The summary: OPPO wants to democratize AI by bringing it to 50 million users through a future update. The company invited media to a briefing in London to showcase its plans for what it is dubbing “the AI phone.” Exactly what that entails is somewhat unclear, but phones across its Find, Reno, F, and A series will gain access to a series of Generative AI phones.
The impact: OPPO makes impressive hardware. Thanks to its close partnership with sister brands OnePlus and Vivo, we’ll likely see similar features launched on OnePlus and Vivo devices (this is not confirmed, however). In particular, this represents the first time we’ll see generative AI features on some of the best budget phones globally.
Impact by House of Tech is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
The deep-dive: This is exciting for its potential to impact millions of lives overnight. OPPO’s research found that users use generative AI features such as the AI Eraser up to 15 times per day. Compound this over that many millions of potential new users through software updates and the capacity for LLMs to learn user behavior, and this could put OPPO in a strong position when it comes to understanding which AI features could have an impact.
Companies are racing to bring generative AI features to their phones. Apple is expected to launch an overhaul of the iPhone through iOS 18, with AI set to be the theme of WWDC. Google dedicated its entire Google I/O keynote to AI, with Gemini AI set to touch every aspect of your work and personal life, including Android 15.
Android 15 is already in Beta with Gemini available, while Apple will unveil iOS 18 next week and the Developer Preview should be available soon after. Both platforms will launch around August or September. OPPO didn’t confirm when these updates will drop for its devices, but it said they would first launch in China by the end of this year. Based on the performance and user feedback, OPPO will expand these to its users in other countries.
Further background:
- OPPO uses AI as a bucket for all features that use an LLM or machine learning.
- The core LLMs used are OPPO’s own and those developed by Google (Gemini), MediaTek, Microsoft, and others to develop these features.
- The collaboration is not limited to LLMs (although OPPO wouldn’t confirm what else the collaboration entailed).
- Crucially, OPPO was tightlipped on whether it would charge for these AI features in the future. Since Google Gemini and ChatGPT cost $20 per month for the full plans, and all companies are looking to introduce recurring subscriptions in their products, this could be an interesting move that builds an additional revenue stream.
- OPPO has also settled its patent dispute with Nokia and licensed the necessary patents to ensure its products can return to European markets. The Find X7 Ultra is one of my favorite camera phones, while the OnePlus Open is the best foldable phone. More devices like these in the key European market could help OPPO increase its market share.
- Many questions remain about the features and where user data will be stored. When pressed, OPPO could not share any more details on its efforts to ensure user data is private other than saying it abides by all legal requirements in each jurisdiction in which it sells its products.
Impact by House of Tech is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
