Revealing the phenomenon of machine circles in 2023: taking the near-collapse as an opportunity to explore the nature of involution

The weather in winter is always unpredictable. Sometimes the wind is biting, sometimes the sky is clear and the sun is warm, and sometimes it’s snowy and windy, just like the heavy snowfall recently. Flying in the sky, singing the last elegy for the passing of 2023. And this final elegy is also the final judgment - in 2023, winter is still there.

[Mobile China] According to a previous report by market research organization Canalys, after the global smartphone market fell sharply by 12% in 2022, although the market in 2023 showed preliminary signs of recovery, especially recently This month, but the overall trend in 2023 is still declining.

It is against this background that mobile phone manufacturers, who should have been treading on thin ice, have gone in the opposite direction, and their practices have become more radical and involution. "Enmity" has also grown from a short film to an annual drama, lasting almost the entire 2023. Because they know that in this period of "small iceberg", if they don't involute, they will "die" faster.

“Double Straight” Changes in Accord with Public Opinion

In terms of mobile phone form, since the iPhone led the wave of full touch screens, the mobile phone screen has become the most important window for user interaction. In terms of screen form, compared to straight screens, curved screen technology is more difficult and the process is more complex. Therefore, almost all manufacturers have adopted curved screen designs on their flagship models to highlight the product's High-end positioning.

However, during the use of users, there are far more voices complaining about the curved screen than praising it. Although manufacturers, in order to "get eyeballs", give their products curved surfaces. The screen has various "gimmicky" names, but in actual experience, the curved screen has problems such as poor visibility, green edges, and accidental touches, which greatly affect users' daily use. The "vase" meaning of the curved screen is greater than its practical significance. , no matter what name is used for packaging, "vase" is "vase".

iQOO 12

is a curved screen with so many "problems". In the past few years, manufacturers have still stubbornly eliminated it. Equipped in flagship models. It was not until 2023 that, after a sharp decline in the global smartphone market in 2021 and 2022, manufacturers finally changed their thinking and began to listen to the voices of users in the process of "involution" and make changes on new phones. Therefore, in 2023, we will not only see more straight-screen mobile phones, but also many mobile phones with right-angle mid-frames. Even those models that still insist on curved screens have reduced the screen curvature.

Xiaomi 14 Pro

It is worth mentioning that in addition to conventional straight-screen phones, we have also seen more four-curved screens. product. Thanks to the improvement and progress of supply chain technology, this four-curved screen successfully combines the advantages of straight and curved screens, further improving the look, feel and practicality of mobile phone screens.

OnePlus Ace 2V

In addition, in the mutual involution of various brands, the plastic bracket, a "thing" that affects the front look and feel of mobile phones, has gradually disappeared. not see. Even the metal middle frame that distinguishes the positioning of models began to be decentralized in the last quarter of this year and became no longer so “high above”.

Large end-to-side model that keeps up with the trend

If you want to say what is the most popular thing in 2023, it must be AIGC. Since OpenAI’s ChaGPT came out this year, all walks of life have taken advantage of this opportunity to “take off”. Therefore, after major Internet manufacturers took the lead in releasing various large model products, the wave of AI large models also swept into the field of smartphones. Mobile phone manufacturers are also trying to find ways to break the cold wave in this way.

For mobile phone manufacturers, the long-term downturn in the industry is like a chronic poison that is constantly being taken. You don't know when it will "kill you". By embracing large AI models, mobile phone manufacturers can not only improve users' actual experience, but also increase the selling points of their products during promotion. Because the AI ​​​​big model is the current "Thechosenone", with its empowerment, it can promote the enhancement of mobile phone performance and functionality, especially for smart voice assistants in various mobile phones, which can double their strength and tear off The inherent label of "voice retardation" affixed by users.

Smartphones embracing large AI models can not only strengthen the strength of the phone itself, but also use it as a fulcrum to leverage the competitive advantages of mobile phone manufacturers and attract The attention and interest of consumers will stimulate the vitality of the market, ultimately speeding up the recovery and development of the mobile phone industry, and achieving the ultimate goal of welcoming spring and sending off winter.

Accelerating Breakthroughs in Independent Technology

In response to the industry's involution in the cold winter, mobile phone manufacturers not only actively embrace AI large models, but also innovate in the technology of the mobile phone itself. , and this kind of involution has also accelerated the breakthrough of independent technology in my country's mobile phone industry.

The first is imaging capabilities. Whether it is a higher-priced flagship model or an entry-level thousand-yuan phone, mobile phone manufacturers are vigorously promoting their imaging capabilities. Compared with SoCs that have few brand options, manufacturers of mobile phone imaging will have higher controllability and freedom in terms of component selection and software algorithms. For example, joint research and development with Leica, Hasselblad, and Zeiss, or jointly customized light and shadow filters, etc., can not only improve their own image quality, but also achieve product differentiation, making it easier for products to stand out in today's homogenized world. .

