Chinese consumer electronics brand OPPO is one of the leading players in India’s smartphone market. Earlier this month, the brand unveiled the latest device in its K series – the OPPO K13 Turbo, a device aimed at gamers and young consumers in tier two and three cities. The latest device features innovative cooling technology coupled with a 7,000mAh battery. Along the lines of its recent launch, Peter Dohyung Lee, head of product strategy at OPPO, sat down with indianexpress.com to throw light on the company’s India-centric approach. Lee discussed how extreme weather conditions, diverse consumer needs across regions, and the rise of mobile gaming culture have shaped the company’s K series. From addressing heat management challenges to democratising AI-powered photography features, Lee reveals how OPPO is working towards creating meaningful user experiences. Below is the excerpt from the interaction. Q: Is there any difference in the way OPPO is positioning the K series in India compared to other global markets?Lee: There’s no big difference between global users and Indian users. One different thing is India has a very good platform in e-commerce – Amazon, Flipkart, and even recently other platforms are very well deployed in many cities. The K series is designed for young people who can buy phones through e-commerce platforms. Second, India has a 1.5 billion population, and the young people’s proportion is the highest compared to other countries. There are many youths who love gaming, playing videos, and watching movies. The K series is a suitable portfolio and brand for India, considering both the business scale and the overall environment and ecosystem in India. There are many young people globally who enjoy gaming.Also Read | Oppo introduces K13 Turbo series with built-in cooling and 7000 mAh batteryQ: The K series has found strong success in tier 2 and 3 cities. How is OPPO tailoring its products and marketing to meet the needs of these consumers compared to bigger cities?Lee: The OPPO global and India teams visit markets worldwide, especially tier 2 and 3 cities in India, to understand local culture, amenities, and pain points. We emphasise durability with IP triple authentication – IP66, IPX8, and IPX9 – driven by Indian customers’ needs. Monsoons are wet, and summers are hot, so durability is a top demand.Even for gaming users, the K13 series has triple IPX levels and 360° armour body protection. We believe strong fundamentals are key to success and brand awareness in India. Based on that, we add features step by step: the Reno, F, and K series all have high IP levels and 360 armour. The K series adds a cooling system for smooth performance, while the Reno series offers unique tele cameras and AI for top photography and videography. This is our portfolio strategy for Indian users.Story continues below this adQ: With most smartphone brands looking similar in design and innovation, what are the biggest challenges in creating something truly different?Lee: Hardware value is easy to show with numbers – battery, display, chipset, camera. But with software and AI, it’s harder to explain their value to consumers. Since last year, we’ve highlighted OPPO AI in the Reno 13 and Find series and recently added ColorOS and AI features to affordable segments. Feedback and usage statistics have been very positive. We’ll keep delivering software innovation by working with big players and building on our own AI technologies. Peter Dohyung Lee, Head of Product Strategy at OPPO, at the launch of the K13 Turbo.Q: The K13 Turbo has an active cooling fan, vapour chamber, RGB lighting, and a 7000mAh battery. What will be the biggest game changer for Indian consumers?Lee: I would say the fan. In India, especially in places like Rajasthan where it hits 50 degrees, heat is the biggest pain point. Heat makes fingers wet, raises phone temperature, slows frame rate, weakens signals, drains battery, and slows charging. Controlling heat solves many of these issues.The K13 Turbo’s Storm Engine tackles this, along with new bypass charging that powers the phone directly without heating the battery. The hardware fan is the most innovative feature, supported by new software and AI technologies.Q: Do AnTuTu and other benchmarks really influence Indian consumers today?Lee: Benchmark scores come from lab tests, and even top phones show the highest numbers there. But in real use – like under 40°C heat – performance can drop sharply despite the best chipsets, RAM, or GPU. Simply put, lab scores don’t always reflect actual user experience.Story continues below this adQ: Do you see the K series evolving into a performance-first sub-brand for OPPO?Lee: Yes. The K series promotes performance, but the backbone is ColorOS with AI optimisations for smooth and fast operations. We also work closely with Qualcomm and MediaTek to jointly develop features and improve graphics performance, making ColorOS stand out from others.Also Read | ‘It’s about values, not algorithms’: Sez Us COO Akshay Gupta on redefining social media in IndiaQ: Since gaming is a focus for the K13 Turbo, what trends have you noticed?Lee:More people now prefer mobile over PC or console gaming. It’s about convenience – no setup, you can play anytime, anywhere. In India, BGMI is hugely popular, and heavier gaming is growing while casual games like Candy Crush are slightly declining. That’s why we’re targeting BGMI-type gamers.Q: Do you have metrics on which OPPO AI tools are most popular in India? Lee: Photography AI features lead. Around 20 per cent of users with AI functions use them weekly, which is a very high number. Tools like AI Eraser and AI Clarity Enhancer are especially popular, helping users remove unwanted objects and enhance clarity—like influencers do for Instagram. Earlier, this required pro apps like Photoshop, but now anyone can do it.Q: So OPPO is making professional editing accessible to everyone?Lee: Exactly. Our strategy is “AI for everyone.” Even a 12K or 15K phone supports AI Eraser and Clarity Enhancer. I heard of a 50-year-old farmer who used AI Clarity Enhancer to restore old school photos. His friends were amazed, asked about the phone, and some even bought OPPO devices after seeing the results. That’s what democratisation of AI means to us.Story continues below this adQ: If you had to sum up the K13 Turbo for Indian consumers in three words?Lee: Cool. Fast. Game.