Oppo tops smartphone charts in China for the first time ever

Oppo starts 2021 off as the highest-selling smartphone brand in home market

Oppo has overtaken Huawei as the number one smartphone vendor in China for the first time ever.

Counterpoint Research revealed the vendor which is part of the BBK Electronics Group has taken first place in its home market over Huawei.

According to figures Oppo led the way in January with 21 per cent market share, followed by Vivo on 20 per cent.

However Huawei’s share dropped to 16 per cent, the same number as Apple and Xiaomi.

It follows a torrid last couple of years for Huawei, with crippling US sanctions continuing to hurt Huawei’s shipment figures.

But for Oppo the latest figures reveal the brand has grown 33pc month-on-month and over a quarter (26pc) year-on-year.

Slump to continue

The slump for Huawei is expected to continue due to the US sanctions around key components, along with Huawei recently spinning Honor off as a separate brand.

Huawei has seen its inventory for these key components deplete in recent times and has since shifted its strategy to focusing on the premium tier of the smartphone segment, allowing competition to muscle in on the mid-tier battle.