On September 20, the new iPhone 16 series officially went on sale. For those who lived through the 2010s, the hot scene of the new iPhone launch event is vivid. At that time, foreign media couldn't help but ask: Why are Chinese consumers willing to pay for Apple's new mobile phone, no matter how expensive it is?
However, today, although China's mobile phone market is recovering, it is difficult to recreate the grand occasion of new iPhone sales. Morgan Stanley's latest research report pointed out that the demand for Apple's new phones seems to be lighting up a red light due to shorter delivery times. This is not because the iPhone has stopped advancing, but because the domestic mobile phone brands are progressing more rapidly.
For Chinese users, the mobile phone market is becoming more and more selective. In fact, since the 2010s, the status gap between iPhones and domestic mobile phones is gradually narrowing, and domestic brands are becoming more and more favored by domestic consumers. In the past, Apple almost dominated the high-end market, but now, domestic brands have occupied half of the high-end market. From deep cultivation of technological innovation, expansion of the industrial chain, to the transformation from a low-price strategy to a strong competitor in the high-end market, domestic brands have accumulated sufficient strength.
On October 14, vivo launched the X200 series of new phones, which was the first head-to-head confrontation with Apple. On this mobile phone, we can see the "all-round" of domestic mobile phones: the once advantageous functions have now evolved into more powerful; What was once a relatively weak feature is now good enough.
Huang Tao, vice president of vivo product line, showed the new X200 series
If the market competition in the past was like a showdown between Superman and Iron Man, then now, domestic mobile phones have evolved into "all-round heroes", making this competition even more eye-catching.
The confidence of a head-to-head confrontation
In the past, September was the "peak season" for mobile phone manufacturers to release new products, but without exception, they avoided Apple's press conference as much as possible, after all, during the same period of Apple's conference, almost all the heat would be on the new iPhone.
But the iPhone's influence on the domestic mobile phone market is gradually weakening. On the one hand, the basic version of the iPhone is still keen to "squeeze toothpaste" for ten years, and it is very stingy in terms of performance and function release; On the other hand, in terms of appearance, camera design, etc., the iPhone even needs to start learning from domestic mobile phones. For example, according to the test of professional mobile phone evaluation bloggers, in the key indicator of screen refresh rate data, the iPhone has lagged behind the domestic flagship phones in the same price segment for 5 years.
In contrast to the declining status of the once king of the high-end market, it is the domestic mobile phone brands. They have never hesitated to invest in R&D investment, technological innovation, product design and other aspects. With technological innovation and differentiation strategies, domestic mobile phone manufacturers are constantly narrowing the gap with the iPhone. In addition to the ability to release technological innovation and product design, domestic brands are relying on the concept of "user-centered" to win back the market that was once occupied.
With the arrival of the first flagship showdown in the second half of the year, the mobile phone market has become more exciting. From the perspective of the total market, with the gradual recovery of China's economy and the optimization of the economic structure, China's mobile phone market, as an important part of the real economy, is also coming out of the haze and welcoming the recovery after two years of adjustment. According to data from market research agency Canalys, China's mobile phone market shipped 67.7 million units in the first quarter of this year, and further continued its growth momentum in the second quarter, with shipments increasing by 10% year-on-year to return to the level of 70 million units.
From the perspective of domestic brands, in the past two years in the battle of "high-end" brands, a number of domestic brands such as vivo have gradually made efforts and stood up in the high-end showdown. The level of "volume" has changed from the traditional "camera" function in the past to the "signal" later, to the underlying chip, and then to the AI model on top of the hot spot...... Domestic brands have accumulated enough confidence.
On top of the underlying changes of the collective rise of domestic mobile phone brands, vivo dared to choose to let the new X200 series meet consumers at the critical moment after the release of iPhone16, reflecting the confidence and courage of the vivo brand itself.
Judging from past data, from 2021 to 2023, as well as in the first three quarters of 2024, the vivo (including iQOO) brand will continue to rank first in the sales volume of China's mobile phone market. At the same time, vivo's competitiveness in the high-end market is also further highlighted, in the price range of 4000-6000 yuan, vivo's market share has made significant progress.
