Wen 丨 壹 Observation Su Yi
Fifteen years after the birth of the smartphone, how much room for innovation is there?
At the vivo X80 series conference on the evening of April 25, vivo once again refreshed the three "super long boards" of the Android flagship: imaging, performance, and 5G.
Behind these important technological and experience innovation breakthroughs, vivo has successfully created a "new standard for the second generation of dual-core flagships" through the in-depth tuning of its self-developed chip V1+ and the two flagship SoC platforms, and has made the vivo X80 series a "flagship remodeler" of the mobile phone industry in 2022 through the "one-core two-use" and "dual-core combination".
Double core evolution, three longboards
The innovation competition of flagship mobile phones at this stage is by no means a competition between pure hardware and parameters, for example, in recent years, there have been many "parameter flagships" that have led to "experience overturning" due to energy consumption and heat.
Parameters are not equal to experience, performance must match energy efficiency, has become the consensus of more and more mobile phone manufacturers, supply chain enterprises and users.
In 2021, vivo launched the first self-developed chip V1, which greatly improved the performance and efficiency of computing images by hardening the "mobile phone algorithm", and strengthened the advantages of vivo's self-developed image algorithm while reducing power consumption, thus promoting the vivo X70 series to step into the top image flagship series, and its "super cup" X70 Pro+ was evaluated by the media as "the new benchmark of the 2021 annual image flagship".
With the successful experience of technology, products and markets, vivo's newly upgraded self-developed chip V1+ technical features are more prominent and the thinking is more bold: from the previous generation of "self-developed image chip" to both a professional image chip and a display performance chip of "one core and two uses", and has become the only self-developed image chip compatible with multi-flagship platform mobile terminal manufacturers in the industry. This is also an important reason why the new vivo X80 series supports Tianji 9000 and the new Snapdragon 8 at the same time, and both deeply integrate and co-tune with the self-developed chip V1+.
The main functional features of the V1+ chip are three: integrated 3D real-time stereoscopic night scene noise reduction algorithm, MEMC interpolation, and AI superdimetry (AISR). It can be seen that vivo is the algorithm that requires the highest computing power and the largest energy consumption demand in the current mobile phone image/display, and packages it into the ASIC chip in the IC through hardware, thus bringing significant improvements to the energy efficiency and scene experience of the overall system of the mobile phone. After merging with the SoC main chip, as well as vivo's top hardware and software algorithms in other industries, the vivo X80 series finally formed the "three long boards" of the leading industry:
Performance Long Board: Same configuration, stronger experience
Taking The Tianji 9000, MediaTek's "strongest flagship chip in ten years", as an example, vivo revealed the joint research and development information with MediaTek at the press conference: more than 300 R&D teams, after 350 days of soft and hard deep tuning and collaborative development. Compared with the industry practice of the chip industry pre-research generation, research and development generation, and mass production generation, that is to say, at the beginning of the formal research and development of Tianji 9000, the two sides have launched a joint promotion, that is, vivo has always emphasized the "research and development pre-position" of the core supply chain. The information released by vivo at the "Dual-core X Imaging Technology Communication Meeting" also confirmed this: "The common goal of both sides is to release the strongest performance of Tianji 9000".
The final result is that the vivo version of Tianji 9000's performance index AnTutu exceeds 1.049 million points, reaching the industry TOP level and becoming the real "king of Tianji 9000". Judging from the ranking data currently released by AnTutu, this data has entered the top of the performance list of all brand flagships.
There are also two points that are equally important: First, the vivo version of Tianji 9000 does not have the problem of "soaring score king, on the machine worm", but at the same time as the performance is fully tapped, the algorithm is used to adjust the resource allocation strategy of the CPU, thus realizing the "higher energy efficiency ratio" on the basis of the high energy efficiency of the Tianji 9000. In addition, vivo provides users with "the same chip, faster response speed, and more durable and smooth use" by establishing a user use scenario fluency model and continuous application launch scene scheduling scheme.
The other is the deep integration with the self-developed V1+ chip, and the focus of tuning for the heavy performance use scenarios of the two major mobile phones in games and displays. For example, the GPU Fusion technology jointly developed by vivo and MediaTek and launched in the X80 series industry is jointly responsible for the load release of the GPU through the close coordination of APU and self-developed chip V1+, thus realizing the "game super score" function of the vivo X80 series on the mobile phone side. In addition, vivo also implemented two technological innovations of 120FPS dual-core superframe and HDR unique ultra-clear on the X80 series, which together constituted the "game three musketeers" function of super-division-super-frame-ultra-clear.
