Oppo, OnePlus, Realme … Since the beginning of 2023, rumors have been piling up about these three brands leaving France. There is new bad news every week, so it can be difficult to keep track of everything. We summarize the case for you.
Oppo could be forced to withdraw from France in 2023. // Source: Frandroid – Claire Braikeh
What are these carabistouilles? Why is everyone talking about Oppo and OnePlus leaving France? Is it founded? If you haven’t followed the case yet, this article will try to summarize everything for you. We’ll start with the basic question: why is everyone saying Oppo is going?
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Who is Oppo?
Oppo is a smartphone brand based in China. In France, it had recently achieved the status of 4th brand on the market and Frandroid recognized a certain talent in it, as evidenced by our Best Smartphone of 2022 award for the Oppo Find X5 Pro. In early 2022, Frandroid readers voted in a poll that it was a great brand. In short, the future seemed bright for Oppo to become a major brand in the industry.
Why does Oppo risk leaving France?
Two main causes can be mentioned. The first is quite simply the economic crisis the smartphone industry is going through. The second is an ongoing litigation with Nokia.
We start with the crisis in the industry. Global sales of all manufacturers fell by 11% in 2022. According to the analysis house Canalys, Oppo in particular had to accept a drop in sales of around 22%. That partly explains Oppo’s desire to put the brakes on, especially since Europe is a notoriously difficult market. Chinese manufacturers go there mainly for reasons of prestige and brand image, even before they want to make a living there.
Why is Nokia involved in this case?
Second reason for this sudden panic: Oppo is at odds with Nokia in court. Without going into too much detail, Nokia attacks Oppo for using patents for 4G and 5G. The two brands once agreed on a tariff for the use of these patents, but can no longer agree. Except Oppo would keep using those patents.
To convince you of the seriousness of the case, suffice it to say that the case in Germany ended in a sales ban following a decision by a German court. Oppo has appealed the decision, but it’s very difficult to sustain a business without continuing to generate revenue. In any European country, including France, Nokia would appeal to courts for the same case. The fear is that the same causes lead to the same consequences.
Therefore, faced with these two immense challenges, Oppo would have decided to step on the brake pedal to avoid the pile-up.
What are the signs that Oppo will leave France?
So much for the likely reasons for departure. However, when the case became known in the press at the end of March 2023 and several tweets claimed that the manufacturer was about to leave the company, Oppo completely denied this. Here is her message sent to Frandroid at the time:
“OPPO and OnePlus stand by their commitments in all European markets where they are present. We’ve had a great start to 2023 with the successful launch of several products in Europe and have a number of other products ahead of us for the rest of the year. As always, OPPO and OnePlus will continue to provide more innovative products and the best service for users. »
Source: Frandroid – Chloé Pertuis
Normally, we could have stopped at the brand’s press release. But even before the first tweets, various rumors reached us. In addition, former employees of an Oppo subcontractor, Atmostphères, contacted us and we launched an investigation into the matter. Her job was to boost sales in the store. However, these employees had either been technically unemployed for several months or had switched to other assignments that had nothing to do with Oppo.
Some have comforted us with the notion of shipwreck, like this statement from a vendor explaining the final months of his mission:
“We understood that they are leaving because we were no longer trained on new products. We see the Find X coming out in China, oh no, it’s not coming out in France. We see the arrival of the Renos. Will they be released in France? Neither. When the Find N2 Flip arrives we’re told of a store release and then eventually no, it’s only available on the website. »
Source: Frandroid – Chloé Pertuis
In April, when we were collecting these testimonials, many employees from Oppo, but also from OnePlus, a brand belonging to the same group, changed their LinkedIn status to “Open for work” or announced their departure. Two more bad news came in May: the head of the group’s French subsidiary announced his resignation and Oppo’s online store was closing. In short, Oppo’s communication could confirm that everything works, The signals are red and nobody can be fooled anymore.
When would Oppo leave France?
At this point, the question is still completely open. When asked about a departure at the end of June 2023, the date communicated to us, Oppo replied that the company would also have a presence in France in July 2023.
Legally, the Oppo entity will still exist at this point, but according to the feedback we have, it could soon be an empty shell. At Oppo France, departures are piling up and, according to L’Usine Digitale, a redundancy plan is underway. On the OnePlus side, the Artech company that operated the brand in France has also launched a layoff plan and could close its shop.
As you’ll understand, while it’s difficult to give an exact date for a possible exit, it appears to be happening behind the scenes.
