Oppo

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Oppo:

iPhone becomes China’s top-selling smartphone for first time

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iPhone took the top spot for smartphones sales in China for the first time.
iPhone took the top spot for smartphones sales in China for the first time.
Photo: Apple

Just as Apple overtook Samsung as the worldwide smartphone leader in 2023, iPhone also became China’s favorite smartphone during that timeframe, according to a new report Thursday from International Data Tracker (IDC).

Apple captured 17.3% of China’s smartphone market in 2023, up from 16.8% in 2022 — albeit in a shrinking marketplace where smartphone shipments declined 5% overall, but with signs of recovery showing up late in the year.

iPhone shipments grow while smartphone market shrinks

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iPhone 13 Pro
The iPhone 13 sold well in Q2 2022.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

iPhone shipments grew 3.3% year over year during the second quarter of 2022, according to a market-research firm. That’s in contrast to the global smartphone market, which declined 7%.

Apple made up 16% of the total market, its highest second-quarter performance in more than a decade.

iPhone pulls in double the revenue of any rival

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iPhone shipments grow while Android tanks
Apple takes in far more revenue from iPhone sales than any Android-maker.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Everyone knows that Android outsells iPhone, but that’s not the whole picture. Apple takes in a lot more revenue than any rival smartphone-maker. It’s more than double Samsung’s, and no other company gets even that close.

And in the quarter before that, iPhone pulled in more revenue than all its rivals combined.

iPhone leads the pack in 5G smartphone share and profits

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5G iPhone
Apple continues to beat Samsung in 5G handset sales.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iPhone is the biggest, most profitable 5G smartphone in the world, according to the latest data from one research firm. As 5G adoption skyrockets, Apple continues to hold a lead over Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, and other vendors.

That’s despite an increase in demand for foldable devices and more affordable 5G handsets from brands like Honor.

5 features Apple Watch should steal from Oppo Watch

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The Oppo Watch
Oppo Watch, shown here at its announcement today, has a higher screen-to-body ratio than Apple Watch.
Photo: Oppo

The newly-unveiled Oppo Watch borrows heavily from the Apple Watch. But this China-based company nevertheless built in some features that fans of Apple’s wearable can appreciate.

Oppo Watch is a shameless ripoff of Apple Watch

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Oppo Watch looks very familiar
Oppo Watch looks almost identical to one made by a certain rival based in Cupertino.
Photo: Oppo

Chinese phone maker Oppo gave the world a first glimpse of its upcoming smart watch. And it’s a total Apple Watch clone.

Apple dominates the wearables market, and Oppo seems like it wants to borrow some of its thunder.

Samsung’s AirDrop clone will debut with Galaxy S20 next month

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AirDrop-hot-air-balloon
Incoming!
Photo: Marcus Dall Col/Unsplash

Samsung is developing its own AirDrop competitor that will make its debut alongside the Galaxy S20 next month, according to a new report.

Leaked Quick Share screenshots reveal the feature will let users “share instantly with people nearby.” This is separate from the AirDrop rival Google is reportedly planning for all Android devices.

Oppo reveals world’s first ‘Under-screen Camera’ for smartphones

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Oppo-Under-screen-camera
And it’s coming soon!
Photo: Oppo

Oppo’s efforts to eliminate the notch have led to the world’s first selfie camera that sits under your smartphone’s screen.

The new technology, which was showcased to the public at MWC Shanghai this week, will be making its way to commercial handsets “in the near future.” And it promises to be just as good as existing selfie cameras.

Apple’s iPhone sales problem isn’t limited to China

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iPhone sales
Critics say Apple needs to build more affordable iPhones.
Photo: Apple

China is not the only part of the world where Apple’s iPhone is losing market share to hard-charging Chinese brands.

Sales of the iPhone are falling off in Europe and Thailand, the second-biggest smartphone market in Southeast Asia, where shipments fell by more than 50 percent.

Apple’s Android rivals are going all-in on folding phones in 2019

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This early prototype Samsung foldable phone suggests how the Galaxy X might look.
This prototype Samsung folding phone could be a harbinger of many, many to follow.
Screenshot: Samsung

At least four big smartphone makers are reportedly prepping foldable models for 2019. This radical new design could reinvigorate the slowing phone market, hence the widespread interest.

But Apple is a notable holdout. This means it could end up being the only top 5 phone maker not releasing a foldable phone next year.

Huawei steals Apple’s crown as No. 2 smartphone maker

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Chinese company Huawei wants the media buzz that would come with releasing the world's first foldable phone.
This is the first quarter since 2010 that Apple hasn't been in the no. 1 or 2 spots.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns / Flickr CC

Apple just smashed expectations yet again with another monster quarterly earnings report. But that’s not enough to stop Huawei from stealing Apple’s crown as the world’s second-largest smartphone maker, based on number of handsets shipped.