These are based on the Tianji 9000 flagship SoC and V1+ chip together to achieve, the result is that the game in the premise of ensuring high image quality, the game can still run smoothly without dropping frames, not stuttering, not hot. Coupled with the dual-cell 80W flash charge, the Samsung E5 screen and the largest VC vaporizer in the history of vivo mobile phones, they have achieved a "stronger, longer-lasting, and better picture quality game experience".
Image benchmark: "soft and hard core screen" full link long board
After X70 Pro+, how vivo refreshes the "year-end benchmark image" again has always been the expectation of the industry and users, especially in the case of the general slowdown in Android flagship image innovation this year.
The answer brought by vivo in the X80 series is that it has made a "full-link evolution breakthrough" in the fields of optics, software tuning, computational photography, and image display that affect mobile phone images, which is simply "top grid optical component customization", "soft and hard integration co-creation of ZEISS images", and "self-developed chip V1+ brings strong heterogeneous computing support".
Specifically, the X80 world premiere Sony IMX866 RGBW outsole sensor (1/1.49 inch), X80 Pro is exclusively customized with a new generation of ultra-large bottom sensor GNV (1/1.3 inch outsole, f/1.57 aperture), and the whole series is equipped with SLR ultra-low dispersion high-lens lenses and ZEISS T* coating.
The "AI Perception Engine" equipped with the X80 series has greatly improved the imaging brightness accuracy (16% increase) and white balance accuracy (up to 12%) through the self-developed "Intelligent White Plus Black Minus" and "Intelligent AWB" technologies jointly trained by dozens of professional photographers. Vivo's self-developed XDR Photo technology, which was first published by Android, can increase the maximum brightness of the highlighted area of the image by 350% in the display segment, achieving "brightness display is not exposed, and the shadow details are more transparent".
Of course, whether it is calculating images or fully stimulating the innovation potential of imaging software and hardware, the computing power of dedicated images is the basic guarantee. The direct advantage of the self-developed chip V1+ is the re-upgrading of heterogeneous computing: providing sufficient computing power for computing images and various heavy/instantaneous high computing scenarios, while reducing power consumption as much as possible, so as to ensure the image quality and mobile phone performance "do not collapse".
Taking the "extreme scene" of night scene as an example, relying on the strong computing power of the self-developed chip V1+ and the integrated 3D real-time stereoscopic night scene noise reduction algorithm, as well as the efficient collaboration of the top optical module and the main flagship chip, the X80 series launched the "low-light mobile phone night vision function", which can realize the polar night video function in an environment of less than 1 lux (about 1 candle light at a distance of 1 meter). The problems of "calculation stuttering" and "inaccurate preview" in the night environment video shooting of traditional mobile phones have also been solved, and the vivo X80 series has realized "the preview in the night scene video is obtained, and the button is the imaging", and the "real-time black light night vision" function is extended to ultra-wide angle, front lens and other shooting scenes commonly used by users.
Portrait is the long-standing strong reputation of vivo images. X80 Pro for the first time to achieve the vivo "micro gimbal" and portrait lens combination, launched the "ZEISS portrait micro gimbal lens". Its equipped "vivo portrait algorithm matrix", covering the portrait beautification, portrait understanding, portrait atmosphere, picture quality enhancement four technical modules, in the self-developed V1 + chip after the addition of the strong heterogeneous computing support, professional portrait refinement, texture portrait group photo, focus panning mirror and other functions can make users more easily take excellent photos.
If the X70 series has established the industry status and user reputation of the vivo X series as a true "image flagship", then the newly released X80 series can be called "reconstructing the imagination of flagship images". When the newly released flagships of other mobile phone companies this year are still using last year's image combination, and even due to cost increases and supply chain problems "shrinking", vivo once again proposed a new image innovation evolution thinking for the entire industry, and once again set a "new benchmark for the 2022 annual image flagship" through almost "soft and hard core screen integrated full link top matching".
Behind "you can always believe in vivo's images" is the self-confidence of vivo, which has always been responsible, and also the new answer that the X80 series has come up with in the face of the era of "tending to be boring" mobile phone innovation.
