Feixiang Network News (Wei Deling/ Wen) Whether it is "benchmarking Apple" or "not going to be", domestic Android flagships compete to debut before the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger, but consumers soon found that the first batch of high-end domestic mobile phones in 2022 are generally a bit unpretentious, and the IP67 or IP68 waterproof and dustproof functions that were standard in high-end products in the past are gone, and last year they also challenged the world's deepest swimming pool selling point in the big book, and this year they did not mention it.
The waterproof and dustproof function is gone
Both Xiaomi and OnePlus' digital series Pro models supported the IP68 waterproof and dustproof function last year. However, this year, neither the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro nor the OnePlus 10 Pro has been able to achieve support, and it is not what individual fans call "self-support, but not mentioned". In addition, the realme GT2 Pro and iQOO 9 Pro released at the same time as Xiaomi and OnePlus also do not support IP68 functions.
According to the oneplus customer service reply message flowing out of the network, the oneplus 10 Pro model does not support IP68 waterproof and dustproof, and the level standard is reduced to IPX4, that is, it does not support dustproof, only supports life waterproofing, such as splashing water immersion. Similarly, the emasculation of the IP68 function of the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is also a well-known fact at present.
Undoubtedly, the first batch of high-end domestic mobile phones in 2022 are contrary to the mainstream direction of high-end models in this function. As Apple, which Xiaomi frequently encounters porcelain at the press conference, it began to support IP67 in the iPhone 7 model released in 2016, and subsequent models began to support P68.
Samsung in the Android camp has upgraded its folding screen phones to support IPX8 in 2021, although it has not yet achieved dust protection, but the breakthrough has achieved the ability to work normally for 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters. For conventional smartphone products, IP68 is also a standard feature of its products, such as the recently released Galaxy S21 FE also supports IP68.
Huawei, which has also made great achievements in the field of high-end models, supports IP68 in the multi-generation Mate series models under it, and the Pro version of the P40 series model released last year also supports IP68, even the P40 model can also achieve IP53 level.
IP68 features are not expensive in the end
For the castrated IP68 function, the common speculation is that whether it is xiaomi 12 pro or one plus 10 pro, the official starting price has been reduced by 300 yuan, so mobile phone manufacturers have also controlled the cost, and the IP68 function has been abandoned in the trade-off.
Here it is necessary to verify how much it costs to add waterproof and dustproof to the mobile phone. This cost is not only the need to use rubber in the production process of mobile phones, but more importantly, it is necessary to consider waterproof and dustproof in the early stage of product development. In order to introduce waterproofing on folding screen mobile phones, Samsung has also re-optimized the hinge, which is undoubtedly an image example. Previously, Xiaomi co-founder Lei Jun had said that waterproofing would increase the cost of mobile phones by 20%-30%.
However, different vendors will give different answers. Former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei (Pei Yu) said in an interview with Marques Brownlee video that the main cost of IP68 dustproof and waterproof is not actually the cost of those rubber strips, glue, sealing plugs and other materials, but the cost of production lines and tests, about 15 US dollars. He added that in the future, the cost of adding IP68 functionality to other models will become thinner and thinner.
This means that if a mobile phone manufacturer is erratic in the waterproof and dustproof function, especially in the previous model has already had this function, it may not face the cost or strategy problem, but the production line is not fixed, or the product planning is not continuous.
Here you may wish to take a look at Sony's products, even the entry-level mobile phone Xperia10 series, has begun to support waterproof and dustproof functions, and the brand also used IP68 as a standard on its own products many years ago. Similarly, Samsung implemented the IP67 function in the Galaxy S5 model released in 2014, and now like Samsung's entry-level Galaxy A52, it also supports IP67 waterproofing.
Waterproof and dustproof is not high-end exclusive
Obviously, from the perspective of Samsung and Sony's product strategy, the waterproof and dustproof function is by no means a gimmick of high-end models, but a function that is commonly standard in products. The purpose is likely to be to make consumers feel more at ease. According to a 2012 survey by quality assurance service provider SquareTrade, 27% of the damaged iPhone users were damaged by liquids, and the iPhone model did not support waterproof and dustproof functions at that time.
The addition of waterproof and dustproof functions by mobile phone manufacturers may not be to induce consumers to take mobile phones to dive, but to improve the durability and quality of mobile phones. After all, smartphones, including Chinese consumers, are now in seasons for more than 24 months.
The market strategy of the Redmi Note 10 series in waterproof and dustproof can also give some answers on the side. The Redmi Note 10 Pro model released in China has a waterproof and dustproof rating of IP53, while the Redmi Note 10 does not have this function, but the Redmi Note 10 JE special model for the Japanese market supports IP68. There have also been recent rumors that the Redmi Note 11 JE will also support IP68.
Perhaps for the IP68 function, the more erratic the strategy, the more difficult to say the answer.