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Starting in 2019, with the release of Samsung’s folding screen mobile phone Galaxy Fold, the mobile phone industry ushered in a new track. Huawei then surprised everyone with the release of the Mate X. Its 8-inch screen is comparable to the iPad mini 4 currently on sale by Apple. Nowadays, the competition in the mobile phone industry is no longer the small competition of memory size, higher processor parameters, screen-to-body ratio and the like two or three years ago. Rather, competition in integration, R&D, and innovation tests the comprehensive capabilities of manufacturers. More and more manufacturers can only be ranked among Others. The iPhone, which once pioneered and led smartphones, has also dimmed a lot. The following analyzes the innovation and competition in the mobile phone industry from each major part of the mobile phone.
The mobile phone chip is the core component of the mobile phone and can be understood as a combination of the processor and the baseband. Only companies with capital, talent, technology and patents can gain a foothold in the market. The main players in the market today include Qualcomm, Apple, Huawei, Samsung and MediaTek, all of which are "big players". Among them, the chips of Apple, Huawei and Samsung are mainly used in their own mobile phones. Other mobile phone manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo can only purchase chips from Qualcomm or MediaTek. MediaTek's share is getting smaller and smaller. Xiaomi has its own Pinecone processor, but unfortunately it can no longer keep up with the times. The advantage of having your own chips is that it can bring better integration capabilities. This can be proved by the fact that the top three global market shares are Samsung, Huawei, and Apple.
The core of competition for mobile phone chips lies in higher computing power, higher bionic processing capabilities, stronger signals, and lower power consumption. Needless to say, "higher computing power" is a basic requirement. "Higher bionic processing power" has been a new competitive point in the past two years. Different from traditional chips, bionic chips have great innate advantages in processing neural networks and image processing. Thanks to the enhancement of bionic chips, today’s mobile phones have significantly improved their AI and gaming experience. "Lower power consumption", chips now use multiple large cores and multiple small cores. When in standby, only small cores are run to save power.
5G is about to explode, and “stronger signal” is particularly important. Mobile phone signals rely on better basebands. Now 5G is beginning to become popular. Huawei, which is leading in 5G, has taken the lead with its Balong 5000. Samsung and Qualcomm are not far behind, both launching their own 5G chips. Due to Apple’s stiff relationship with Qualcomm, it is likely to use Intel’s 5G baseband. However, Intel’s 5G chips are developing slowly, and it is likely that the iPhone will not be able to use 5G until 2020. Considering the consistent release cycle of iPhones, no matter which chip Apple uses, it will not be released until September at the earliest. One means that for half a year, or even longer, there will only be Android 5G phones on the market.
The screen is an important component of a smartphone that directly faces users. The quality of the screen directly affects the user experience. Mobile phone screens are also undergoing rapid development. From the resistive screens in ancient times to the various capacitive screens now, most mobile phone screens are now OLED or AMOLED screens. Global OLED mobile phone screen suppliers are only domestic BOE, Royole Technology, Tianma, South Korea's Samsung, LG, Japan's Sony, Sharp and other major companies. The rise of domestic screen manufacturers undoubtedly provides a better platform for domestic mobile phone manufacturers. Back then, Samsung relied on its mobile phone screens to defeat HTC, Xiaomi, and even Huawei. HTC, in particular, was once the mobile phone giant second only to Apple and Samsung. Now its mobile phone business has long been dispensable, which shows the importance of the industrial chain.
Xiaomi once led the concept of full screen with MIX, and then the release of iPhone X made a global promotion of full screen. Various types of notch screens, water drop screens, perforated screens and other special-shaped screens emerge in endlessly on the market.
Major manufacturers are trying to solve the conflict between full-screen and front-facing cameras, and the latest folding screen mobile phones seem to perfectly solve this conflict and also improve the effect of the "front-facing camera".
The emergence of folding screens has undoubtedly set off a new wave, but at the same time, just like the slogan of Huawei Mate Is the screen the next generation mobile phone form? If so, how should it be folded? Now that there are inner folding screens, outer folding screens and double folding screens, how will users choose? Folding screens also bring new challenges to mobile phone systems and applications, which is also the comprehensive strength of postgraduate mobile phone manufacturers.