5G long board: "5G dual SIM dual standby dual pass" was realized for the first time
"Dual SIM dual standby dual pass" is actually an important symbol of the technological maturity cycle in the 4G era. But since officially entering the 5G era in 2019, due to the complexity of 5G technology itself, it has actually been in a long-term evolution process. Based on its rich accumulation of 5G technology and in-depth cooperation with MediaTek, vivo has promoted the launch of this "next-generation 5G mobile phone function" in advance and completed the debut of the new flagship of the vivo X80 series.
"Dual SIM Dual Standby Dual Pass" can ensure that in the case of 5G high-speed network access of one mobile phone card, the other uses 5G VoNR HD video call and voice functions at the same time, and will not affect the 5G network access speed of the other card, which is crucial for many high-end users in the business, financial, social and mobile office scenarios.
Data released by domestic operators shows that Chinese users have now changed machines for more than 30 months, nearly doubling the 18 months in 2016. For mass users, the purchase of 5G mobile phones that support "dual SIM dual standby dual pass" at this stage can better match the long-term evolution trend of 5G technology and the "experience is not expired" under the long replacement cycle. This is also an important reason why vivo X80 series has also maintained a high degree of attention in the field of domestic professional communications after the release.
The ultimate innovation can stand at the high end
Driven by the external market environment and the demand for user experience upgrades, Chinese mobile phone brands are ushering in the best high-end window breakthrough period in the past decade, but most brands have not made smooth progress in the past two years. According to CINNO Research data, in 2021, the share of Apple in the domestic high-end market will increase significantly from 48% in 2020 to 75%, so that some media have commented that "Huawei has fallen and Apple has eaten enough".
Hu Baishan, executive vice president of Vivo, said in a recent interview with the media: "The core logic of the decline in the share of domestic brands today is that the current Android mobile phone innovation is not enough." Hu Baishan explained: For high-end users, if the new products of the new brand do not have enough attraction, then it is quite difficult to attract this part of the users to change machines. This is obviously different from the replacement logic of many young users who "like to try new".
Hu Baishan believes that the only choice for vivo to impact the high-end is to "dare to pursue the ultimate innovation", attract high-end users to take the initiative to try, and ensure that the user's flagship experience does not decline through products with "continuous innovation surprises", and have enough technical long board and product differentiation innovation characteristics while the overall experience is "not inferior to Apple". When the product can be "really beyond expectations", high-end users will take the initiative to recommend, which is better than any advertising effect.
Hu Baishan said this sentence with sufficient confidence and self-confidence, which can also be directly confirmed from three data:
As an "absolute minority" of the "absolute few" non-stop successful domestic high-end series in the past decade, the X series has achieved "the first generation is amazing, the iteration is innovative", and has covered more than 100 million users so far. This value is even if the average to the annual existence of tens of millions, not to mention that the first half of this decade is still in the explosive period of smartphone popularity (the market size is small but the growth rate is high), that is to say, in the "second half" of recent years, vivo X series annual shipments far exceed 10 million, is the real "high-end explosion".
With the strong support of the X series, the vivo X series not only successfully stood in the high-end price segment of 4000-7000 yuan from the past 2000+ mid-range price segment, but also has an important gravitational pulling effect on optimizing the overall product structure of vivo, improving market sales and brand potential:
According to data from authoritative research companies such as IDC, vivo ranked first in the Chinese market with a market share of 21.5% in 2021, with annual shipments of more than 71 million units, an increase of 23.3% year-on-year.
Even under the pressure of Apple, at the end of 2021, vivo in the Chinese market price range of 4000-5000 yuan, vivo ranked first with a market share of 24.1% (Counterpoint data); and in the domestic high-end market in the past three years, vivo is the most successful domestic mobile phone brand after Huawei, Counterpoint also made vivo "made significant progress in China's high-end field" evaluation.
More importantly, through the ten-year iteration of the X series, vivo has explored a "vivo style" that is most suitable for its own technological innovation and product evolution, and distilled it into the core values of the enterprise.
