In China, the biggest market in the world, the iPhone has been the leading player for the last five years. But this year, it was dethroned by the Oppo R9. There are two interesting takeaways from this phenomenon. First of all, Oppo Electronics sold 5 million more phones than Apple. Second, their product is no more than a clone of the Apple model
The Oppo R9 won the fight with the iPhone 6s (the model that had to give up the throne and make do with second place in the Chinese market) completely unexpectedly. Apple just didn't see it coming. The annual growth of phone sales has gone up 109% for Oppo, while at Apple, Tim Cook's sales fell 21% last year. In light of these events, the market share of Oppo Electronics rose 4% while Apple's was only half the size, coming in at 2% at the end of last year. What made Chinese consumers so diametrically change their minds, and so fast? The iPhone has long been one of the top mobile devices in the world, and one of the most desirable phones in China, according to the Daily Mail. The British newspaper reported that two men even tried to....sell their kidneys for an iPhone 6s. Hearing that, some of you might forget the question posed above: why such sudden growth for the R9 and simultaneous drop in interest in the iPhone 6s? According to research conducted by Counterpoint, the camera, the size of the phone, enabling a better design, and the battery, were the key factors for R9's success. It's no surprise that the Chinese phone wins out on price too. What else is there to add? Not everyone is a fan of iOS, and the R9, of course, uses the Android system. I'll add that the this article is not meant to review either product. I'll leave judging between the different features to the fans and the folks who write about these issues in depth.
Oppo Electronics isn't Apple's only problem in China. Other local players are elbowing their way in the market, names like Vivo, Xiaomi, and Huawei, which is a global player like Apple. The IDC reports that quarter after quarter Apple is feeling the breath of other rivals on its back, not to mention losing ground to Korean leader Samsung. It's looking like the key for the American company may be its new flagship product. Upgrades to the new iPhone model will include an OLED screen, quick charging battery, and dual camera. The only question is if these changes will jack up the price, putting the new model out of reach for some consumers.