For a mobile phone brand, gaining a place in the once-exclusive high-end market and winning the championship at a time when the industry has experienced a reversal is enough to provide confidence. However, this confidence mainly comes from past products, and to go head-to-head with competitors, you need real confidence.
But where does the confidence come from? Perhaps many people can answer without hesitation: "blue technology". When the X100 series was released in November last year, vivo also launched the technology brand "Blue Technology", Huang Tao, vice president of vivo product line, made it clear that "Blue Technology is the cornerstone of the core competitiveness of vivo products, and it is also the source of leading product experience. ”
This is not rhetoric, behind the connotation of the blue crystal chip technology stack, blueprint image, blue heart model, blue ocean battery life system and other connotations contained in the "blue technology", there is a visible investment. From the long-term reserve of more than 13,000 R&D personnel, to the deep cultivation of the underlying architecture and the deep cultivation of the industrial chain with chip design companies, to the belief and determination to make breakthroughs around user needs......
These capabilities were eventually combined into the X200 series to build a leapfrog product capability. If the past vivo X series was already superhuman in terms of image capabilities, it is an exaggeration to say that this time the X200 series has been upgraded to an all-round hero, which not only inherits the power of superman, but also integrates the high-tech equipment of Iron Man, and realizes a comprehensive evolution in terms of image, performance, screen and AI.
The strength of "one super and multi-functional".
The photographic capabilities of the vivo X series have long been known. On social platforms, vivo has always been able to go out of the circle with "taking pictures that look good enough". Even professional photographers admit that the phone can do a lot of things that were once only possible with a DSLR. At the vivo X90 series launch conference in 2022, Zhao Dian, product manager of vivo, proposed to make vivo X90 Pro+ "the main camera for most users and a backup camera for professional photographers".
After two iterations and upgrades, the imaging capabilities of the vivo X200 series have reached a new height. The centerpiece of the main camera blueprint x Sony LYT-818, which was co-defined with Sony, surpasses the critically acclaimed IMX989 in terms of imaging performance. At the same time, it is equipped with ZEISS 200 million APO super telephoto, which can achieve up to 100x zoom. What's more, the self-developed Blueprint image chip V3+ and Blueprint algorithm matrix further enhance the image quality details, even if the magnification is 20 times or more, it can also present a delicate and detailed image.
The effect of the technological improvement is significant. Young star chasers can easily shoot the "idols" on the stage 30x away at the concert; Romantic lovers of literature and art can easily photograph every wisp of early morning fog; During the Mid-Autumn Festival, others can only take a dim circle, but you can use your mobile phone to shoot every dark side and bright corner of the moon; If you want to record when exercising, you don't need to hire a photographer, your mobile phone can capture your moment of strength; Even Live Photo, which was once exclusive to Apple, is now available on the vivo X200.
Live Photo
More than just taking photos, the X200 series has also made further breakthroughs in video performance. This year, director Xin Shuang released a work shot with vivo X100 Ultra "Call Me When You Need It", 4K ultra-high-definition video, professional sense of image stabilization, and dark details in low light, making it possible to shoot a creative video for ordinary people.
The X200 series is superior to the Ultra in terms of video capabilities. With the Blueprint Imaging V3+ chip, the X200 Pro supports 4K 120fps and cinematic slow motion, 4K 60fps HDR Dolby Vision, and full-focus 10-bit Log video recording, making it a brand that can compete with Apple in the Android camp.
These results do not come overnight. This is vivo's long-term dedication and exploration of imaging capabilities, and it is also the harvest of concentrated R&D and in-depth technology at the bottom of the technology:
Since the release of the first product of the X series in 2012, vivo has adhered to the product concept of "making one count, not making raw rice", and has continuously polished each product. vivo has established 7 imaging R&D centers in Shenzhen, China, Taipei, Japan and other places around the world, forming a R&D team of 1,000 people; After 2020, vivo has strategically cooperated with Zeiss to realize the integration of professional photography and mobile photography technology; In the X80 to X100 series, vivo not only launched its self-developed image chips, but also realized co-optimization with the processor to achieve two-way empowerment of algorithms and hardware.
