Oppo is eyeing to be a tech pioneer in internet of things in 2021 with a bigger presence in the high-end smartphone segment, after it recorded an impressive growth in the past year, CEO Chen Mingyong said on Monday.

Chen said in a new year message that Oppo registered a satisfying growth in 2020 despite headwinds such as the challenge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Southeast Asia, Oppo maintained its leading position in the smartphone market. In India, as the company expanded local sales, its brand preference among local consumers rose by 33 percent. In Western Europe and Japan, Oppo's shipments of smartphones more than doubled. Such expansion has helped Oppo grow the number of users of its operating system ColorOS close to 400 million, Chen said.

"Meanwhile, we have also enriched the portfolio of our IoT products, unveiling smart TVs, new smart watches, earbuds and other products (in 2020)," Chen added.

"In the new year, OPPO will forge ahead and strive to become the explorer and leader in the era of integration of all things… We will win the battle of transforming from a pure mobile phone company into an ecological technology company," Chen said.

According to him, the company will also work hard to grab a bigger presence in the high-end smartphone market with its flagship phone Find X3 series scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2021.