Chinese smartphone maker Oppo said the company is not keen on launching foldable phones in India presently as the demand is yet to pick up for the product segment across the industry.
“Demand for foldable phones in India is not very high yet. Oppo’s launch of foldable phones in the country will depend on the Indian user demand,” Peter Dohyung Lee, head of product strategy at Oppo, told FE.
The reasons for low demand for foldable phones can be attributed to high prices and hinge issues in some phones, causing the screen to crease, developing visible lines in the fold, analysts said.
According to Lee, the reason for foldable phones not picking up in the country could be due to high temperature, environment and other circumstances, which are different as compared to other countries globally.
Notably, Oppo’s flip type foldable phones – Find N2 Flip and N3 Flip — are available in India.
Estimates from Counterpoint Research suggest that foldable phone shipments in India fell 9-10% YoY to below 550,000 units in 2024.
Shilpi Jain, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said, “It’s not only in India but globally too, foldable uptake is low and not as expected by companies. India is a price sensitive market and it is important to bring down the price of foldable phones to increase uptake.”
Analysts said Samsung is currently leading the market share for foldable phones.
Faisal Kawoosa, chief analyst at Techarc, said, “Companies are pushing foldable as another hardware and not as a solution. Therefore, the consumer is not finding any benefit in purchasing those pricey phones. We need to find actual use cases.”
Foldable phones in India are usually priced over Rs 1 lakh. Oppo said the Indian users largely prefer flagship smartphones compared to foldable phones.
Oppo recently launched the Reno 13 smartphone series in India, starting Rs 37,999. The company is banking on its AI features in phones along with durability and design to win the market share in the country.
According to IDC, Oppo’s market share in the country was at 13.9%, just behind market leader Vivo, at 15.8%, in the July-September quarter of 2024.
“Oppo is investing a lot in AI democratisation. Consumers also understand the value of Oppo AI, offering features such as better photography, image editing, etc.,” Lee said, adding that users can get highly usable AI features in devices above Rs 15,000.
Lately, brands such as Apple, Samsung, and Google, among others, are attracting users with AI features in their smartphones.
According to Lee, AI is not the sole factor for users as yet to consider in a product. Users prefer design, durability, fast charging, and technology and then decide on purchasing a phone.
The company, globally, sold 50 million smartphones in 2024. Lee said demand for over Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 phones is increasing in the country due to financing schemes.
On catering to users who have upgraded to 5G, Lee said, “Oppo will find opportunities together with Indian operators (telcos) to provide the most suitable 5G phone for 4G upgraders.”
When asked about if the company is looking to launch affordable 5G phones in the entry level segment (under Rs 10,000) like Xiaomi, Lee said, “Oppo brand quality is much better. We try to give attractive pricing for our phones. We don’t want to lower the pricing of the phones by sacrificing the quality.”
Oppo currently operates in the price range of above Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Oppo’s 5G phone starts at Rs 11,000, Lee said.
Over the past decade, Oppo has filed over 5,600 patents, globally, related to AI inventions.