Taking pictures is undoubtedly one of the killer applications on mobile phones. In order to make mobile phones take more beautiful and accurate photos, mobile phone manufacturers have shown their talents. From single cameras, dual cameras, to the five cameras on Nokia’s newly released Nokia 9, various algorithms and hardware adjustments are also added to maximize the camera function. The latest DxOMark scores show that the top five are Huawei Mate 20 Pro, P20 pro, Samsung's newly released Galaxy S10 Plus, Xiaomi's newly released Mi 9 and Apple's latest flagship iPhone XS Max, which shows the strength of domestic mobile phones in terms of camera functions Extraordinary, this is the result of domestic mobile phones spending a lot of effort in this field, and it is also a testimony to the growth of domestic camera module suppliers. The front camera of Xiaomi Mi 9 uses products from domestic Sunny Optical. Domestic companies perform well in this field. Sunny Optical, OFILM Technology and Qiutai Technology are all well-known suppliers, while foreign companies are mainly Samsung, LG and Sony.
The competition for camera functions is also a competition for integration capabilities. Under the condition of multiple cameras, how to make full use of the advantages of each camera and finally synthesize a perfect picture will test the manufacturer's algorithm skills. As the former benchmark, the iPhone has always been an important standard for measuring the camera capabilities of mobile phones. Now, domestic mobile phones have caught up and once took the lead.
Mobile phone batteries bear a pair of conflicting demands, requiring manufacturers to balance battery capacity and battery size. This results in that the average mobile phone battery can only meet normal use and cannot be used for heavy use. In the past, power banks became an important supplement to mobile phone batteries, but now fast charging technology has become a standard feature of mobile phones.
Mobile phone fast charging requires the support of mobile phone chips. Although it is also a QC fast charging protocol, it requires chip support to achieve faster charging speeds. Qualcomm's latest flagship chip 855 can only reach 27 W, while Huawei mobile phones using self-developed chips can reach 55 W. The advantage is very obvious. In contrast, Apple obviously does not pay attention to this feature. Although the new iPhone supports QC fast charging, it still comes standard with a 5V1A charging head. The original iPhone fast charging charger is expensive.
On the other hand, although wireless charging technology is also developing, it does not seem to be popular and its use is not as convenient as described. First, wireless charging pads are not popular, and it is better to bring a power bank when going out with a charging pad. Second, it is very inconvenient to play with mobile phones while charging wirelessly, and it limits the location where the mobile phone can be placed. However, domestic mobile phone manufacturers have not ignored this feature. Mobile phones such as Xiaomi Mix, Mi 9, and Huawei Mate 20 all support unlimited charging.
The core of biometric technology is to obtain the unique and difficult-to-replicate characteristics of living things. Since the introduction of Touch ID on the iPhone, biometric technologies such as button fingerprints, facial recognition, and screen fingerprints have been developed in recent years. In the early days, button fingerprint recognition was used. Now Apple mainly switches to face recognition, and Android phones mainly switch to flat fingerprint recognition. Unlike button fingerprint technology, which is mainly provided by foreign companies, now domestic companies such as Goodix and Silimicro can provide screen fingerprint technology. This also provides a strong guarantee for domestic manufacturers.
Apple’s facial recognition is completed by integrating infrared lenses, floodlight sensing elements, dot matrix projectors, front-facing cameras and many other components above the screen to ensure speed and accuracy. But this also means that the iPhone’s screen-to-body ratio is not high. This is different from the concept of domestic manufacturers pursuing a high screen-to-body ratio. Screen fingerprints can ensure speed and accuracy without affecting the screen-to-body ratio. If the iPhone is changed to a full-screen display, then a large amount of early investment will be in vain, especially when many apps in the IOS ecosystem have adapted to the notch, giving up the notch does not seem to be a wise choice. If users insist on using notch screens, will users choose a better-looking full-screen phone? I don’t know what Apple CEO Cook will choose. Maybe Apple can come up with a solution that will surprise everyone, so I look forward to it.
Waterproofing, speakers, shells, systems, etc. are all details that mobile phone manufacturers cannot give up to meet various differentiated competitions. For example, iPhone’s IP68 waterproof level; Xiaomi and Huawei’s gradient shells; systems and system-related services, iOS is the most complete, and domestic mobile phone manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Huawei have their own customized systems and services; in comparison, the first two HiFi speakers, which have been popular in the past few years, are rarely seen nowadays. It may be because users' demand is not strong. They usually wear headphones, especially wireless headphones, which are convenient and have good sound quality. It is not as comfortable as using professional speakers directly at home.
