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Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus returns to Germany after sister firm Oppo strikes global 5G patent cross-licensing pact with Nokia
- Shenzhen-based OnePlus on Monday brought back six smartphone models to Germany, including the foldable OnePlus Open
- The company’s return comes days after sister firm Oppo and Finland’s Nokia struck a global 5G patent cross-licensing agreement
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Chinese Android handset maker OnePlus has returned to Germany’s smartphone market after a nearly 18-month hiatus, days after sister firm Oppo and Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia reached a global 5G patent cross-licensing deal to end a protracted legal dispute across 12 countries.
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Shenzhen-based OnePlus on Monday brought back six smartphone models to the world’s fourth-largest economy, including the foldable OnePlus Open, according to the firm’s German website. OnePlus also started pre-orders for its latest OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R handsets.
Before this week, OnePlus only offered a limited number of accessories, such as wireless earbuds, for purchase on its German website.
The company’s German comeback comes amid signs of a recovery in the global smartphone market after a prolonged slump, with tech research firm IDC projecting 3.8 per cent growth for the industry this year.
“Despite another lacklustre year for smartphones, 5G adoption continues to be a bright spot in the overall market,” said Anthony Scarsella, research director at IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker group, in a recent report. IDC expects global 5G smartphone shipments to grow 20 per cent this year, up from 11 per cent in 2023.
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Chinese smartphone vendors are also looking to grow sales beyond their home market, the industry’s largest, where handset price wars have intensified.
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