Again, the ambiguity remains and it is important to insist on this point. Three solutions seem possible:
- Oppo France is closing and the parent company in China is simply ceasing all activities in France. No other creature takes the marker in the hex, so it’s over.
- Oppo’s French branch will be forcibly liquidated, but Oppo World wants to continue selling its products in France. We can then imagine that an online sales platform will be set up to continue selling part of the products. A small team could be put together to ensure operations.
- Nokia wins the lawsuit and uses its patents to prevent Oppo from continuing to sell products. Oppo could therefore continue to sell products that don’t take advantage of the Finnish giant’s 4G or 5G patents, such as the OnePlus Watch or the Oppo Pad Air. It remains very hypothetical.
Of course, the truth may lie at the intersection of several of these hypotheses. Of course, it’s not out of the question that Oppo will win the lawsuit against Nokia, but given the moves behind the scenes, we’re inclined to think that Oppo isn’t really banking on that hypothesis anymore.
Are the OnePlus and Realme brands affected?
We talk a lot about Oppo in this article because it is the flagship brand of the Oplus group that all eyes are on. But within this group we also find OnePlus and Realme. Unfortunately, these two brands also seem to be under threat.
The Oppo Find N2, a flagship smartphone that never made it to France. // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Frandroid
Let’s start with OnePlus. The company has a rich history in France with a very active fan base. His departure would therefore be a real thunderbolt. According to our information, the legal entity operating the brand in France is in the process of closure. But at this point, it’s impossible to know what sauce OnePlus will be eaten in. One thing is certain: the situation of Oppo France has an impact on OnePlus France. The two companies are located side by side in the same premises.
Let’s get to Realme. As we informed you in March 2023, Realme seems to have almost ceased its activities in France since September 2022. Admittedly, there are still some models coming out here, such as the Realme C55, but we are far from having good times. This was preceded by the many references that conquered the Xiaomi market.
Can I still buy an Oppo, OnePlus or Realme smartphone?
Of course, nothing prevents you from buying a smartphone from one of these brands, or any other product such as headphones, a tablet or a watch. With OnePlus you have the choice between buying directly from the brand’s online shop or from various retailers.
With Realme and Oppo, on the other hand, it is impossible to supply you with the brands directly. It’s easy on the Oppo side, since May 31 there is no official store. An error appears on the page promising an upcoming return from the online store.
The Oppo Store on June 7, 2023. // Source: Oppo
Realme, on the other hand, still has a store, but this one is very special. We had two scenarios: either it’s impossible to buy a product, the site proposes to notify us when stock is restocked, or we find links with poorly proportioned logos that invite us to go to a retailer , for example to Fnac and Amazon.
Source: Realme
Source: Realme
Will my Oppo or OnePlus smartphone be updated?
When a brand is in trouble, owners of the products it makes may wonder what the future of their acquisition will be like. Oppo and OnePlus were very reassuring about this, repeatedly repeating their desire not to affect existing users.
For example, Oppo wrote:
“Our top priority, as always, is to continue to provide excellent service to our existing users in France. Users can continue to use Oppo products, access customer support, receive future OS updates, etc. Nothing changes for end users. »
The statement could not be clearer. Whatever happens, the brand is undeniably involved here.
For its part, OnePlus wrote us a message of the same nature:
“OnePlus is tied to France and continues its activities there. As always, our users can continue to enjoy OnePlus products, receive software updates and access customer service. »
If I have a problem, is Oppo, OnePlus and Realme customer service still reliable?
The subject of after-sales service (SAV) is somewhat more complex. Contractually, the seller is obliged to provide a two-year legal guarantee of conformity when you purchase your phone. A priori, in the event of a problem within this period, the seller should be able to offer you a refund or a replacement of the product. No worries.
Oppo’s after-sales service was 100% provided by French repairers. Source: Apple
Oppo even goes a step further and offers a three-year manufacturer’s warranty on certain product ranges, such as the Oppo Reno 8 range. According to our information, Oppo works with 100% French-based partners. Let’s hope that Oppo can continue to offer this service if the French branch were to go out of business tomorrow. We do not guarantee this.
Be careful with customer service on the Realme side. When we were questioned about this issue, the brand sent us to a partner, CEAT, who is currently in bankruptcy proceedings, as we learned from France Bleu. The Dijon Commercial Court is expected to decide the fate of the company on July 3.
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