Oppo is a Chinese consumer electronics and mobile company launched in 2004 by Tony Chen. Whereas the brand name was registered earlier in China in 2001. It is headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong. It has become famous worldwide for high-quality and stylish smartphones and fast charging devices. Since its release, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of spreading optimism and inspiration to the world with technology. In this article by Phones Counter, we are going to share with you the eventful Oppo Mobile Company History.
Oppo Mobile Company History
Oppo’s businesses have expanded to more than 60 countries and regions worldwide. More than 40,000 Oppo employees work hard to create these technological innovations to create a better life for all. ColorOS(a user interface (UI) created by Oppo) now includes a full spectrum of system applications to create a free and frictionless user experience for 600 million users around the world. Let’s have a quick review of its history.
- Foundation
The brand name “Oppo” was registered in China in 2001 and launched in 2004 by Tony Chen, in Dongguan, China. OPPO came into the market with the slogan “ Inspiration ahead”. In 2005, they introduced their first device internationally, the Oppo X3 MP3 player and then began the journey of stylish, innovative, high tech smartphones with features like damage protection, water and dust resistance, large battery, fast charging, high definition telescope zoom cameras, slim body, air glass and what not!.
2. Early Years
2004-2009
- In the early 2000s, Oppo launched high-quality DVD players and MP3 players, and Portable Media Players that could handle various multimedia formats. These products aimed to provide much superior sound and visual quality compared to competitors
- Oppo X3 was Oppo’s first MP3 player, launched in 2005, which later influenced the release of Oppo Bluetooth and earphones.
- Oppo released its first mobile phone OPPO A103, called Smiley Face, in the market in 2008.
3. Rise in Popularity
2011-2015
- Oppo launched its first smartphone, Oppo Find (X903), in 2011, marking its shift to mobile production.
- Oppo Finder, released in 2012, was the world’s slimmest phone. With the launch of the Oppo Find series in 2012, Oppo made its commitment to high-quality smartphones very clear. Oppo Ulike 2 was also released in 2012, which aimed at the selfie-loving audience. It had cameras that offered picture beautification as well.
- The Find 5, released in 2013, was notable for its features like Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama HDR.
- In 2013, Oppo launched its first operating system, colorOS, that ran on Android systems. On the other hand, OppoR1, OppoN1, and OppoYoyo were released for entry-level smartphone users, offering basic features and specifications suitable for everyday tasks. A few of the featured phones had a swiveling camera that allowed users to take high-quality selfies.
- In 2014, Oppo got recognized worldwide for its innovation of fast-charging technology (VOOC). Oppo N1 Mini, Oppo R5 Oppo Find 7 were launched the same year with a focus on being one of the thinnest smartphones available.
4. Global Expansion
2015-2019
- By 2015, Oppo had emerged as a major player in the smartphone industry, especially in markets like India and Southeast Asia. It earned the award for China’s most respected brand and kept winning for the next five years.
- In 2016, Oppo became the number one brand in China for the first time ever, surpassing Huawei, Apple, and Xiaomi with a record 23% market share.
- In 2016, the company started offering smartphones with advanced camera features. The Oppo F series, introduced in 2016, targeted the selfie audience and became highly popular.
- In 2017, Oppo became the top smartphone brand in China, surpassing its competitors.
- In 2017-2018, Oppo launched the Find X series, which featured the first full-screen smartphone, Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass.
5. Innovative Era
2019-Present
- In 2019, Oppo upgraded its brand image, the company released Oppo smart watches, and introduced the famous Oppo Find X2 series.
- As 5G technology emerged, Oppo started releasing 5 G-capable smartphones by investing thoroughly in research and development. The engineers did an extensive study and ran thousands of tests and showcased many innovative designs, including foldable phones, dirt-resistant etched back, AI-powered OS, magnetic speakers, biometric identity technology, which enhanced user experience, making Oppo the most satisfied customers’ smartphone, as stated by CANSTAR Blue in 2019.
- In 2020 brand launched the Oppo X 2021 first rollable concept phone.
- In 2021, Oppo ranked as the top 6 global brands in China, BRANDZ. Famous releases of 2021 were
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Oppo Air Glass
Oppo Find N
- In 2023, Oppo’s security and privacy team developed biometric-based identity authentication technology. Famous releases were:
OPPO Find N2 Flip
OPPO Find N3 series
After millions of stability tests, Oppo became the first Chinese enterprise to provide a password-free security login.
- In 2024, the company launched the sleek, stylish, and sturdy Oppo Find X8 series, with long battery life, telescopic zoom, lightning snap, and trinity engine.
- Currently in 2025, the OPPO AI Tech Summit was held in Barcelona on March 3, 2025, where it showcased its new AI features like AI Call Translator (real-time translation during calls) and AI VoiceScribe (multi-use voice summarization).
- OPPO aims to make technology more beautiful and accessible in the years ahead. In Feb 2025, Oppo released the Oppo Find N5, the world’s thinnest book-style foldable phone with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
- In 2025, OPPO ranked eighth globally for 5G standard essential patents.
Conclusion
Oppo focuses on providing high-quality devices at various price points while innovating in camera technology and design. Oppo’s story reflects its rapid growth and adaptation in the technology space, showcasing its ambition to become the forefront of smartphones. Oppo continues to rule the era while competing with brands like Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi. In the future, OPPO phones will focus on supporting previewing and editing a broader range of file formats, revolutionizing the mobile office experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which country made OPPO?
China made Oppo phones. Their headquarters are located in Dongguan, Guangdong.
- Is OPPO a Vivo brand?
No, both Vivo and Oppo are individual and separate phone makers; they are brands under a single giant company called BBK Technologies.
- Is the OPPO Store app safe?
Yes, absolutely. The Oppo app doesn’t share user data with other companies or organisations.
- Does Oppo sell in the USA?
Oppo doesn’t have any retail partners in the US and doesn’t operate its own US storefront either.
- Can OPPO use Android?
OPPO smartphones operate on a customized operating system called ColorOS, which is based on Android.
-
- Which Oppo has a microscope?
The flagship OPPO Find X3 Pro with microlens can magnify subjects by 30 times optically, and 60 times with hybrid magnification, serving as a microscope.
Leave a Reply