Xiaomi rises, Huawei falls, who will be the new domestic light?
In recent years, the development of domestic mobile phone brands Xiaomi and Huawei in the smartphone industry has been remarkable. Xiaomi continues to grow through online and offline sales models and ecological product matrix, while Huawei is leading the way in 5G communication technology. U.S. government sanctions have cast a shadow over Huawei's prospects, and Xiaomi's "ecological closed-loop" strategy may allow it to eventually replace Huawei as the new light of domestic production.
Xiaomi and Huawei are undoubtedly the two most popular Chinese mobile phone brands at the moment, and their performance in the field of smartphones can be described as full-fledged, becoming the darlings of countless users for a while, and letting the world see the strength of Chinese brands.
Xiaomi has always adhered to the online and offline sales model, and with the "Mi Home" ecological product matrix, it has developed into an empire covering smartphones, smart homes, Internet TVs and other fields. Its young and fashionable brand image is closer to the lifestyle of young people. Huawei is a leader in 5G communication technology, with R&D investment reaching the world's top level, accounting for 10% to 15% of sales revenue.
Just when the two brands were in full swing, fate also threw a challenge at them. The first to bear the brunt is Huawei, which was once at risk of cutting off the supply of chips and system authorizations due to US government sanctions, and its prospects have been clouded. Fortunately, Huawei has a deep technical accumulation, and through the development of independent controllable chips and HarmonyOS systems, the crisis was finally resolved.
But the crisis has also been a wake-up call for Huawei, how fragile it is to be overly dependent on others. On the other hand, Xiaomi, which has always taken the "ecological closed loop" route, although it has been criticized for its over-reliance on the ecological chain, has at least done a very thorough job in this regard, which can be said to be a lesson for Huawei.
People believe that compared with Huawei, Xiaomi's "ecological closed-loop" route has more advantages, even if it is limited in terms of chip and system authorization, it will not be as fragile as Huawei. Xiaomi has a young and fashionable brand image, which is closer to the lifestyle of young people, while Huawei's brand image is closer to that of the older generation.
Some reports show that Xiaomi has ranked third in global shipments, becoming the strongest domestic mobile phone brand overseas, surpassing Huawei. Although Xiaomi's performance in the domestic market is relatively average, its performance in overseas markets such as Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America is strong, with shipments and market share growing.
Xiaomi and Huawei are fiercely competitive in the smartphone space, and both companies are constantly pushing the boundaries to gain an edge in terms of product power and user experience.
For Xiaomi, high cost performance has always been its biggest selling point. Xiaomi phones use the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, which are powerful and easy to meet the needs of various games and high-load scenarios. Xiaomi is also constantly optimizing the MIUI system, making the system run more smoothly and the functions more user-friendly. For example, practical functions such as privacy protection, small windows, and multimedia sound assistants all make the user's experience go to the next level.
In addition to the hardware and system, Xiaomi phones also have excellent performance in taking photos. Xiaomi's latest flagship models all use the Sony IMX800 sensor, which has OIS optical image stabilization, which can take detailed and clear photos. And Xiaomi has also launched a variety of photo modes, such as night mode, portrait mode, etc., to make taking photos easier and more fun.
Xiaomi phones are indeed a bit conservative in terms of design, and many models have similar styles and lack innovation and personalization. The body material is also mainly plastic, and the feel is average. This may be a trade-off made by Xiaomi in order to control costs, but it is undoubtedly a pity for those young people who pursue fashion.
Compared to Xiaomi, Huawei's exterior design is even more outstanding. Whether it is a right-angled bezel or a curved body, it can meet the aesthetic needs of different people. Moreover, Huawei mobile phones also have Beidou satellite communication function, which can send text messages even when there is no network signal, which is very useful in some special occasions.
In addition to appearance, Huawei mobile phones are also experts in photo capabilities. Huawei phones are equipped with Sony's IMX766 sensor, which has a variable aperture and RYYB technology, which can take photos with high brightness and rich colors. Moreover, the telephoto lens of Huawei phones supports 5x optical zoom, which is more advantageous when shooting long shots.
The biggest shortcoming of Huawei's mobile phones lies in the chip. Although the performance of Huawei's self-developed Kirin chip is good, there is still a certain gap with Qualcomm's top products. Due to U.S. sanctions, Huawei is unable to obtain authorization for the Android system and can only use its own HarmonyOS system. Although the Hongmeng system has been quite mature after years of polishing, after all, the ecology is still not as good as the Android system.
For the average user, the ecosystem of mobile phones is crucial. Whether it's for work, entertainment, or socializing, you need a lot of application support. The Android system has a mature app store and a large number of applications, which can meet the needs of the vast majority of people. The application ecology of the HarmonyOS system is still a bit thin, which brings inconvenience to users.
Huawei is also working hard to expand the ecosystem of the HarmonyOS system, such as reaching cooperation with a number of mainstream application providers in China. But to completely catch up with the Android ecosystem, I'm afraid it will take some time. For those users who have high requirements for the mobile phone ecosystem, Huawei mobile phones may not be the best choice.
Even so, Huawei phones still have a lot of loyal fans. Huawei's years of technology accumulation in imaging and battery life have given its mobile phones unique advantages in these areas, and many people are willing to pay for it. Moreover, the brand influence of Huawei mobile phones is also difficult for other domestic mobile phones to achieve.