Oppo And MediaTek Say Building A Smartphone Isnt Anything Like Ikea

6 minute read

Oppo And MediaTek Say Building A Smartphone Isnt Anything Like Ikea

“People have a hard time understanding how they are made and how much work it takes to make a smartphone. It's not just about getting the components out of the boxes. We are not going to build a living room at Ikea.”

Arne Herkelmann, head of product management at Oppo Europe, smiled as he told me and I nodded in agreement. Smartphone development is quite complex and good collaboration is essential for success.

Digital Trends spoke with Rob Moffat, Herkelmann and MediaTek VP of Sales and Business Development Europe, about the making of the Oppo Reno 8 Pro and how two fast-growing and motivated brands are working together. Create winning devices.

Renault, Dimension and DORA

"Some people think you open a box and say, 'Today we'll make a smartphone and then we'll all build it together,'" Herkelman laughed when asked about the process of building a new phone. "It's a little more difficult."

Oppo chose the high-end MediaTek Dimensity 8100 Max mobile chipset for the Reno 8 Pro, but it wasn't just a matter of choice and care. The 8100 Max is one of MediaTek's latest custom chips, and manufacturers are working with MediaTek to customize its chipset as part of an initiative called Dimensity Open Resource Architecture, or DORA for short.

“We knew we wanted to use a MediaTek processor,” Herkelman said, “and we knew we wanted to use the MariSilicon X [developed by Oppo] Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to improve video performance. The MediaTek chip is so heavy, we didn't hear anything in the video and could focus on other areas.

The goal of the Oppo and Reno 8 Pro was efficiency, and in my experience they really excel in this area, surprising the device with their ability to make the most of relatively modest battery capacity. Moffat explained that this is part of the DORA initiative.

ALSO READ:OPPO Reno10 Series India Launch Set For July 10

“The Dimensity 8100 Max is an important part of the conversation,” Moffat said. “We are working closely [with companies using DORA chips] on a technical level, and some want to focus on AI, some just want to focus on the camera. When Oppo contacted us, it was clear that the demand was real and behind [the Reno 8 Pro chip] there are thousands of hours of research and development related to optimizing the chipset.”

Herkelman replied. added, “Oppo and MediaTek have worked together to customize the standard product for Reno 8 Pro to improve efficiency and performance and make it the way we want it with ColorOS. It's just a 4500mAh battery and that's pretty small when you look at the numbers. , but the performance and battery life is far superior to what we get from the 5000 mAh devices currently on the market. This is an organized work of Oppo and MediaTek.

Successful teamwork

Oppo and MediaTek are major players in the smartphone market, but both are arguably more famous in China than the rest of the world. MediaTek, which recently made great strides in the US, is partnering with Oppo in Europe, and the Reno 8 Pro is an important collaboration for both companies.

Herkelman explained, “We have already produced many devices with MediaTek in the European market, but we have never produced anything of this magnitude before. Entry-level phones have fewer specs, fewer cameras, and you don't have as many settings or as many dialogues with partners. Renault 8 Pro new. It's the first of its kind in the European market, and we've tuned it together, and this is the first time we've collaborated [with MediaTek] on software to make sure the chipset does exactly what we need. This is also the first and only third time [MariSilicon X phone] that we have included in the MariSilicon Xi Reno series. We enjoyed working together and it was fantastic."

The Reno 8 Pro was clearly an important phone for Oppo, and Moffat explained that it's just as important for MediaTek, only in a different way:

“We have created many resources in Europe to support Oppo and other companies and ensure that these premium devices run smoothly. It was the biggest test [of MediaTek's new assets], but that was because it was a well-known product from a major smartphone buyer using one of our best chips in the region for the first time. It was important that we do well, so we worked closely with Oppo before and after the launch.

“It took cooperation and commitment,” Moffat continued. “We have offices and development teams working directly with Oppo in China, but it took much longer. Bringing the product to market will require cooperation between regions.”

Long term partnership

ALSO READ:With OPPO Smartphones, Everyone Can Take Pictures Like A Pro

MediaTek has been hard at work for some time now to establish a solid international reputation by manufacturing high-quality chipsets, innovating in 5G, and powering a range of devices sold worldwide, from Amazon Alexa products to Peloton ergs. But Moffat said the partnership with Oppo on the Reno 8 Pro is a very effective business card in Europe.

“This collaboration with MediaTek shows how things should be done,” he said, before discussing the newly opened offices in Düsseldorf, Germany with Oppo. “Oppo and MediaTek offices are very important to us. This is a commitment to support Oppo and other companies in Europe as the execution must be 100% accurate. We are strengthening the team in Europe because this is the right way. We need to be able to transfer the benefits of our technology to the customer.”

While Oppo is not as well known in the United States as it is in Europe, it has gained a lot of prominence through a number of major sports sponsors, from Wimbledon tennis to UEFA football. Beautifully designed feature phones like the Find X5 Pro are trustworthy. He knows how to sell himself and, according to MediaTek, not very well.

The Reno 8 Pro could be a big step forward for Oppo and MediaTek, but as Herkelmann explains it's been a long time coming: "Most of the Oppo A series is MediaTek based, and in China the Find X5 series is the Dimensity version. Chip 9100 inside. We launched." MediaTek's first European smartphone was also an Oppo 2020 device, the Reno 4Z.

Building for the future

The Reno 8 Pro is one of the best Oppo phones I've ever used and its success can be attributed to the story behind it. Moffat explained that Target not only wants to make a great phone, but also wants to showcase what it can do to you, the customer: “We need to translate how our technology benefits the end user. For Oppo, it's easier for the end user. This time we did it and everything went very well.”

Herkelmann was equally excited about the result and the future of the two brands: “We will continue on this path. It was a really good experience for both companies. Let's see what happens".

If the Reno 8 Pro represents what two motivated companies can achieve when they work together especially closely, we can't wait to see what happens next. The Reno 8 Pro is currently available in the UK and Europe, and you can read what we think of it in our Oppo Reno 8 Pro review.