2023-09-26 06:18:00
The smartphone market is unforgiving. Logic: there are 9 billion of them in the world, according to recent figures, and their lifespan is slightly less than 2 years. No wonder many companies are trying to carve out a piece of the pie. But when a market is so valuable, (beautiful) places are rare. In the West and in Belgium, the South Korean Samsung (Android) and the American Apple (iPhone) have dominated head and shoulders for many years. Behind them there are many chinese brands who are trying or have tried their luck. Powerful and very rich thanks to their immense domestic market and other exotic regions such as India or Africa, they nevertheless seek to establish themselves in Europe because our market is rather rich, and because it is necessary to flatter its brand image. I will soon tell you about Xiaomi which is establishing itself more and more and better and better in Belgium (the release of the 13T in Berlin is proof of this), but today I am looking at Oppo, its direct competitor as a contender for the throne.
Disappeared from France, and in Belgium?
Oppo’s situation is surprising. Last year, the large Chinese company was still a sponsor for the prestigious Roland Garros tournament, and communicated a lot in France (and in Belgium for that matter). During the summer of 2023, however, the company quietly withdrew from the French market, in reality because of the bankruptcy of the only Oppo distributor among our neighbors. Behind this bankruptcy was mainly the fear of losing a lawsuit against Nokia over a patent issue (a lost lawsuit in Germany, which forced Oppo and OnePlus to leave the territory); even if at first instance, French justice ruled in favor of the Chinese…
In any case, the Oppo brand is no longer distributed in France. And in Belgium? The situation is different because the Oppo Belgium entity, around ten people responsible for marketing the brand’s smartphones under the supervision of the parent company, is still there (it was launched around 3 years ago). However, I had fears given that the Find X6 Pro (the top of the range) was not released in Europe this year, while the X5 version had been the subject of a great communication campaign in our country. Rest assured, however, if you are a fan of the brand: Oppo does not plan to leave Belgium (where there are no ongoing trials, to my knowledge). A press event even took place in Brussels last July, and the Reno 10 Pro is on the shelves (I’ll tell you about it below).
I asked the brand for a reaction, and it was also reassuring. “OPPO et OnePlus (Oppo sister company, Editor’s note) remain committed to all existing European markets, including Belgium. We are off to a good start in 2023 with successful launches of several products in Europe and have a range of products coming for the rest of the year.” The company even mentions the French case: “We are aware that Yang Technology SAS, the exclusive distributor of OPPO in France, will cease its activities. We respect our partner’s decision and hope that they will work closely with the related commercial parties for the remainder of the process. Despite this, OPPO’s commitment to the European market and users remains unchanged. For existing users in France, they will still be able to benefit from future OS updates and after-sales service. And we will continue to provide innovative products and services to European users“.
What about the Reno 10 Pro?
Oppo is therefore still very present in Belgium, so much the better for the competition! I was able to get my hands on the Reno 10 Pro (659€), which represents the top of the mid-range. A series which is characterized by its elegance and the finesse (7.89 mm) of its curvy design, and version 10 of 2023 succeeds: the smartphone is thin, the back is not smooth in the black version that I was able to test. A Glow finish inaugurated on the Reno 4 a few years ago, which therefore does not attract fingerprints, while reflecting the light in an original and elegant way:
Its main asset is not necessarily the main sensor isolated at the top. Indeed, the 10 Pro a portrait phone that keeps its promises. An unofficial category of smartphones particularly good at capturing faces and taking portraits. Thanks to two main characteristics: it is a 32 MP telephoto lens (2x optical zoom, in this case, located under the main sensor) which takes care of portraits; and the software processing to blur the background is extremely effective. And it works, well. Very good, even if the background is not far away:
Beyond these portrait capabilities, the main sensor is a stabilized 50 MP, enough to take your landscape shots, even in the dark, but it’s classic: we’ve already seen better this year in this price range (I compared with the Nothing Phone 2 which overall does better when photographing my garden under the sun). The front sensor (also 32 MP) allows you to take quality selfies… Nothing terrible, it’s average for this price range.
The rest of the spec sheet makes sense compared to the price of the Reno 10 Pro:
A Snapdragon 778G processor integrating 5G, engraved in 6nm, which strikes the balance between performance and consumption. 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage (more than enough, even for demanding users) A bright 6.7″ FullHD+ OLED screen, with a high refresh rate (120 Hz) A 4,600 mAh battery that will charge very quickly thanks to the included 80W transformer (Oppo and OnePlus are pioneers in the field)
What is he missing, then? Three options reserved for the very high end: certified waterproofing, wireless charging and a periscopic sensor for real 10x zoom (that of the Galaxy S23 Ultra works miracles, for example).
Conclusions
If Oppo officially wants to be reassuring for its future in Europe, it is clear that its lawsuits for patent infringement brought by Nokia are breaking its momentum there. Banned in Germany, the brand has doubts for France, to the point of having lost its only distributor there. The two largest European countries are therefore currently closed to it. The situation is different in Belgium at the moment, but will the company stay on our continent for such small markets? Difficult to say, but the absence of a flagship (the Find X6 was not released in Europe) proves the manufacturer’s reduced ambitions
Mathieu’s tests oppo smartphone smartphones
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