Of course, "all-around hero" also means a breakthrough in addition to imaging capabilities. By cooperating with MediaTek to design the Dimensity 9400 chip, and co-building a joint laboratory with Arm to promote chip architecture upgrades, vivo's chip performance has reached a new high in the industry. At the press conference, vivo, Arm, and MediaTek also realized the tripartite century on the same stage, building a full-link closed-loop chip technology. In addition, the 4nm process communication chip also enables the new machine to achieve kilometer-level networkless communication technology in extreme environments, helping the Everest scientific expedition.
In terms of screen, the X200 series uses a Zeiss master color screen and supports 2160Hz full-brightness high-frequency PWM dimming, which can provide a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a top-level eye protection experience. It is equipped with a new generation of OriginOS 5 AI system, and has also launched new functions such as Atomic Island and Small V Circle Search, further improving office and search efficiency, and becoming an AI assistant that is more suitable for the needs of Chinese users.
The temperature and responsibility of technology
Understanding this product, combined with vivo's R&D and investment history, it is not difficult to find that the X200 series is called the iPhone16 series is just its surface, which lies in vivo's ability to always insist on not stopping when the industry is down, not retreating when the industry is warming, and it will never squeeze toothpaste, and go deep into the technical advantages and product performance forged by the bottom.
However, for vivo and the "blue technology" brand, the end point is not limited to technology.
The development of technology often accompanies the growth of the brand, but the real brand power does not come from the technology itself. vivo and the "blue technology" brand it brings are the practitioners of this concept. Technology is of course the cornerstone of brand development, but the true value of a brand lies in its contribution to society and a deep understanding of user needs.
As we are familiar with in superhero movies, heroes become heroes not only because they possess extraordinary powers, but also because they have a responsibility and unwavering belief in protecting the world. Without these, no matter how powerful it is, it can lead to destruction.
The performance in the mobile phone industry is that some companies are caught in endless war of words, or "squeeze toothpaste" in product upgrades, endlessly "roll" in parameters, and even try to cover up the lack of product power with "cost performance". Although this practice may attract consumers in the short term, in the long run, it will not really win the respect of the market and users.
Vivo chooses to become a real "hero": while exporting technical strength, it also does a good job in the overflow of the industry and even ideas, and assumes the social responsibility of the brand.
On a macro level, vivo shows the responsibility of a Chinese brand. Whether it is testing products in the extreme environment of Antarctica, demonstrating the power of China's intelligent manufacturing at the Boao Forum, or recording the opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor, protecting the ecology of the source of the Yangtze River, and helping Xinhua News Agency launch the "75th Anniversary Exhibition", the vivo X200 series even climbed to the top of the world - Mount Everest, showing the spirit of exploration and courage of Chinese brands.
On a more subtle level, it is also silently changing the lives of ordinary people. It has become the "eyes" of the visually impaired, and through the cooperative experience with the visually impaired KOL "Bao Ge and his guide dog", vivo tells the world that the visually impaired can also experience the convenience of technology. It makes domestic fruits go to the world, and the portraits of farmers taken by photographer Da Meng with vivo mobile phones are not only full of color, but also creative, helping to enhance the brand image of domestic fruits. It also allows children in mountainous areas to create, and photographer Kong Ruochen's "Photography Class on the Plateau" in Yushu, Qinghai Province, uses vivo mobile phones to record children's innocence and creativity.
United States writer ·Helen Keller, a visually impaired person, once said, "The world is moved not only by the great push of the heroes, but also by the small push of every honest worker."
But perhaps "heroes" and "honest workers" can be combined. Standing in the high-end market and competing head-to-head with the iPhone, vivo pursues not only a simple technological breakthrough or a grand narrative brought by domestic brands, but also a respect for the needs of every user and the pursuit of creating value for users.
In vivo's own words, vivo's brand concept is to go deep into the front line, wear the user's shoes, and run in the enterprise. It is this user-centric concept that gives vivo the confidence to face up to the market and insist on itself.
Insist on working hard at the time of the industry downturn, and greet the opponent with achievements when the industry recovers, which is the confidence of vivo and the attitude that Chinese brands should uphold in the face of global competition.
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