positions, respectively, both companies saw a substantial decline in their market shares.

Huawei, which recorded a 34% market share, saw a 15 percentage point (p) decrease compared to the same period last year. The gap with Samsung narrowed from 26%p to 13%p. HONOR, ranked third, recorded a 16% market share.

Amid this, OPPO's leap stands out. Last year in the third quarter, the brand barely made it into the rankings with a 5% market share, but this time it achieved 11%, more than doubling its growth.

The product driving OPPO's growth is the latest foldable phone, the Find N3 series, released in October. The planner of this product is Peter Lee, who even personally held the product during the launch event.

Peter Li, who leads the smartphone business of China's Oppo Photo by Oppo YouTube Channel

Peter Lee currently serves as OPPO's Find Product Line Head, leading the development of OPPO's flagship smartphone products. His Korean name is Lee Dohyung, and he is a former Samsung employee who started working at Samsung Electronics in 2003. In 2013, he participated in the development of various product lines, including the Galaxy S5, within Samsung Electronics' wireless division.

Notably, Lee introduced the Galaxy S5 himself in a 2014 interview with Samsung's internal news channel, Newsroom. At that time, he said about the Galaxy S5, "Many people associate Samsung products with a strict and neat image. With the Galaxy S5, we wanted to deliver not only reliable functions and technology that consumers can trust but also emotional appeal."

Lee reportedly joined OPPO in June last year. OPPO's new foldable phone launched in October is considered somewhat behind Samsung's Galaxy Z series in terms of performance and price. However, at the launch event, Lee expressed confidence, stating, "We have made significant breakthroughs in three key areas: design, software, and camera."