What led to the ban of Oppo phones in Germany?
The story dates back to 2018, when Oppo agreed to pay Nokia for using its patented technologies. The contract, however, expired after some time, and subsequent talks broke down. Fast forward to 2022, Nokia filed a lawsuit against Oppo for using important 5G technology in its smartphones that it had patented. A Mannheim district court ruled in favor of Nokia, forcing Oppo to stop sales in Germany.Oppo's online store in Germany remained live even after the ban, but it didn't contain any phones. Soon after, a statement came from one of Oppo's officials, who stated that sales had been halted because Nokia was demanding an unreasonably high price to renew the contract for using its patents.
Things settled for good in early January 2024 when both companies ended the legal battle by signing a global patent cross-licensing agreement. Following this, Oppo became eligible again to sell its smartphones in Germany. Still, it took almost two years for the Chinese tech company to fully restock its online store in the country, as it was reportedly fully stocked just a few days ago.
If you live in Germany and want to purchase an Oppo device, you can now visit its official online store instead of buying it from anywhere else. At the time of writing, the website features some of the latest and most popular Oppo phones, including the Oppo Find X9 Pro, Find X9, Reno 14 FS 5G, Reno 14 5G, A6 Pro 5G, and A5.
Talking about its return in Germany, here's what Oppo told Max Jambor:
Germany remains an important market for OPPO in Europe. We are currently re-engaging with German customers via OPPO’s official website, enabling direct access to selected products and services. Further updates regarding next steps will be communicated in due course.
Does Oppo deserve a bigger spot in the western market?
It's good for healthy competition
The reintroduction of Oppo will definitely give users more choices, especially with phones like the Find X9 Pro that give tough competition to even the Pixel 10 Pro in terms of camera performance. Before the ban, the company held around 5% market share in Germany.
So, if the Chinese company can regain the trust of German users and reach this level of market share again, it will definitely give tough competition to brands like Xiaomi and Google. Competing against Samsung and Apple still seems like an impossible job for Oppo right now, as both have double-digit market shares in Germany.