OPPO’s Find X10 Pro Max launch at Vodacom World had a golf simulator, a portrait studio and five giant images hiding details for guests to find. The phone was there, of course, but there was plenty else to get stuck into.
The golf simulator was the crowd-pleaser. Sabelo “DJ Sabby” Mtshali, the evening’s MC, joked that a good swing can make you feel like Tiger Woods. Then came the reminder: it’s still only a game, gents.
That was the tone of the evening. People could try things, take photos and have a go. OPPO had given the Find X10 Pro Max a room full of ways to show off.
OPPO Find X10 Pro Max launch
The Precision Golf Simulator gave guests a chance to take a swing while a projected course showed where the ball had gone. It was easy to see why people kept gathering around it. A golf swing is still a golf swing, even when the course is digital.
At The Art of Precision display, the phone was paired with a lens kit attachment for a zoom and framing demonstration. Five scenes showed a football in a stadium, a plane in a city, a flag on a golf course, an earring in a portrait and a night-time city.
The challenge was to spot small details in each image. Some people took up to two minutes to find the items, but the winner for the evening managed in 17 seconds!
There was also a photo studio with a white portrait set and a green screen. Guests could try different looks and backgrounds. Product stands around the room gave them a chance to handle OPPO devices, with staff available to show them around.
The demonstrations went a long way to explain the phone’s camera system without attendees having to sit through another slide about megapixels. But speaking of megapixels, those are impressive too.
The Find X10 Pro Max has three rear cameras, and each one is rated at 200MP: the main camera, ultra-wide and telephoto. That is where the “600MP” figure comes from. So, three 200MP cameras, not one 600MP sensor. As per OPPO’s global announcement, the Find X10 Pro Max is the first smartphone with 200MP resolution across all three rear cameras.
Impressive specs, but the more practical point is that the phone gives each of its three rear cameras the same headline resolution. The ultra-wide camera can take in a broad scene, while the telephoto camera is designed to bring distant subjects closer. A 200MP main camera handles the view between them.
The phone also supports video recording at up to 8K at 30 frames per second, with 4K recording up to 120 frames per second. The front camera is 50MP and has autofocus. Those details didn’t get as much time on stage as the big camera number, but they give a clearer picture of how much the phone is meant to do.
ALSO READ: OPPO launches the Find X10 Pro Max in South Africa with a Triple 200MP Hasselblad camera
OPPO is making a bigger bet on premium
The launch also gave Sam Zhang, OPPO South Africa’s CEO, room to talk about the business behind the phone. He said the company had faced challenges over the past few years and had made mistakes.
In July, OPPO restructured and set a new strategy, he said, with a stronger focus on premium products.
Zhang said the Find series’ latest generation had achieved almost twice the sales of the previous generation in Europe. That was the figure he offered as an example of the company’s premium strategy working in another market.
In my interview with Zhang, I asked what success in South Africa would look like beyond sales figures. The company’s first goal, he said, is to give customers a good experience. Market share only follow when customers are happy with the product.
“Sales and market share are results, not our target. Our target is to provide the best experience for customers.”
He also said customer expectations change from year to year. OPPO wants to offer more premium choices and meet those expectations, he said.
The Find X10 Pro Max is an expensive phone by South African standards, so that strategy depends on customers seeing enough value in the camera, performance and overall experience to consider paying for it.
OPPO had been in South Africa for six years, and Zhang described the early years as a good partnership with local partners, followed by a period when the company’s strategy did not keep pace with changes in the market.
The recent restructure, he said, was meant to help OPPO respond better to what customers want. Judging by the queue at the golf simulator, that can include a chance to try something for themselves. People kept lining up for another swing, even after Sabelo had reminded them they weren’t Tiger Woods.
Pricing and availability
The OPPO Find X10 Pro Max is available in Titanium Grey with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage at a recommended retail price of R39,999. It is available through participating retail channels.
Through 2 January 2027, customers can buy the phone through the OPPO online store for R42,000 and receive free Enco Buds3 Pro earbuds, 12 months of accidental damage protection, an extra 12-month warranty and factory-fault replacement within 180 days. They can also add an OPPO Watch X2 for R3,499.
Until 2 December 2026, customers can add the lens kit for R5,000, saving R2,000 against its R7,000 recommended retail price. Terms and conditions apply.
Vodacom’s proposed contract offer is R1,699 per month over 36 months and includes a free Enco Clip2. A lens-kit add-on is expected to be available from December, with the price and package details subject to confirmation.
The first 10 qualifying customers at Vodacom World can receive a lens kit and free Enco Clip2, along with exclusive insurance benefits.
Vodacom offers are subject to applicable terms and conditions. Contract package details and insurance benefits remain subject to confirmation.