The figures come from analysts at IDC, who note that Apple shipped a total of 342 million iPhones in the quarter, compared to Huawei’s 54.2 million units. Market leader Samsung shipped a massive 71.5 million units during that same period.

Oppo shows Apple how to eliminate iPhone’s notch with style

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Oppo Find X
The Oppo Find X doesn’t need a notch.
Photo: The Verge

Love it or hate it, the iPhone X’s notch is a necessity for now. Or is it?

Some smartphone manufacturers are already using new design methods to deliver truly edge-to-edge displays. Chinese manufacturer Oppo today revealed its new Find X, which shows Apple how it could eliminate the notch in style.

Apple might be losing its lead in augmented reality to China

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Augmented Reality version coming soon
An augmented reality version of this game could have web a huge win for Apple.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

While ARKit gave Apple an early lead when it comes to augmented reality apps, a highly respected analyst thinks a Chinese company has nearly caught up.

As evidence, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo points out that the AR version of enormously popular game Honour of Kings will land on iPhone and Oppo’s inexpensive Android phones at the same time.

iPhone growth stalls as Chinese smartphones surge

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Product Red iPhone box
The RED iPhone 7 hasn't given sales a boost.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Growth in the smartphone industry isn’t dead yet, according to the latest report from the International Data Corporation which found smartphone shipments grew more than expected last quarter.

IDC predicted shipments would rise 3.6%, but the industry actually saw 4.3% growth in Q1 2017. Unfortunately for Apple, most of the increase in shipments were triggered by a couple of Chinese companies.

iPhone 6s was world’s most popular smartphone in 2016

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iPhone 6S
Apple's old iPhone is still a top-seller.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 7 may have got all the attention last year, but it turns out that the older iPhone 6s was actually the most popular smartphone in the world during 2016.

A new study from IHS Markit found that not only did the iPhone 6s outsell its newer sibling, it dominated Samsung’s lineup of newer Galaxy S7 phones too.

OPPO’s new camera puts iPhone 7 Plus zoom to shame

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Oppo-5x-lens-periscope
Oppo's camera uses periscope-style lenses for 5x lossless zoom.
Photo: Oppo

Chinese smartphone maker OPPO today announced a new smartphone camera with even greater zoom capabilities than iPhone 7 Plus.

The module uses two camera sensors just like Apple’s, but they’re positioned differently to allow for “groundbreaking” 5x lossless zoom. They’re also 10 percent slimmer than the typical 2x zoom lenses used in smartphones.

Faltering iPhone loses more ground in China

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WeChat
Is China falling out of love with iPhone?
Photo: Virginia Werner/Cult of Mac

China is proving to be a harder market to crack than Apple anticipated.

The iPhone-maker has dropped to fifth place in its second most important market, marking yet another setback for Apple in China.

Low-cost Android makers are hurting thanks to iPhone SE

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low-cost-android-makers-are-hurting-thanks-to-iphone-se-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604iphonesearray-800x620-jpg
The iPhone SE is causing a headache for low-cost Chinese OEMs.
Photo: Apple
The iPhone SE is causing a headache for low-cost Chinese OEMs. Photo: Apple
The iPhone SE is causing a headache for low-cost Chinese OEMs. Photo: Apple

Apple’s affordable 4-inch iPhone SE is causing a major headache for Chinese makers of low-cost Android phones.

Supply chain manufacturers in Taiwan and China are reportedly becoming more conservative about building up inventories of smartphone components from companies including Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo as the iPhone SE squeezes the competition.

Gorgeous headphone amp isn’t just ear candy

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Lust List Oppo Amp
The Oppo headphone amplifier is almost as beautiful as the iPhone you're going to connect it to.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: Oppo HA-2 portable headphone amplifier and DAC

What kind of audiophile nerd do you have to be to shell out 300 clams to “improve” your iPhone audio? Well, that’s what it is going to cost you to convert your digital audio into analog goodness with style.

You can find cheaper options than the Oppo HA-2 portable headphone amplifier, but few as elegant and sleek.

Get bent: The shocking history of bent smartphones

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Apple's new aluminum will kill Bendgate.
Apple's new aluminum will kill Bendgate.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Bend-Gate is slowly taking over the Internet this morning as Apple fans discover the startling fact that when pressure is applied to an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus frame, it bends – just like every other smartphone ever made of metal.

The bending problem has been reported by a number of iPhone 6 owners who pocketed their big iPhone 6 only to retrieve it later with a significant curve in the frame. Some sites are deeming the new iPhones “more fragile than expected,” but the truth is we’ve seen this problem almost every year.

In fact, last year ran we an article titled “iPhone 5s Bending in People’s Pockets.” Any phone made of metal is still subject to the laws of physics, but to reiterate that this isn’t exactly a problem exclusive to the iPhone 6, here’s a look at other Android and Apple phones that have bending problems.