© Future | Alex Walker-Todd noDuring a Q&A session moderated by several members of Oppo's senior product and strategy team on the first day of this year's Mobile World Congress, we got some useful insight into the company's current approach to the complex device market and why it's not working. It seems the time has come. If only such technologies penetrated into the space of the middle class.
Even though we have been able to spend money on foldable devices for three years, the materials, technology and equipment used in these devices still make them significantly more expensive than similar devices that do not need to be folded. waist
A week before MWC 2023, Oppo launched the world's first foldable flip, the Oppo Find N2 Flip. While this is a great price for a foldable smartphone (£849 in the UK), it's still a lot for users who would otherwise appreciate the convenience of a foldable compact while hunting.
Oppo's Vice President of Overseas Sales and Service, Billy Zhang, answered a question about whether there is room for foldable phones or mid-range flip phones.
Speaking through a translator, Zhang explained, “Now when we talk about a product like [a complex mid-range model], we have to ask ourselves if it can really provide a good experience because we are trying to reach the middle price range when we donate things like the SoC [chipset] or the image, then that's not good, because if we reduce the number of SoCs, we also can't maximize the power of compute images."
Zhang continued, “As the supply of complex devices increases, there will certainly be more opportunities to reduce costs in terms of the supply chain, but this process will take time.
You'd think that's all she wrote; Zhang confirmed that cutting corners to bring such a device to market would be detrimental to users, and that until supplies increase, costs are unlikely to come down.
It was clear that Zhang hadn't finished yet; he tried to develop the potential and durability of sophisticated middle-class models.
“I just want to share some additional comments about the cost reduction of flip phones,” he continued. “Some initial ideas might be to take the screen protector off, cut corners with the SoC, cut corners with the camera.
“But when we talk about a flip phone, when we take the screen protector off, it's clearly not good, because the screen protector is important to make it easier for you to check quick notifications and things like that. Or if you cut corners on the SoC, that will have an effect too.”
“In about six months, maybe longer, these flip phones might hit the market, but they might cut corners — like using plastic in the bezel or peeling off the screen protector — but “Of course, that’s not good for us. ; that's not what we [Oppo] want to do. If competitors want to do it, let them do it. User experience is our main goal.”
Judging by Zhang's statements, it is unlikely that we will soon see a complex model with a significantly lower price.
Oppo wants to appear uncompromising in its approach to product development, and its message is that the user experience comes first; The aspect of any device that is guaranteed to be affected if you start hacking into basic interaction methods (such as the security screen) or features.
Zhang, however, has left the door open for other manufacturers to decide what to expect from the familiar folding experience in the mid-range market. So the question is who's first?
Check out our roundup of the best foldable devices and you can learn more about the Oppo Find N2 series while you're there.
