Smartphone brand joins up with BMW and KPL

Smartphone brand iQOO is to become a strategic partner of BMW M Motorsport, it announced on Monday.

Its new iQOO 5 model, has become the official smartphones for the KPL, or King Pro League, China’s top mobile eSports event. 

Both sides pursue top levels of functions and speeds and the spirit of sports, the company said during an online conference.

IQOO, a sub-brand of Vivo, focuses on smartphones for young consumers and the growing segment of eSports fans in China and around the world.

In the first half, China’s eSports market revenue hit 71.9 billion yuan (US$10.3 billion), a 54.7 percent growth year on year. The eSports user base reached 484 million by June, according to a gaming report released during ChinaJoy, the country’s biggest game event held in Shanghai recently.

The new Vivo iQOO 5, featuring 5G, eSports optimizations and super fast charging, costs from 3,998 yuan and will be available from August 24.

In the second quarter, Vivo was the No. 2 player in the domestic smartphone market, following market leader Huawei, according to researcher Canalys.