In 2022, the German courts forced the Chinese giants OPPO Is oneplus cease sales on German territory. At issue was a lawsuit, filed by Nokia, over patents protecting the WLAN wireless communication standard.
The 5G dispute would force both brands to leave Germany after court rulings barred both companies from this important market in Europe. In a short time, both brands would withdraw all their products from the online store, and the same applies to their physical presence in that country.
Vivo now follows the example of OnePlus and OPPO
By accessing the page Vivo’s website and online store no longer find electronics such as Android smartphones for sale. Instead we get a message stating that the brand’s products are not available in Germany at the moment.
However, the brand guarantees that customer service is still available, ensuring the maintenance of mobile devices sold in the German market up to that time. Likewise, they guarantee the existence of software updates for the equipment.
It should be noted that at the moment we do not know if this removal is temporary or permanent. However, if the same fate applies to OPPO and OnePlus, then Vivo will now be locked out of this important market in Europe.
OPPO and Vivo would be considering going all over Europe
The setbacks suffered by the Chinese brands under the control of the BBK group have impacted the companies’ economy significantly enough for them to now consider a definitive exit from Europe.
The “German case” was the straw that broke the camel’s back, triggered by Nokia taking infringement of the patents in question to court.
On the other hand, both OPPO and Vivo and OnePlus suffered adverse economic conditions. First with the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by the Ukrainian War. Both factors had a very adverse impact on the sales of new smartphones shortly after both brands entered Europe with force.
Thus, about three years after OPPO entered our market, let alone Vivo, Chinese technology companies will already be preparing to withdraw.
The thesis is advanced by several sources such as technophilealso reporting on the ongoing negotiations between OPPO and Nokia to resolve this conflict.
Xiaomi is the only “firm” Chinese manufacturer in Europe
In short, for the moment Xiaomi is the only Chinese manufacturer with a strong presence in Europe and good growth prospects. With OPPO, Vivo, OnePlus and Realme following the same path, and without Huawei having a significant presence, the European market is definitely tripartite.
Samsung maintains its lead in Europe, followed by Apple in second and Xiaomi firmly in third. However, we are now awaiting an official pronouncement from Vivo in the wake of these less than encouraging developments.
