The smartphone market has reached 2022, and the "watershed" phenomenon is becoming more and more obvious.
On the one hand, the sales scale of the entire smartphone market continues to shrink. According to data released by Information and Communications Institute , the sales volume in China in 2022 dropped by more than 20% compared with the previous year. On the other hand, high-end smartphone sales are increasing, and Apple even reached a new high in the past third quarter. manufacturers must cope with changes in the market, and climbing up and standing firm in the high-end is already a clear direction.
In the past year, the high-end products of various manufacturers have flourished: Xiaomi joins hands with Leica to create Xiaomi 12S Ultra, trying to compete for the highland of imaging flagships; OPPO has launched a self-developed imaging chip and has formed a high-end lineup of multiple brands; Honor focuses on folding screen mobile phones, highlighting texture and design; vivo is to continuously improve the strength of the X series product and occupy the awareness of high-end users step by step.
(Photo source: vivo)
It is obvious that vivo is the mobile phone manufacturer with the most considerable returns after the implementation of the high-end strategy, and its sales, unit price and share have all achieved counter-trend growth . Counterpoint data shows that vivo's blockbuster product X80 series in the first half of 2022 helped the brand achieve a growth in the domestic high-end smartphone market share from 6% to 13% in the second quarter, leading other brands and second only to Apple.
(Photo source: Counterpoint)
Such a huge progress has made us more curious about vivo - how has vivo changed from product to brand to achieve such results, and what forward-looking ideas and opinions are behind it to guide it, and how can vivo improve in the future? In exchanges with Hu Baishan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of vivo, the answer gradually emerged.
's annual hits are all distinctive and
images as anchors to establish the all-round flagship status of X series
Starting from vivo X1 in 2012, the X series has gone through ten years, and product series that can survive such a long span are rare in the entire industry. There have been many attempts during this period, including thinness, audio, image, fashion... vivo's high-end stories are always indispensable. The vivo X80 series released in the first half of 2022 has established its all-round flagship status with the image as the anchor.
(Photo source: vivo)
High-end smartphones at the same time are subject to different constraints, but vivo boldly enabled MeTek +Qualcomm dual platform strategy on the X80 series, allowing users to obtain stable high-performance performance. This happens to be a necessary condition for establishing the image of high-end products. naturally makes the market recognize vivo's leaping attitude . The seeds of in-depth cooperation between
and Zeiss also bloom more beautiful flowers: unique color expression, tone style, shooting functions, and a high-quality multi-photo imaging system for the full focal length, which can help people easily take photos and videos with good appearance and high quality, and quickly transform them into high-end and confident public reputation. The newly released vivo X90 series also provides comprehensive performance and functionality and flagship image experience sublimation.
X Fold fulfilled the "I want it all" and won the top of the folding screen
There is no doubt that the folding screen has become a higher-end existence above conventional flagships, but there is no consensus in the industry for how to make folding screen products that have both high-end attitudes and corresponding sales results. Some manufacturers believe that lightness and thinness are very important for folding screens, so that some specifications are subtracted in the process of controlling weight and reducing thickness, which makes many flagship product users feel regretful.
(Photo source: Lei Technology)
vivo seized this opportunity. The two products brought in 2022 perfectly meet people's high requirements for flagship positioning folding screen . Not only does it include imaging, ultrasonic under-screen fingerprint, high-refresh internal and external screens, wireless fast charging, etc., it can achieve all top specifications, but also develop software functions that fully meet the experience for the folding screen.Therefore, when it comes to folding screens, they must be named X Fold and X Fold+.
iQOO takes into account both the game weapon and the dual identity of "bucket machine"
sub-brand iQOO As an important part of vivo's expansion territory, it has almost done its best to stick to itself. Within this year, several new phones of the iQOO digital series, iQOO Neo series, and iQOO Z series have been launched, but they all implement the same product style, provide users with high-performance products at competitive prices, and are not inferior in daily experiences such as imaging and communication connections.
