Until recently, smartphone makers chased developing markets to grow share, because the premium segment was close to saturated. Now the picture has flipped: soaring memory prices make entry-level phones unsustainable, while premium models have the margins to absorb the increases and target a less price-sensitive audience. The effects are already visible in the cheapest phone segment, which is shrinking in many markets.
Against this backdrop Oppo is expanding in Europe. According to analysts at Omdia, one in three phones sold in the first half of 2026 was premium, meaning it cost $600 or more. The same analysts put Europe second for premium share at 40%, with annual growth of 9%, behind only North America. These are Omdia's estimates, not independently verified figures. That would make Europe the largest easily accessible premium market.
Image: OPPO — https://www.oppo.com/en/?OPPO
Oppo's plan is simple: cut the time between a phone's launch in China and its arrival in Europe. New models then arrive while they are still generating buzz, and rivals have less room to sell their own new models unchallenged. The gap has already narrowed this year, and the company plans to shrink it further or eliminate it entirely next year. According to Nikkei Asia, Oppo aims to double sales of its premium smartphones in Europe in 2027.
Faster launches are only part of the plan. Oppo is forging partnerships with European carriers and financing institutions, so its phones will be offered by more carriers and customers will have more ways to buy them on a payment plan.
Image: OPPO — https://www.oppo.com/en/?OPPO
A return after a year away
Oppo's comeback is not only about new launches. According to Movilforum, the company will bring its most premium phones back to Europe after a year's absence, though it is not yet known exactly when they will be available.
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