The average price of mobile phones in China is 3,480 yuan
Recently, market research agency "GfK China" recently released its market report for the third quarter of 2023.
There is a data in the report that has attracted the attention of netizens, that is, the average price of China's mobile phone market in the third quarter has reached 3480 yuan.
After the data came out, related topics quickly rushed to the hot search, and netizens sighed: I suddenly remembered Xiaomi's 1999, and I may never go back.
Many impressions of the "low-end" brand, the price of some models has risen, such as the Honor 100 Pro, the starting price is 3399 yuan, and there is no shadow of "low-end" at all.
In addition to Honor, there is also the just-released Redmi K70 Pro, which also has a starting price of 3299 yuan.
The price of low-end machines is not low-end, and the price of high-end machines is still high-end, with the starting price of Xiaomi 14 being 3999 yuan and the starting price of Huawei Mate 60 being 5499 yuan.
*JD.com
The price of the folding screen mobile phones that have been on fire recently is generally above 6,000 yuan, and there is even no shortage of models of 10,000 yuan, which has driven the overall mobile phone market price up.
Could it be that we have now reached the era of high-end mobile phones per capita?
History of Xiaomi mobile phone prices
The price increase process of domestic mobile phones may be known from the price changes of Xiaomi mobile phones over the years.
More than 10 years ago, in the mobile phone market, the price of foreign mobile phones was high, even if the configuration was average, and the domestic mobile phones were all kinds of copycat mobile phones, and at the same time, the configuration quality was also very poor.
Xiaomi's 1999 yuan broke this pattern, and with a price that is not too high, consumers can buy a product that is good in all aspects.
The cost-effective road brought by Xiaomi has pointed out the direction for domestic mobile phones, and domestic mobile phones have collectively entered a prosperous period and have continued on the road of cost performance for many years.
From Xiaomi Mi 1 to Mi 5, Xiaomi has been selling 1999, but with the rising cost pressure, the road of cost performance has gradually become impassable.
*People's Daily
In 2017, it was the "first year" of mobile phone price increases, with Apple's iPhone X rushing to the 8,000 mark, and Huawei also launching the Mate 10 series, with a starting price of 3899 yuan.
This year, Xiaomi released the Mi 6, which finally broke the 1999 tradition, and the starting price was raised to 2499 yuan.
At the time, there were quite a few users who complained that Xiaomi had "forgotten its original intention", but the quality of the Xiaomi Mi 6 was very good, and with the backdrop of its peers, Xiaomi's price increase was not outrageous.
Xiaomi, which tasted the sweetness, began to not look back on the road to price increases, and then Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 9 increased in price every generation, but the magnitude was not large, about two or three hundred.
If 2017 was the "first year" of the collective price increase of mobile phones, then 2020 is the second "climactic moment" of mobile phone price increases.
Starting from Xiaomi 10, the starting price has risen sharply, and it has come to 3999 yuan all of a sudden, and brands such as OPPO, VIVO, and Honor have also rushed up, with starting prices above 3000 yuan.
This collective price increase is not only due to the rising costs brought about by the epidemic, but also the brand side has begun to consciously tilt resources to high-end models.
Xiaomi's latest release of Xiaomi 14, the starting price is still maintained at 3999 yuan, and the former "1999 Make a Friend" seems to have become a distant past.
*JD.com
Therefore, many netizens think that "Xiaomi's original intention is Redmi", which is not unreasonable, compared to Xiaomi, whose prices are rising, Redmi is much more affordable.
But even Redmi, which focuses on the low-end market, has also launched high-end models, whether it is a high-end or low-end brand, the heart of manufacturers to produce high-end mobile phones is the same.
Why do you want to raise prices and rush to the high-end?
The price increase of mobile phone manufacturers and the continuous rush to the high-end are related to various factors.
The mobile phone market in Chinese mainland is now only controlled by a few manufacturers such as Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo.
From the perspective of market competition, the smartphone market has become saturated.
Because of the decrease in competitors, manufacturers no longer need to use excessively low prices to open the market, and it is impossible to reappear in 1999.
Whether it is said that there is a tacit understanding or market barriers, when all manufacturers "default" to price increases and "default" to high-end, the "high-end" of the entire mobile phone market is unavoidable.
In addition to individual manufacturers, most domestic mobile phone manufacturers are very dependent on Qualcomm chips, and the continuous price increase of Qualcomm chips has "hurt" many manufacturers.
From 2017 to 2022, the unit price of Qualcomm chips has risen from $50 to $160.
*Semiconductor industry
MediaTek, which is hitting the high-end market, has also seen a significant increase in chip prices, with the Dimensity 1000 at $70 in 2019 and $110 in 2021 with the Dimensity 9000.
Therefore, manufacturers with a certain amount of technology accumulation will have the intention of self-development, at least they will not be controlled by others.
In the past, mobile phone manufacturers launched high-end mobile phones, and only relied on a few selling points such as chips or multiple cameras to attract users, without too much cost investment.
But now the homogenization of mobile phones is serious, the chip running score is like Dragon Ball's combat effectiveness, and there are N cameras, not digital enthusiasts, so you can't tell the difference at all.
Therefore, the point of attracting new users from manufacturers has changed from simple high performance to various self-developed technologies, such as Huawei's self-developed system and Xiaomi's self-developed image chip.
From the perspective of manufacturers, self-development can not only avoid being controlled by others, but also differentiate to stimulate sales.
Xiaomi launched the ISP Surging C1, and vivo launched the self-developed independent ISP chip V1, both of which are technology research and development to meet the personalized needs of users.
Xiaomi's recently launched Pengbai OS, with its self-developed system, has greatly stimulated the sales of the Xiaomi 14.
These self-developed technologies are usually used in high-end mobile phones, and low-end mobile phones are not available, and although low-end and cost-effective mobile phones are shipped in large quantities, the profit contribution cannot be compared with high-end mobile phones.
Therefore, it is not that mobile phone manufacturers do not want to create cost-effective mobile phones, but once they can hit the high-end, it is difficult to return to the low-price model driven by profits.
1999 Is the mobile phone really disappearing completely? Lao Hu's answer is yes, the price increase or high-end of mobile phones has become the general trend, and it is difficult to change.
For this phenomenon, in fact, there is no need to blindly deny it, and it can be viewed more rationally.
High-end models or expensive models can provide more advanced technology and services, which is definitely a reasonable choice for consumers who have the ability to spend and pursue high quality.
For consumers whose demand is not too high, there are still a large number of thousand-yuan machines to choose from in the low-end market, and you can choose according to your actual needs.
Finally, Lao Hu wants to ask my friends, how much is the mobile phone you are using now, and how much money is the next mobile phone going to cost?
Resources:
Science and Technology Guide Tribe: The average price of domestic mobile phones soared to 3480 yuan
Semiconductor industry vertical: "rushing to the high-end" trapped whom
Web pictures
Editor: Chen Zhanxiang