Why is the Xiaomi Mi 13 far more valuable than the Mi 14U? There are three key reasons
Why does the Xiaomi Mi 13 retain its value far more than the Xiaomi Mi 14 U? There are 3 key reasons
The Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra has been used for a long time, and I suddenly miss the comfortable feel of the Xiaomi Mi 13 and Mi 14, so I went to the second-hand market to pay more attention. I don't know if I don't see it, and I'm shocked when I see it.
In a seafood market, the old flagship Xiaomi 13 has been blown into a nail to the god machine, 12GB+256GB configuration, and it can be sold for about 2500 yuan - this price is very strong, which is equivalent to a depreciation of 40% in more than a year. And add about 700 yuan, and you can buy a second-hand Xiaomi 14 with the same memory.
And in stark contrast is Xiaomi 14 Ultra, many people may not have noticed that the 12GB+256GB version with an initial price of 6499 yuan, about a month, 95 new fell to around 5000 yuan, a depreciation of about 23%. As for the higher-spec version, it also faces the same fate.
Here's the question: why does the Mi 13 hold its value far better than the Mi 14 Ultra? Personally, I think there are three key reasons.
First of all, 2K-4K is Xiaomi's "comfort zone"
The 2K-4K price point is the comfort zone of Android phone manufacturers, and Xiaomi is no exception. Most users who buy Android phones will choose the 2K-4K price range, and once the budget exceeds 5K, they will definitely consider Huawei and Apple - because at this time, users are not considering cost performance, but identity.
At the same time, for mid-to-high-end models, Xiaomi usually spends its budget on the cutting edge, using the best chips, screens, and memory as much as possible, and the core hardware has hardly shrunk. Therefore, the Redmi K70 series and the Xiaomi digital series will become popular models in the market. The problem faced by the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is not whether the configuration is strong enough, but the "brand identity".
The reason why the second-hand Xiaomi 13 retains its value is because after the price dropped to the 2K price level, the demand skyrocketed, and there was really no way to fall. And this year, the Snapdragon 8Gen2 is still strong, not to mention the powerful performance, the power consumption is also excellent, and it can be said that there is no pressure to play the Snapdragon 7+ Gen3, the new mid-range of this year.
Second, consumers are escaping the "consumerism trap"
The consumerism trap, a term that has been popular lately, also reflects the changing mindset of consumers. High-end photography, Leica collaborations, and the recognition of high-end cameras are selling points that sound exciting and not most people can afford.
No matter how powerful the mobile phone is, it is essentially a communication tool, and the money can be spent where it is really valuable. For example, a person who doesn't play triple-A, doesn't mine, doesn't tune AI, and doesn't edit videos, even if he has a 4080 graphics card, just browses the web. It's the same with the Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra, although its photography capabilities are at the ceiling, but do you really need to shoot blockbusters with your phone?
The Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra's real target audience is a very niche photography enthusiast. That's why I've always felt that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra's biggest rival is the 5K-priced entry-level DSLR. The Xiaomi 13 is different, with its configuration being more than enough to meet the needs of most people and making it an ideal model for many people.
There's a saying that's right, you can't say what's good about the Xiaomi Mi 13, but you can't say what's bad. As the saying goes, no bright spot is the biggest bright spot, and this sentence is also applicable to the iPhone 15, which is the "ideal machine" for most people.
Third, the essence of smartphones is communication
In fact, for most users, the core function of mobile phones is two words: communication. Even in the era of mobile Internet, this has not changed, but the type of content of communication has changed - it used to be calls, text messages, and now it is short videos, APP, and WeChat.
The positioning of the Xiaomi 13 small-screen flagship not only provides a good feel, but its photography ability is also enough to shoot a short video. In contrast, the Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra's huge photography module directly affects the feel. In daily life, the frequency of using mobile phones to create videos may not even reach 1%, but you have to pay the price every moment.
To sum up, the reason why the Xiaomi Mi 13 retains its value over the Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra is simple: it is lowered to the comfort zone of Android users, meets the daily needs of most people, and feels very good in the hand.
The key to success?
Finally, as an aside, the Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra has a faster price drop, which I think has something to do with its price increase. When Lei Jun announced that the price of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra would increase by 500 yuan, many rice noodles gasped.
Lei Jun once said that the key to success is to "follow the trend", and in an environment where consumption downgrade has become a mainstream trend, price increases are bound to be accompanied by huge risks.
In order to catch up with the "far ahead" competitors, the Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra has built-in satellite communication technology for the first time, which is one of the key reasons for its price increase. Although Xiaomi has repeatedly emphasized that satellite communication technology is to allow photographers to have signal coverage when shooting in the mountains and mountains, rice fans generally do not buy this statement.
Each brand has the undertone of each brand, and this undertone is not something that Xiaomi can easily change, but that is decided by its users. We all know very well that "science and engineering man" is Xiaomi's basic disk, and the biggest feature of this part of the user is: rational, fact-oriented, highly sensitive to parameters, and only looking at cost performance.
High-end mobile phones must be done, otherwise they will be ridiculed for their lack of strength. I'm not saying that the Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra doesn't exist, but I feel that the success of the Xiaomi Mi 13 means that mediocrity is also a victory.
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