Samsung was indeed the global leader in the smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, thanks to its low-cost handsets like the Galaxy J series. But while it was preparing for the launch of its flagship Galaxy S8 models during the period, a relatively lesser-known brand from the Far East managed to get the best-selling Android smartphone to its name. Well done, OPPO!
The latest report from Strategy Analytics found that China's OPPO R9s, with 9 million units shipped, was the highest-selling Android-powered smartphone in Q1 2017. It was also the world's third most popular smartphone model after Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which together shipped nearly 40 million units during the three-month period.
"OPPO R9s shipped 8.9 million units for third place and 3 percent marketshare worldwide in Q1 2017. OPPO is largely unknown in the Western world, but its brand is wildly popular in China and growing rapidly across India," Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement.
R9s, which is OPPO's flagship 4G handset with key features like dual-SIM connectivity and fingerprint security, was followed by Samsung with two of its mid-range device -- Galaxy J3 and Galaxy J5 -- wrapping up the top five. The South Korean tech giant shipped 6.1 million units of the Galaxy J3 and 5 million units of the Galaxy J5.
OPPO launched its R9s and R9s Plus smartphones at an event in China in October 2016. The R9s was priced at 2799 Yuan (around Rs. 28,000) while the R9s Plus had a price tag of 3,499 Yuan (around Rs. 34,500).
"The fact we're the number one selling Android smartphone in Q1 2017 is a phenomenal achievement for the company. OPPO isn't operating in as many markets as other smaretphone manufacturers, so the fact we've captured 2.5 percent of the global market with the R9s goes to show the premium quality handset is in huge dermand in the countries we are in," an OPPO spokesperson told International Business Times, India.
What's special in OPPO R9s?
The OPPO R9s, which runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, comes with an attractive physical design with a thickness of 6.58mm. And, it's remarkably light-weight despite having a sizeable 5.5-inch AMOLED screen (1920×1080), which looks stunning.
Another impressive aspect of the phone is its excellent battery life offered by a 3010mAh cell. The improved battery performance may be attributed to its Android Marshmallow-based ColorOS operating system. The phone also has fast charging capabilities and a fingerprint sensor.
Other specifications of the OPPO R9s include a 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage (upgradable to 256GB), a 16MP primary camera and a 16MP front camera.
