Oppo brings back premium Find X smartphones to global markets amid slow growth at home

Oppo has brought back its high-end Find X series smartphones to overseas markets in a renewed international push, as Chinese Android handset vendors step up expansion efforts amid cutthroat competition at home.

The Chinese smartphone giant – the world’s fourth-largest handset vendor by shipments last quarter, according to research firm IDC – on Thursday held the global launch of its new Find X8 and Find X8 Pro in Bali, Indonesia.

The launch comes after a two-year hiatus for Oppo’s flagship device outside mainland China, as the company seeks to challenge Apple and Samsung Electronics in the premium segment.

“Branding and retail networks are at the core of the overseas competition of flagship products, and we have made substantial progress in the past two years that has given us confidence for the success of Find X8,” Oppo overseas chief marketing officer Elvis Zhou said in a media briefing on Wednesday.

Oppo’s international push reflects how Chinese handset makers are ramping up efforts to reach more overseas consumers, as competition on the mainland – the world’s largest smartphone market – continues to intensify with a resurgent Huawei Technologies, which has focused its handset business on the domestic market since being blacklisted by Washington.