Chinese smartphone maker Oppo is making an assertive play to shake up the $1.3 billion smartphone market in New Zealand, aiming to disrupt the long-standing duopoly of Samsung and Apple with a mix of tech innovation and brand-building efforts.

In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech podcast, Oppo New Zealand Managing Director Morgan Halim shares insights on how the challenger brand, which claims around 10% of the local market, is reimagining what Kiwi consumers can expect from their devices.​

Taking on a cosy duopoly

“We started about seven years ago, and we knew there was a gap in the market when there were only two players in New Zealand,” Halim told me. 

“Over time, we just built that brand awareness. That helped us in terms of people getting to know who we are, and slowly, they… understand and see our point of difference in the market,” he said.​

Halim is candid about the challenge of breaking entrenched brand loyalty, particularly among Apple devotees wary of switching from iOS to Android. 

“That’s the tough thing to crack, isn’t it? So building that brand loyalty and just awareness of it, it took a while for Oppo,” he noted.​

Embedding in local culture

The Shenzhen-based smartphone maker’s approach has not just been about technology but embedding the brand into Kiwi life. Halim highlighted major sports partnerships, especially via football sponsorships, as important to raising brand awareness. 

“From day one in New Zealand, [our strategy has been] how do we show the customer we are a global company, but also local? Wellington Phoenix is a good example. They have been a great partner for us to have that resonance closer to the New Zealand customer.”​

Oppo’s association with New Zealand football was extended in September when it signed a two-year agreement to become the official smartphone and smart device partner of the All Whites and the Ford Football Ferns.

Innovation at every price point

Oppo’s handset range stretches from entry-level A-series smartphones, through the Reno series, to its flagship Find X9 Pro, which was launched in Barcelona last month, and which Halim says exemplifies Oppo’s drive to push boundaries. 

“What is Find X for us? We focus on display quality, charging speed and camera innovation. And we partner up with Hasselblad, positioning the Find X as the premium photography tool,” he said.​

One of the Find X9 Pro’s standout features is its formidable battery life, made possible by cutting-edge chipset and battery tech. 

“We put a 7500 mAh (milliamp hour) battery on the Find X9 Pro, and it's probably one of the biggest batteries out there in the New Zealand market. If you’re a power user, it will last you a day – that’s guaranteed for sure. If you’re not a power user… we can see that extended more than a day or longer.”​

A thoughtful approach to AI

Oppo is betting big on AI, not as a gimmick, but as a core part of the user experience. 

“About two years ago, we knew that AI was coming. [We’ve] come up with three major domains: AI productivity, AI creativity, and AI imaging… but the idea is, how do we move from a single AI feature to a system-level approach where it’s more than AI woven into the experience,” Halim explained.​

A key new feature debuting in the Find X9 series is AI Mindspace, which with the press of the “snap” button on the side of the phone or swipe of the screen, the contents displayed on the screen will be analysed by AI, a record and summary of the contents kept for quick access. For more intensive productivity tasks, Oppo has partnered with Google Gemini for AI capabilities.

Oppo’s focus is on the mobile ecosystem and openness,” Halim says. 

“Rather than trying to have a closed ecosystem...our headphones, whether you are using Android devices from different brands or an iPhone, you can use the full functions. We’re doing the same with our wearables as well, whatever ecosystem you’re using.”​

The long game

Halim is optimistic about the future, despite lingering retail headwinds in 2025. 

“We had an amazing Q1 with double-digit growth year on year, but Q2 and Q3...those buffers slowly disappeared. 

“Consumer confidence is still pretty low at the moment, [though] there’s action happening, and you will see income a little more available. So yeah, I’m still quite hopeful for Q4, especially Black Friday and Christmas.”​

Listen to the full conversation with Morgan Halim on The Business of Tech podcast, available on BusinessDesk, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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