It is worth mentioning that in terms of CMOS, the core component of imaging, many domestic brands represented by Howe are rising and beginning to impact giants such as Sony and Samsung. Among the third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 models, many brands have chosen OmniVision as the main camera lens and jointly developed a series of customized sensors. Moreover, the actual imaging experience of these models is not inferior. Each imaging style has its own merits, with a hint of "a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending" in it.

In addition to images, domestic screens have also achieved leapfrog development and progress this year. Friends who follow the mobile phone industry should know that domestic screens were still criticized a few years ago. If a flagship model uses a domestic screen, it seems to be a "heinous" thing and is criticized by netizens. This year, domestic screens have experienced a big explosion. In terms of brightness alone, in about a month, the local peak brightness has jumped from just over 3000nit to 4500nit. Even the manual peak brightness can reach 1000nit. Especially the Oriental Screen developed by BOE and OnePlus. In addition to obtaining the highest level of DisplayMateA certification, it also set an astonishing 18 records. It can be said to be the light of domestic products in the screen industry.

The same is true for the cover glass of mobile phone screens. At previous mobile phone conferences, when it comes to screen glass, Corning Gorilla is basically the one that comes up. Nowadays, various manufacturers have begun to launch self-developed glass products, such as Huawei's Kunlun glass, Xiaomi's dragon crystal glass and Honor's super-curved nano-crystalline glass. They all have good performance in drop resistance and durability, breaking the dominance of Corning in the United States.

#At the software level, screen eye protection is another important theme for mobile phone manufacturers. As we all know, although the current mainstream OLED screens have many advantages, their shortcomings of stroboscopic flicker are more serious, especially low-frequency flickers, which can cause damage to the user's eyeball structure. Therefore, the PWM high-frequency dimming technology that solves this problem appears on almost every brand's conference PPT.

In addition, various manufacturers have also launched their own eye protection technologies accordingly, such as Xiaomi’s Qingshan Eye Protection, Honor’s Oasis Eye Protection, OnePlus’ Bright Eyes Eye Protection, especially Honor, for To provide users with a high-standard screen eye protection experience, the Honor Oasis Eye Protection Laboratory has been specially established, which can be said to be at the forefront of mobile phone eye protection.

In fact, if viewed from an absolutely rational perspective, the self-research conducted by domestic mobile phone manufacturers is not fully self-research, but the result of cooperation with the industry chain. But it is undeniable that manufacturers' thinking in making products is changing. Whether it is CMOS, screens and glass covers, they are focusing more on the soft level. Of course, because of such changes, the changes in the involution method not only bring improvements to the actual user experience, but also promote the improvement of the entire industry chain of mobile phones.

Written at the end

Looking back at the changes in the domestic mobile phone industry over the years, whether it is a period of rapid development or a period of continuous decline, volume is inevitable. From the initial volume configuration and volume benchmarking, to now the internal volume space is even more subdivided. It can be said that manufacturers have rolled up mobile phones to a state of "no roll and no roll". So, why is the mobile phone industry still "involved" in such a "cold winter" moment?

In fact, "Sail against the current, if you don't advance, you will retreat." In such a special period, manufacturers have to retreat. Standing still is equivalent to retreating. Especially in the mobile phone industry, it is difficult to gain market share but easy to lose it. Therefore, whether it is for existing users, for gimmicks, or to highlight highlights, "rolling" can be said to be the most direct way for users to feel the advantages of the product, and it is also a "handle" that provides users with motivation to change phones.

Fortunately, at the end of 2023, the cold winter of the mobile phone industry seems to be coming to an end, especially in the last quarter of 2023, the market is showing signs of recovery. Judging from the data that has been released so far, global smartphone sales in October increased by 5% year-on-year. Breaking the 27 consecutive months of year-on-year decline. In November, 28.71 million new smartphones were activated in the Chinese market, a year-on-year increase of 12.7%. It can also be seen that the involution method of manufacturers' technological breakthroughs and upgrades has played a certain role in promoting the recovery of the market.

In any case, the recovery of the market has given manufacturers a piece of reassurance, but it also indicates that they are at an important turning point. How can they bring more benefits to users in the process of continued recovery in the future? Good product experience in order to seize more market share is something they still have to think about. Throughout the development history of various industries, many brands have unfortunately fallen behind in the warm current of spring after surviving the cold winter, and have been lost in the long river of history. The market will not wait for anyone, and neither will competitors. Facing 2024, no one can take it lightly.

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