5 Popular Android Phone Brands Formerly Owned by Chinese Company BBK Electronics

Many smartphone users may not know that BBK Electronics was one of the world’s leading smartphone vendors until it was dissolved in April 2023, competing directly with Apple, Samsung and others. BBK controlled various smartphone brands including Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, Realme and iQOO. Longtime Android users who monitor the industry may be familiar with several of these companies, as they have released competitive devices over the years and offered various innovations that challenged the industry’s more established phone makers. OnePlus is the most popular of the pack in Western markets, including the United States and Europe. In its early years, OnePlus challenged Apple and Samsung by making “flagship” handsets at much lower prices. OnePlus later became a more traditional phone maker, coming under the control of Oppo.

Realme is also a sub-brand of Oppo, although it sells phones under its own name. The company has made an impression in recent years with its increasingly fast battery charging speeds, which have seen some of its handsets reach a full charge in just a few minutes. iQOO is a sub-brand of Vivo, known for its premium gaming smartphones with powerful specifications, extra cooling, and dedicated buttons. iQOO devices compete with similar gaming phones from Asus and ZTE’s Nubia.

Together, the former BBK smartphone brands, now independent, represent on average about 20% of the smartphone market, about as much as that of Samsung or Apple. However, these phones may not be as widely available as the iPhone 17 and Galaxy S26 models. Instead, some of the handsets sold by these five brands are only available in specific markets outside of China.

Oppo is the oldest of the former BBK subsidiaries on the list, having been established in 2004. The company made digital audio products before moving into phones in 2008. That year also saw the release of the first Android phone, Google’s G1 handset, made by HTC and launched in partnership with T-Mobile in the United States. A year earlier, Apple released the original iPhone, the device that revolutionized the smartphone industry, convincing most smartphone vendors to create devices with large touchscreens. It took a few more years for Oppo to launch its first smartphone, the Find X903, released in 2011. Oppo continued to use the Find brand, manufacturing several flagship handsets under this brand. The list includes the Find X9, Find X9 Ultra, and the foldable Find N6.

Oppo’s share of the global smartphone market was 8.1% in 2025 (102.0 million units), according to IDC. For comparison, Apple sold almost 248 million units (19.7% market share), followed by Samsung with 241.2 million units (19.1% market share). Oppo has sold more than 100 million phones since 2020, with 2021 representing a peak for the company: 133.5 million units, or around 9.9% market share, according to IDC. China, India and Southeast Asia are Oppo’s main markets, although the company also has a presence in Europe.

Oppo has come up with several innovations over the years. For example, Oppo introduced 125W (wired) and 65W (wireless) battery charging technology in 2020. In 2019, the Oppo Reno 5G became the first commercial 5G phone in Europe. In 2017, Oppo launched a periscope zoom camera system at MWC. In 2026, Oppo launched the Oppo Find N6, calling it the world’s first foldable with a crease-free screen.

Vivo was the second largest smartphone brand in the BBK lineup after Oppo, founded in 2011. Like Oppo, Vivo is one of the top 5 global smartphone vendors. Vivo recorded slightly higher sales than Oppo in 2025 (103.9 million), giving the company a market share of 8.2%. Thus, Vivo and Oppo ranked fourth and fifth in IDC’s global smartphone sales rankings for 2025. Vivo saw a sales spike during the pandemic, selling 128.3 million units globally in 2021. The brand was also China’s largest smartphone vendor in 2024 according to Canalys (via Reuters), capturing 17% of the market, followed by Huawei 16% and Apple 15%. Vivo was also the top smartphone vendor in India in 2025, according to Omdia.

Vivo doesn’t sell any of its smartphone models directly to U.S. consumers, so buyers would have to import devices from Europe. Buying a Vivo phone in China is another option and can offer buyers much lower prices, but the Chinese versions do not come with Google services pre-installed. Vivo’s most notable recent flagships include the Vivo X300 and X300 Pro launched in October 2025, while the company announced the Vivo X300 Ultra in Europe in March 2026. Additionally, the foldable Vivo

The former BBK subsidiary is behind several notable smartphone innovations, such as the Hi-Fi audio chip in the Vivo X1 (2012). The Vivo X5 Max released in 2014 still holds the record for the world’s thinnest smartphone, measuring just 4.75mm.

OnePlus was the third oldest smartphone brand under the former BBK Group, but it might be the most recognized brand in Western markets. It’s the only company among the five vendors on the list that sold phones directly in the United States until recently. Unfortunately, in 2026, OnePlus has decided to stop selling phones in the United States and Europe.

OnePlus was founded in 2013 by former Oppo executives Pete Lau and Carl Pei, who aimed to make more affordable flagships that directly compete with iPhone and Samsung devices. The OnePlus One, launched for $299 in 2014, made waves in the industry, and OnePlus’ community-based marketing approach has given the company a cult following. OnePlus has continued to iterate on its flagship killer concept, creating improved handsets in the years since, but also increasing the starting price of its flagship killers. In 2021, OnePlus was integrated into Oppo, with Lau remaining director. Carl Pei left OnePlus a year earlier and founded British smartphone vendor Nothing. OnePlus phone shipments peaked in 2023 (17.1 million units), giving the company a 1.5% share of the global market, according to IDC (via The Economic Times). Global sales fell to 11.6 million units in 2025.

The OnePlus 15 is the company’s latest flagship model, a device packed with premium specs such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, a 7,300mAh silicon-carbon battery, and the world’s first 1.5K 165Hz LTPO display.

Realme is a young smartphone supplier that was previously controlled by the BBK Electronics group. It was founded in 2018 to focus on more affordable devices and target younger, budget-conscious buyers. India was Realme’s main target, a country where OnePlus had also seen success. But Realme recorded much higher sales, peaking at around 58 million units worldwide in 2021, according to Omdia’s findings. Realme sold 48.2 million units in 2024, with sales down 13% a year later. In January 2026, Realme announced that it would become an Oppo sub-brand to increase operational efficiency, but the brand continues to sell handsets under its own name, just like OnePlus does.

When it comes to notable innovations from the brand, one such device is the Realme But Realme is perhaps best known for its battery charging innovations. In late February 2023, the Realme GT3 introduced 240W charging globally at MWC. A year later, the brand even showed off a concept phone capable of reaching 320W charging speeds. Realme’s latest lineup includes the flagship Realme GT 8 Pro (image above) and the mid-range phone Realme 16 Pro+.

The most recent addition to the BBK Electronics group was iQOO, which is perhaps the least known smartphone brand of these five companies. Launched in 2019, iQOO operates under Vivo and has seen significant growth in recent years in China and India. iQOO phones focus on performance, with premium components including chips and displays, while also supporting fast-charging batteries (up to 200W) and cooling technologies. Thus, iQOO allows Vivo to target consumers who want premium devices prioritizing Android gaming experiences.

The company’s current lineup includes the iQOO 15 Ultra, a flagship Android phone whose most expensive version has more RAM than the base MacBook Air M5 (24GB versus 16GB). The iQOO 15 Ultra may be targeting gamers, but it’s also ready to deliver a flagship Android experience for everyday tasks. The phone also has an active cooling fan which should support the extended maximum performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.

Over the years, Vivo has launched various notable smartphone innovations through the iQOO brand. The iQOO 10 Pro (2022) was the world’s first commercial phone to support 200W charging. In 2024, the iQOO 13 featured the world’s first 2K 144Hz OLED panel from BOE, a display that also offered “Ultra Eyecare” features intended to improve eye health.