Oppo investing US$7bn to create a new smart device ecosystem; first products Q1 2020

Oppo announced this week plans to invest US$7bn over the next three years to build a new smart device ecosystem, including a new line of smart watches, wireless headphones, 5G broadband products and more.

At an event in Shenzhen, under the name Create Beyond Boundaries, Oppo showcased a series of smart devices, along with other innovations including flash charging, 5G, imaging and software optimisation.

Aimed at industry experts, partners, analysts and key opinion leaders, Oppo Founder and CEO Tony Chen said: “as the adoption of 5G and AI ramp up, intelligent connectivity is increasingly within reach. We believe the concept of connection is just the foundation, whereas the integration and convergence of things will be the future. The concept of intelligent connectivity consists of four key parts, including the convergence of technology and service, the convergence of organization, the convergence of culture and the convergence of technology, arts and humanities.

“Oppo has been more than just a phone maker from the outset. In fact, smartphones have simply been a gateway for Oppo to deliver a diverse portfolio of technological services. For Oppo and even the entire industry, there won’t be any company solely focusing on smartphones.”

Areas of investment

The money will be set aside to develop core technologies in hardware and software, including 5G/6G, AI, AR, big data and other frontier technologies.

Levin Liu, Oppo Vice President and Head of Oppo Research Institute said in his keynote speech: “In the face of the new 5G era, Oppo will head towards Tech Innovation 2.0. which will be driven by ‘frontier technology’ and value for user’.

“as the importance of convergence between technologies and services becomes essential, Oppo is building an integrated technology model that covers five spheres, namely: equipment, data, computing, services and scenarios.

“The model, in which 5G and AI serve as the infrastructure and our core capacities, integrates all technologies to create an all-around consistent technological experience. Oppo will follow a ‘three circle scenarios’ roadmap that covers personal scenarios, vertical scenarios and convergent scenarios to plan its future lineup of devices.”

First launch in Q1 2020

Oppo plans to launch smart watches, smart wireless headphones and 5G CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) in the first quarter of 2020.