There are also some special mobile phone brands, such as Xiaomi Black Shark, which focuses on gaming, Meitu, which focuses on taking photos, and AMG mobile phones, which focus on harsh outdoor conditions. They all stand out in certain functions and respond well in market segments.
The current hot manufacturers are Huawei, Xiaomi, ov, and OnePlus, all of which can occupy good positions in the global rankings. First I want to discuss the major domestic mobile phone manufacturers.
"Meizu", I want to discuss Meizu mobile phones at the beginning. My exposure to Meizu began during the m8 and m9 periods. At that time, Meizu stores were usually located in core locations in shopping malls, which were very attractive to young people. The Meizu MX series is so exquisite among mobile phones of the same period, and Flyme OS is also unique. It’s just a pity that Meizu has developed so far. First, it missed the era of customized mobile phones during the "Chinese Cool Alliance" period, and then failed to make a big impact in the Internet marketing model initiated by manufacturers such as Xiaomi, and did not participate in the large offline store models of mobile phone manufacturers such as Oppo and Vivo. Now Huawei, When mobile phone manufacturers such as Xiaomi and ov are vigorously developing brand points, Meizu seems not to be involved. Nowadays, it is difficult to tell which Meizu flagship phone is when you open Meizu’s official website. Meizu has also begun to embrace changes in recent years, such as using Qualcomm chips and accepting investment from Alibaba. I hope Meizu can make better products.
Needless to say, Huawei has strong R&D and global marketing capabilities, strong overall strength, and its dual-brand strategy of Huawei and Honor is very successful. Huawei's biggest innovation is its HiSilicon chips that insist on independent research and development. Today, HiSilicon chips have reached and surpassed the level of mainstream flagship chips.
Xiaomi, compared to Huawei’s “high-definition and high-defense” approach, Xiaomi appears to be a bit “single-powerful” and a bit cautious in R&D and marketing. Until the past two years, there was still “hunger marketing” "The sales volume dropped for a time. Fortunately, Xiaomi made timely adjustments, especially entering overseas markets, which resulted in a significant increase in Xiaomi's sales. Xiaomi is now also using a dual-brand strategy, hoping that both "Xiaomi" and "Redmi" can give it a try. Another trump card of Xiaomi is Mijia, which has products such as air purifiers, smart speakers, routers, TVs, air conditioners and rice cookers. Among them, TVs have become the first in the country, and routers have become the second in the country. Now Xiaomi is once again launching an impact on the high-end market. Let us look forward to and cheer for Xiaomi. Xiaomi has made many innovations along the way, the most important of which are 1. Miui with full name participation, 2. Opening up the Internet marketing model, 3. MIX ushering in the full-screen era.
ov is essentially a company. When mobile phone manufacturers compete online, they go in the opposite direction and vigorously promote offline marketing in third- and fourth-tier cities. Practice has also proved that ov’s choice is correct. Personally, I have never been familiar with ov’s mobile phones. ov always releases new products quickly and in large quantities, and places a large number of advertisements in major programs. With the recent launch of the Find ov’s innovative capabilities cannot be underestimated.
OnePlus mobile phones seem a bit "fresh". From H2OS to now, they still insist on releasing one mobile phone a year, which all reflects the unique temperament of this company. The company's domestic share is not high, but it is well-known overseas, with good brand promotion and sales in countries such as the United States and India.
Apple is unique. Its mobile phone software and hardware ecological strength has long been unrivaled, and no mobile phone manufacturer in the world can come close to it. The iPhone has long monopolized more than 80% of the mobile phone market profits. Apple has always been the leader in market innovation. One of the hot spots at the Android phone launches in the past two years was the announcement that it had surpassed the iPhone. Today, Apple can still lead the way and independently develop A-series chips. However, it seems to be feeling the pressure from the Android camp, such as releasing large-screen mobile phones and releasing two or three mobile phones a year. However, Apple’s opponents seem to be more like Apple itself. Due to the excellent quality, most Apple users now only change their mobile phones after two, three or even four years.
Among other mobile phone brands, the former "Chinese Cool Alliance", only Huawei dared to innovate and change and finally developed. The foreign Nokia seemed to have made another inroad after being bought to Microsoft and eventually abandoned by Microsoft. The latest release of Nokia 9 uses 5 cameras and dares to innovate. After being acquired by Google and then sold to Lenovo, Motorola failed to make a comeback. After Sony's experience with Sony Ericsson, it has not recovered yet. However, Sony has made a lot of money from mobile phone components, especially camera modules.