OPPO showcased multiple new conceptual designs based on its human-centric design philosophy at the 4th China International Industrial Design Expo (CIIDE). These conceptual designs were created in partnership with leading Japanese industrial designing studio nendo and were a result from the close collaboration between OPPO and Oki Sato, the CEO and chief designer of nendo, exploring the possibilities of future design.
The China International Industrial Design Expo is a national-level event focused on industrial design in China. With this year’s theme of “New Designs, New Trends, New Momentum,” OPPO put on a retrospective exposition, showcasing classic industry-leading product designs from throughout its history.
OPPO showcased the “slide-phone” and “music-link” conceptual designs at the expo. The idea for the slide-phone originated from OPPO and nendo’s discovery that smartphone users increasingly rely on their smartphones to interact with the world around them. Common smartphone trends showcase larger phones to support more functionality but make it difficult to hold and less convenient for users. Armed with this insight, the slide-phone concept is designed with three foldable screens attached by hinges folding over in the same direction to provide users with the flexibility to change the form of the phone as needed. Furthermore, a stylus inserted in the phone allows users to expand their productivity by using the phone for work or other more complex tasks.
OPPO and nendo’s other conceptual design, music-link, is a collection of devices centred around a pair of TWS earphones that includes a smartwatch, an AI speaker, a portable charger and a wireless charger. All devices are designed in a sleek organic form, adopting an affinity design that mirrors the aesthetic values of users today. When TWS earphones and portable charging case are placed on the AI speaker, users can enjoy a seamless music experience transitioning from headphones to speaker. This symbiotic design between devices, and the emphasis on portability and convenience, reflects OPPO’s intention for technology to be human-focused in its design philosophy.
The music-link conceptual design
Commenting on the partnership, nendo CEO and chief designer, Oki Sato, said “I was impressed by OPPO’s philosophy, which goes beyond leveraging the latest technology and pursues a comfortable relationship between people and their products. I am looking forward to seeing new concepts from the OPPO team as well as seeing how they manage to further strike a balance between technology and practicality.”
OPPO Industrial Design Lead Designer Xiao Bo added: “nendo’s design is closely aligned with OPPO’s human-centric philosophy. This partnership is built upon the idea that to create a groundbreaking tech product with the right level of comfort for users, we must focus on what’s convenient for them. Moving forward, we will double down on this approach by engineering products with a more seamless, user-friendly experience.”
Morgan Halim, Managing Director at OPPO New Zealand echoes this philosophy. “We’re constantly striving to make technology more accessible and convenient for our users. This is a great example of how we put people first when considering our latest innovations. We’re really excited about the opportunity to showcase new and exciting concepts and will continue on the path to making technology as relevant to users as possible.”
OPPO established an industrial design centre at its inception to incubate design and innovation within the industry. The centre was certified by The Fourth selection of National Industrial Design Centres in China on 22 November 2019. OPPO’s cutting-edge product design has also been well-received and recognised by the industry.
This year, the OPPO Find X won the 2020 Good Design Awards, while the OPPO Find X2 Pro won the Swan Award in the China Mobile Phone Design Competition. OPPO will continue to focus on product design, further exploring how technology and aesthetics can be integrated to create closer relationships between people, devices, and the world around them.