Oppo Plans to Challenge Apple Globally, Starting With 'Find X5' Premium Smartphone

The Find X5 is the first of a wave of premium devices that will compete with Apple on a global scale, according to the South China Morning Post.

Following its merger with OnePlus, the company has renewed zeal to create high-end smartphones that target international markets. The company is planning to use its Find series of devices and custom-designed chips to push into the premium segment that is currently dominated by Apple and SAMSUNG, according to the company's vice-president of overseas sales and service.

The Find X5 features a custom-designed MariSilicon X image processor that the company unveiled in December 2015, and is the latest flagship from Oppo. The chip is designed to improve low-light video performance. The Find X5 series is expected to be among the priciest devices ever sold by the company, pitting it against the iPhone 13 and S22 lineups.

The MariSilicon X image processor in the Find X5 is one of the custom chips that Oppo is designing. The company has been hit by the global chip shortage and has allocated its chip inventory to prioritize premium models in key markets.

Sales of the Find and OnePlus series are expected to double in 2022, thanks to rapid growth in Western Europe and South America. The company is trying to fill the void left byHuawei, which was forced to pull out of the U.S. market.