In view of the "pursuit of extreme innovation", Vivo Central Research Institute is committed to more than 36 months of technical planning, and based on user orientation, the future scientific and technological innovation investment will focus on the design (including appearance, interaction, etc.), image (shooting, video, etc.), system (including the underlying system and THE use of AI technology, etc.), performance (games, etc.) four long technical tracks. In the face of specific technical planning and product landing in the next 1-3 years, vivo has formed a unique "iron triangle" innovation methodology: through the "mutual handshake" of product planning, technical planning and technical pre-research, the perfect match between brand and product strategy, the consolidation of product innovation genes and the rapid iteration of new products.
In a recent media interview, Hu Baishan also revealed the five principles of vivo based on four technical long tracks: 1) stand in the user's point of view, figure out what the user wants; 2) do not consider the budget; 3) do not rush to mass production; 4) do not pursue the first launch; 5) do not engage people to have my own superiority, only sprint to no man's land.
In summary, it can be seen that through "a technology beacon, two handshakes of the iron triangle methodology, four long technology tracks, five innovation principles", vivo has built a suitable technology investment and product innovation model, which is intuitively important for any mobile phone brand that aims to successfully impact the high-end and stand firm in the global flagship market. Otherwise, there will be many domestic mobile phone companies strategy swinging, high-end series repeatedly tossing, products by the BOSS "pat the head" of the traditional old road, and eventually lose the strategic timing and high-end user reputation.
The newly released X80 series is actually the set of vivo's "dare to pursue the ultimate innovation" concept and the "vivo style" unique innovation model: the self-developed chip V1+ has a professional image and display performance chip "one core and two uses", the Tianji 9000 vivo version and V1 + deep integration to create a 1+1>2 chip combination, and V1 + can achieve "dual-platform dual-core collaboration" on Qualcomm MediaTek's two latest flagship chips. These are the best examples of vivo's long-term investment in performance tracks and chips. Vivo X70 series and X80 series in the fiercely competitive image field to achieve the "annual image flagship new benchmark", is the result of the long video track and the past decade of firm investment. The highly recognizable cloud window design and the widely acclaimed Origin OS operating system highlight the two long track advantages of vivo design and system, and accelerate the innovative differentiation and high user recognition of vivo in the process of impacting the high-end.
As Hu Baishan said: Vivo impacts the high-end, we must understand the needs of high-end users, the goal will be every technology, every configuration, every experience to the extreme, so that every product is flowing with vivo's innovative blood.
OneWatch review
The three major "ultra-long board" technological breakthroughs of the vivo X80 series once again prove three judgments:
First, the overall innovation of the mobile phone industry has slowed down, but there is still huge room for improvement, far from the real ceiling of technology and product innovation.
Second, the mobile phone enterprises represented by vivo have opened up the "unconsumpted market" by adhering to technological innovation and through the playing method of "not engaging in people have my superiority, only sprinting to no man's land", the space is actually very huge, and it is the "most difficult but correct way" for domestic mobile phones to impact high-end.
Third, whether it is a "Huawei model" or a "vivo style", it cannot be copied. Under the mature market, huge scale and fierce competition, behind the "prominent siege" of each enterprise, it is the result of scientific and technological innovation as the cornerstone, user-oriented, and the pursuit of the ultimate product. At the same time, we must also have a strong heart, willing to do ten years of cold for a technology and a product series, in order to finally wait for the "window period" of external opportunities. Eight years ago, Huawei's Mate7 series "broke ground", and today's vivo X series "relay sprint" are all the same.
"One Observation" pays attention to the fact that with the release of the X80 series, the new flagship product line portfolio of the vivo X series for the next ten years has all been in place: X Note, which focuses on the flagship of large-screen business, X Fold, which focuses on differentiated high-end business experience, and "all-round flagship" that breaks through the "image flagship" again and moves towards "performance, game, display, imaging, design" and other longboards.
For vivo, the three product lines of the X series can better face the different segmented and differentiated needs of high-end users, and have distinct product characteristics and industry competitiveness in the three dimensions of business large screen + security, folding screen + fast mobile office experience, and "comprehensive image performance flagship".
"One Observation" very much agrees with Hu Baishan's point of view: the more high-end users, the clearer the extreme demand for segmentation. What vivo has to do is to create a "super long board" for high-end users through the ultimate technological innovation, providing a real "flagship experience" and "purchase value".
Vivo's long-term goal is to advance to "the great brand that users love" by "creating great products". From the perspective of the fully renovated X series, it has become the flagship series closest to vivo's definition of "great product".