(Photo source: vivo)
iQOO steadily grasps the balance between daily experience and relaxing games. It can be a game weapon that fully releases performance, and it can also be a "bucket machine" that has no shortcomings in video, audio and video entertainment, etc. . A series of products just happen to provide a perfect complement to e-sports phones that enhance games, which gives users who love games and don’t want to compromise on their lives, so that they have the best choice.
steadily and steadily make a high-end experience
Through the hot products this year, you can clearly see that vivo's high-end breakthrough is actually seeking progress while maintaining stability, and achieving comprehensive evolution step by step.
has accumulated a lot of steps, and finally the image strength exploded
In 2022, Image is one of the most distinctive high-end tags of vivo, but this is by no means an achievement achieved in one day. Behind it is the result of continuous attempts and accumulation of products of all generations : The X50 series first launched micro-globe, exploring the boundaries of anti-shake capability; the X60 series introduced Zeiss joint research and development, and a century-old image blossomed again on the mobile terminal; the X70 series first launched V1 chip, supporting exclusive dark-light picture processing capabilities.
(Photo source: vivo)
So on the latest X90 series mobile phones, we can find these elements inherited from generation to generation of X series. You can see that vivo has consistently insisted on portrait photography, and has a stronger creative space through the dual-portrait telephoto, and continues to pursue more quality shots, and enters a new realm through the ultra-large bottom sensor. Images with increasing strength and reputation are just one part of vivo's creation of high-end experience.
dual cores and set a new flagship performance
high-end mobile phone interactive experience with high resolution, high refresh rate, and high color accuracy always requires strong hardware performance to support it, which is why we always believe that there is no "bottleneck" in performance. vivo "profiles" the entire industry in 2022. It not only uses dual platforms to create the latest flagship mobile phones, but also achieves the best performance, and combines self-developed chips to achieve a dual-core experience.
(Photo source: vivo)
Hu Baishan admitted that he had relatively in-depth cooperation with MediaTek. Both mobile phones are based on Dimensity 9000. This is a new transformation of vivo's high-end ideas. In the past, MediaTek platform mobile phones lacked sales performance of more than 4,000 yuan, and the performance of the X80 series far exceeded expectations after its launch. Vivo continued to increase production to meet demand, and it also believed that it is as milestone as the first vivo X1 in the series.
In the past few years, MediaTek chips have always lacked high-end mobile phones that can serve as a storefront. Even if the Dimensity 9000 with the leading specifications is released, it has been questioned by the outside world about tuning and optimization. vivo successfully achieved a win-win situation with the X80 series, and demonstrated its own capabilities, which also legitimates MediaTek's name: as long as it is fully developed in the underlying layer, it can also bring flagship-level image experience and comprehensive performance .
is compatible and packaged, creating a better system experience,
OriginOS allows vivo phones to maintain high recognition after lighting up the screen. Atomic notifications, Huarong grids, behavioral wallpapers and other bold innovations have greatly met the diverse personalized needs of young people. In the latest release of OriginOS 3, the R&D team has brought a number of experience improvements from the bottom, but some voices questioned that this system is losing its most unique elements.
(Photo source: vivo)
Hu Baishan said that from the perspective of making OS, the Top 5 and Top 10 scene experiences should be maximized. Because resources are always limited. There is no need to set the ideal at the beginning, but it is necessary to focus on the core scenarios of the user and make the core scenario experience the ultimate. To this end, hundreds of people in vivo's 3,000-person system team conducts underlying research and development, and more people will participate in it in the future.
We can find that vivo builds a mobile operating system not to abandon stability in pursuit of innovation, but to give improvements to while fully respecting user needs and continuing usage habits. It is smoother and more stable in the applications and scenarios that users are most familiar with, and there are many unexpected manifestations at the design and interaction level. The comprehensive software and hardware experience of vivo mobile phones has since gained more high-end temperament.
User-oriented innovation brings a broader vision
vivo founder, president and CEO Shen Wei once proposed in his New Year speech in 2022, "No matter whether it is good or bad, everything must return to user-oriented." Hu Baishan also mentioned in his communication that "the company proposed 'design-driven', which is essentially the ultimate user-oriented." In today's view, the extremely important user orientation has already given vivo a longer-term vision of innovation.
vivo has a clear understanding of the route that it should adhere to for a long time and what is the correct direction of innovation . From the product level, you can clearly see vivo's investment and output in the four tracks of design, image, system and performance. Taking design as an example, cloud-level design has become the logo feature of the X series and even vivo's high-end mobile phones, and it also has a unique charm with the combination of different materials and square elements.
