OPPO today launched “5G Spotlight Program” for Reno 5G. The concept is that OPPO will select 200 users in China to test the new flagship model. Based on their initial feedbacks, OPPO will explore the best use case for 5G smartphones in China.

Actually, OPPO has hard-launched Reno 5G in Switzerland last month, with Swisscom as major partner. OPPO is going to bring Reno 5G to Australia in the upcoming months. Although the device is ready for the mass production, it is still labeled as “testing device” in China. It is still pending operator’s readiness for 5G network and related licenses.

OPPO nowadays is widely known as a marketing-driven brand, but it was a tech pioneer to embrace 4G technology back in 2014. Its generous expenditure on branding and on celebrity endorsement deserves most of the credit for its success in recent years. But as a side effect, the over-investment has caused consumer fatigue. Plus the intensified competition from Huawei’s nova series, OPPO needs to urgently answer the question: how to reinvigorate its brand image especially in China.

Today’s event is OPPO’s latest efforts to lift up its brand image on technology innovations, especially among more tech-savvy consumers. It certainly creates hype around OPPO’s 5G development to mass consumers. It is OPPO’s first key steps in 5G era in China. It remained to be seen when the product will actually hit Chinese market and how much it will be priced.