The company also formed strategic partnerships with industry giants like Google, Microsoft, and MediaTek for specific AI service-related objectives. Its Microsoft collaboration, for example, is expected to bring a more natural voice and text conversion experience. MediaTek will assist in providing optimized chipsets for efficient AI performance. While Google will integrate Gemini into features like AI Toolbox and AI Writer for Find X flagship and Reno 12 series models.
Lastly, custom AI frameworks for very specific OPPO features are also in the works following these business strategies, making the smart features feel more streamlined to the physical models that will support them.
For the end user, all of this supposedly translates to 100+ generative AI features to OPPO’s entire eligible lineup, which includes models from all tiers. The ultimate goal, at least for this year, is to make the features available to 50 million users before the year ends.
Pushing Through Established Grounds
While OPPO’s commitment to the AI bandwagon is commendable, we also have to address the obvious point that they are hardly the first when it comes to generative AI features. Samsung, Xiaomi, and Apple already have considerable headstarts when incorporating various AI capabilities into their devices. This could affect the technical mind share when comparing products with competing AI features. Then again, this might also be precisely why OPPO is dead set in significantly beefing up its feature list from the get-go.
As with any AI-powered technology, there are also concerns about privacy and data security. OPPO has addressed this by stating that it will not use user data for training models and has established a robust data security and privacy protection system. However, it is still up to the consumers to take the company’s word, to weigh the benefits of these AI features against potential privacy risks.
Strength in Numbers, and Tiers?
Like any market that borders the point of saturation, the true success of AI-powered smartphones will depend on their ability to differentiate themselves from competitors. OPPO takes a slightly tangential approach by drastically increasing its feature list instead.
However, instead of just pure numbers, we believe that making the features available to the lowest denominator will still be the deciding factor. Indeed, that is also part of the company’s grand AI plan: no series left untouched. Even if OPPO phones aren’t exactly cheap, that objective alone is already a significant step in normalizing the technology for everyone.