(Photo source: vivo)
Hu Baishan's speech also reflects the company's understanding of the long track: each user's usage scenarios are different, and it is necessary to identify which group of high-end users want to serve well, and find long-term and sustainable iterative solutions in his high-frequency scenarios. Continuous investment and improvement in taking good photos, high-quality design, easy-to-use systems, and powerful performance, this is vivo's long track.
It is obvious that vivo has a deep understanding of what high-end is: it is definitely not just to stand higher in brand tone, but it must be reflected from the most fundamental product experience. does things that are more powerful and can better meet the needs of high-end users, so that they can achieve all-round high-end from product sales to brand image. And these are often not something that can be solved in a year or a generation of products.
(Photo source: vivo)
Hu Baishan admitted: "Actually, all brands are also doing this now, but whether they are really determined, I think the road to high-end machines cannot be escaped for every brand." Because of persistence, they will end the well-known Xplay and NEX series, just because "everything is done on short tracks and does not have long-term nature."
This idea is also reflected in vivo's pre-research system: Not long after the release of the X90 series, the next generation of product "N+1", which currently participates in about 50 to 60% of R&D resources, has already locked in specifications and is waiting to be completed. This together with "N+2", represents a short-term goal. vivo Central Research Institute mainly spends its energy on the longer-term "N+3" project, and at least half of the R&D forces will focus on long-term goals in the future.
High-end mobile phones are not only established by brands, but also by comprehensive experience accumulation. The bright spots that are common on vivo mobile phones are time-consuming, short-term, low-heat fast charging, practical imaging algorithms, interesting shooting functions, a relaxed gaming experience and various convenient system capabilities. They are gradually being promoted to mid-range products in their debuts of high-end flagships. vivo is willing to decentralize fully verified experiences.
(Photo source: vivo)
So mainstream price users can also obtain vivo-style innovative results, and will not be completely out of the high-end experience because of different product positioning. Advanced technology achievements will radiate to more people.This has also cultivated new high-end users in a subtle way - . Because mainstream products provide better performance, they are willing to give priority to mobile , which is also from vivo, when consuming high-end products.
's high-end journey, vivo takes the lead
X80 and X Fold not only bring sales success, but also gives this manufacturer that focuses on long-term investment and actively stands on high-end. more confidence. "2022 is the year when vivo's confidence in high-end breakthroughs is laid. With this process this year, we have gained great confidence in next year and the year after, both in the front-end market and the R&D end of the middle and back-end. In terms of internal strength, we are much better than in the past." Hu Baishan said sincerely. The high-end phased achievements made by
vivo in 2022 are worthy of recognition, which means that the persistence in the past few years has received due rewards. We must also look to the future based on the present. From the exposure actions, we can see that everything is not the end, and future iterations are even more worth looking forward to. Hu Baishan revealed at the meeting that the V3 chip is about to be released. This self-developed chip of vivo, which is positioned as a coprocessor, is preparing for new products in the second half of next year.
(Photo source: vivo)
Changes in the mobile phone industry have also not stopped. On the one hand, the squeeze of the stock market is becoming more and more obvious, and on the other hand, all manufacturers are increasing their investment and fighting. At a certain point in the future, there will be a turning point that will affect a certain player's life and death fate, which will be related to what kind of "preparation" has been made today. Whether it is posture or result, vivo in 2022 seems to have stepped on the fast lane first.
From the outside, you will feel that smartphone manufacturers have been doing similar things until now: high-end products, investment in underlying software and hardware technology, multi-device and multi-scene experience, and pre-research for next-generation equipment... There seems to be no essential difference. However, as we all know, what is important in long-distance running is not what you do now, but what you prepare for to persevere.
From this perspective, vivo has already had its own clear understanding and has gradually tasted more fruits produced by long-term investment.
