“AI is much more than a bubble, it is the future of mobile phones”

“The launch of the Reno12 series means a lot to us, as part of our AI and recovery strategy in Europe,” explains to EL ESPAÑOL – Omicrono Arne Herkelman, head of product Management at Oppo Europe and the main protagonist during the presentation of the new products of the Chinese company, with permission from Bingo Liu.

The CEO of Oppo Europe himself assured that in the last 5 years they have sold more than 100 million units worldwide, and they want to continue growing in markets such as Spain, betting decisively on artificial intelligence, since “smartphones are the ideal devices to access and use mobile AI.”

At this point, what kind of challenges does a company like Oppo face when launching a new mobile phone in such a saturated market?

If you look at the Reno12 series, they are the first phones to offer AI features at a much more affordable price than the high-end ones, it is not something we are limiting to our more premium models. We’re going straight into the mid-range, to make sure that more people can get AI features and use them in their daily lives, something that other brands in the industry are not doing right now.

In terms of differentiation, we have AI features that people can play with and try new things, whether it’s AI Eraser, AI Studio, or other tools like our AI recording overview. On top of that, we have great camera performance and excellent image quality, which we believe are also distinctive elements.

No matter which Oppo phone you choose, you will always see that the quality is outstanding and that they have great durability. Having a battery that lasts for years and does not need to be replaced, or go to repair shops for this type of repair, is something very, very important to us.

Would you say that the mid-range is the most difficult to conquer?

Each range poses different challenges. For the mid-range, perhaps the most difficult thing is to find that differentiating element to stand out from the competition. Most brands decide to launch a new feature in the high range, one year later it is available in the mid-range and the next they make it reach the entry range.

At Oppo we have decided to go directly to the mid-range with this launch, because we believe that there are many more people who should have access to AI. As Bingo Liu said during the presentation, this year we aim for 50 million people to use AI functions on Oppo smartphones around the world. That means we have big ambitions and the mid-range is certainly an important part of that strategy.

Are the AI ​​functions that the Reno12 exclusively have at the moment also going to reach other Oppo phones?

Let’s put it this way: Oppo AI will come to more devices throughout the year. The idea is that in Europe it will be in the Find X series, the Reno series and the A series, Oppo’s entry segment. All of them will have certain artificial intelligence functions. What will they be exactly? It depends a little on the capacity of each device and, of course, also on the calendar. What we are committed to is that apps like Studio AI and AI features like Best Face, in addition to some new things that we are already preparing, will be in all Oppo series.

AI is the buzzword since the arrival of ChatGPT. Don’t you think there is a certain bubble around this technology?

It is definitely much more than a bubble. We believe that AI is the future of mobile phones. That said, the word AI may be a little overrated right now, but the functions that this technology enables, the solutions that AI can already offer people today, beyond image editing or generating texts, they are there to stay.

We are convinced that smartphones are going to change more and more in that direction. In the case of Oppo, it is not something new. If you look at the older phones in the Reno series, AI has been there for quite some time, although it may not have come to light as much as the generative AI part.

Right now, when talking about AI, most people think of ChatGPT, Midjourney, and other generative AIs. But for example, for the Reno12 series, we have AI in resource management, both RAM and CPU and ROM. We have AI in battery management, in network connections, in voice calls to suppress background noise… It is completely integrated into the phone and we can do many more things thanks to it. This is just the beginning.

For the Reno12 series in Europe, they have opted for a new chip developed in collaboration with MediaTek. What is the reason for this decision?

That’s right, we have opted for the new MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Energy chips, which MediaTek announced just a few weeks ago. We are the first to use this chip in a real smartphone worldwide and we are delighted.

We have been working closely with MediaTek to improve energy efficiency. They have installed a new modem inside the chip that allows us to take advantage of features like AI LinkBoost, for example, which allows us to have much better 5G connectivity.

This improvement is key for us, because AI needs a good connection to the cloud, especially taking into account everything that people want to do with their smartphones today.

So improving connectivity is essential. The energy efficiency is also very good, the performance is great… It means a lot to us to have this chip and to have the cooperation of MediaTek.

And what has the signing of the patent agreement with Nokia meant for the company in Europe?

We hit the pause button in some markets and at the last Mobile World Congress we announced that we would return to providing service in all the markets where we did before. So everyone in Europe who has bought an Oppo device in the past will be able to do so again in the very, very near future.

Today we have marked the first milestone of what this agreement represents with the return of the Reno12 series to countries like France or the United Kingdom, and from here we will go step by step. You will see us everywhere we have been before and stronger than ever.

Until now we have talked only about the present. What can we expect from Oppo for the future?

Our goals are very ambitious and we are working to achieve them. I hope that today has also helped people realize that at Oppo we keep our promises. Today we do justice to the commitment we announced at MWC, not only bringing phones, but also other devices such as the Watch X or headphones.

And if we have just promised that there will be 50 million phones with Oppo AI by the end of the year around the world, we trust that Europe, and therefore Spain, will represent a good part of that figure.