Until recently, smartphone makers focused on developing markets to grow their market share as the markets for premium phones were close to saturated. However, the massive increases in memory prices have caused makers to do a 180° turn and focus their attention on the premium market.
Memory prices are so high that RAM and storage dominate the bill of materials on entry-level phones, making them unsustainable at their old prices. Meanwhile, premium devices have the margins to better absorb the price increases and they are aimed at a less price-sensitive audience.
Oppo has set its sights on expanding its presence in Europe. Why Europe? According to the market analysts over at Omdia, 1 in 3 phones sold in the first half of 2026 were premium devices – this is defined as costing $600 or more. And according to the same analysts, Europe has the second highest share of premium phones at 40% (with an annual growth of 9%). This is second only to the insular North American market.
This makes Europe the largest market for premium phones that is easily accessible. The plan is simple – Oppo will reduce the time it takes between launching a phone in China and launching it in Europe. This way new models will arrive faster, while they are still surrounded by buzz. This approach will also leave less time for the competition to sell its own new models uncontested.
The gap has already narrowed this year and the company plans to shrink it further or even eliminate it completely next year. Faster launches will certainly help, but there’s a bit more to it.
Oppo is forging partnerships with European carriers and financing institutions. This means that Oppo phones will be more accessible with more carriers offering them to customers and these same customers having more ways to buy the phones on a payment plan.