Smartphone wars: Can a luxury trip to Bali seduce consumers towards the mid-range market?

AS THE smartphone wars heat up, one company has a unique promotion it hopes will make Australian consumers rethink their spending habits when it comes to getting a new device.

Oppo is about to release its latest handset, the R15 and R15 Pro, and is offering the chance for a select few to get their hands on the device early, along with a luxury holiday to Bali.

So, for the same price as an iPhone X, you get a new phone and an international holiday.

Under the Bali Bundle deal, for $1579 you get an Oppo R15 Pro, a gift card for up to $600 worth of flights to Bali, three nights of single accommodation at Oppo’s Bali Pool Villa*, along with a range of luxury extras including a massage, fine dining experience and day pass Karma Kandara Beach Club.

When released, the Oppo R15 will cost $659 outright, while the R15 Pro will retail for $779.

The Bali bundle does come with a handful of special extras but it is possible to find your own Bali holiday package for about the same price as the $800 extra it costs.

But according to Oppo execs, the unusual promotion is designed to drive home the message that consumers can get a great smartphone with all the latest tech without necessarily forgoing other luxury purchases like a holiday.

Oppo has always placed a strong focus on camera technology and R15 and R15 Pro come with an improved 20MP front-facing selfie camera. New sensor technology also works to improve backlight selfies and allow users to check high dynamic exposure live effects in real-time.

The R-series devices boast a 6.28-inch super full-screen display and upgraded facial recognition technology that can accurately collect 296 feature points of a human face meaning users can now play around with AR stickers.

The Bali bundles went on sale online for preorder this week and are available to first 50 customers only — and the company says there are still a good amount left.

“We’re excited to bring the latest devices in the R-Series to Aussie shores. With the prices of smartphones on the rise, it’s important for Oppo that we keep offering our customers flagship features at affordable prices,” Oppo managing director Michael Tran said.

Oppo has been making big strides in the Australasian market in recent years and become one of the top smartphone brands in Australia according to the number of shipments.

The company is increasing its presence Down Under and recently opened its first service and repair store in Macquarie Park in Sydney, with plans to open another one in the Melbourne CBD.

But despite many consumers turning to the growing mid-range market for a more affordable deal when buying a smartphone, new data suggests the company still faces an uphill battle among loyal mobile users.

Only one in four (27 per cent) of Aussie consumers have a phone that isn’t made by Samsung or Apple, according to a recent survey by Finder.com.au.

Apple is the leader with 39 per cent reporting they currently have an iPhone while 34 per cent of respondents said they have a Samsung device.

When asked what brand phone they’ll purchase next, 81 per cent of current Apple phone users are planning to upgrade to an iPhone next time they switch. That number was slightly lower for Samsung users at 68 per cent.

“We’re creatures of habit, and it can be annoying to switch operating systems, especially when you have your laptop and iTunes all synched up,” said finder.com.au’s tech expert Alex Kidman.

“That said, Android-based phones (including Oppo devices) have a slight advantage over Apple as a switch between a Samsung and any other Android phone at least provides the familiarity of the same operating system.”

The presale for the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro starts on July 2, followed by a full in-store release on July 9.

*Accommodation available for dates July 1-December 23, 2018 and January 6-March 31, 2019.