Google 'Circle to Search' Feature Also on Chinese AI Phones... Oppo Rapidly Chasing Samsung

Global Smartphone Market 4th Place 'Oppo'
Partners with Google to Enhance Generative AI Features
Southeast Asia Market Share Fluctuates

OPPO, ranked 4th in the global smartphone market share, has unveiled its new ‘Find X8’ series, prominently featuring artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. OPPO collaborated with Google to introduce the image search function ‘Circle to Search’ and the AI assistant ‘Gemini,’ both of which were first seen on Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S24. This move is seen as laying the groundwork to catch up with Samsung Galaxy, which launched the world’s first AI phone.

According to industry sources on the 26th, Chinese smartphone manufacturer OPPO recently held a launch event for the ‘Find X8’ and ‘Find X8 Pro’ in Bali, Indonesia. OPPO currently operates about 300,000 stores across more than 70 countries worldwide and holds the 4th position in the global smartphone market share. According to Counterpoint Research, OPPO’s global smartphone shipments in the third quarter of this year reached 27.5 million units, an increase of 2.4 million units compared to the first quarter.

A notable feature of the Find X8 is the integration of a new proprietary operating system (OS) that enhances AI functionalities. The image search feature ‘Circle to Search’ and AI assistant ‘Gemini,’ which are embedded in the Samsung Galaxy S24, are now also available on Chinese smartphones. The AI capabilities improve photo quality by sharpening blurry images and enable real-time translation, document editing, and audio transcription. Additionally, a ‘Touch to Share’ feature has been added, allowing users to share information by bringing the front parts of two phones together, with the notable compatibility with iPhones.

On the hardware front, OPPO is rapidly catching up with Samsung and Apple. At the launch event, OPPO explained that the Find X8’s battery capacity is 5630mAh, larger than the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 5000mAh. The premium large-screen model, Find X8 Pro, boasts a battery capacity of 5910mAh. Furthermore, a new ‘Quick Button’ for fast camera access has been introduced, directly adopting the dedicated camera button found on the recently released Apple iPhone 16 series. The Find X8’s application processor (AP) is MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 chip, manufactured using TSMC’s second-generation 3nm technology. The Find X8 (12GB RAM) 256GB model is priced at 13,999,000 Indonesian Rupiah (approximately 1.23 million KRW) in Indonesia. The Galaxy S24 Plus (12GB RAM) 256GB model with similar specifications is priced at about 1.35 million KRW.

OPPO focuses on third-world markets such as Southeast Asia and South America rather than major global markets like the United States. This year, OPPO has newly entered Brazil and Argentina, showing rapid growth in the South American market. OPPO stated, "Overseas shipments account for about 60% of total sales," adding, "The overseas market is OPPO’s growth engine."

Oppo's AI Smartphone 'Find X8 Series'

With OPPO launching AI smartphones, the competition for ranking with Samsung in the Southeast Asian market is intensifying. According to market research firm Canalys, OPPO’s Southeast Asian smartphone market grew by 15% year-on-year in the third quarter of this year. Looking at the market share by company in Southeast Asia for the third quarter, OPPO ranked first with 21%, while Samsung took second place with 16%. In this market, OPPO recorded shipments of 5.1 million units, a sharp 29% increase year-on-year, whereas Samsung’s shipments decreased by 2% to 4.1 million units during the same period. By country, OPPO’s market share in Indonesia was 22%, with Samsung at 16%, but in Vietnam, Samsung led with 26% compared to OPPO’s 23%. In the Malaysian market, OPPO leads with 16% over Samsung’s 13%, engaging in a close battle for first and second place.

OPPO employs a strategy of strengthening connectivity by leveraging local cultures. This year, it collaborated with the Discovery Channel to promote a project documenting various cultures using its phones and invested $60 million (84 billion KRW) to improve store environments. OPPO stores in Indonesia even introduced a corner selling coffee made from locally sourced coffee beans.