May mobile phone market outlook: flagship competition in imaging, mid-range focuses on AI.

In the past April, we have seen a number of flagship performance new phones "big melee", such as Redmi Turbo 3, OnePlus Ace 3V, iQOO Z9 series, etc. Although these new phones are all excellent in performance and cost-effective, they all use the same Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 processors, which is obviously a bit boring.

It is reported that vivo, Redmi, Honor, and Meizu will launch their new models in May. These models will not only include top-notch flagship cameras but also cost-effective mid-range models. Compared to the chaotic competition with the same configuration in April, the smartphone market in May can be considered as a variety of choices, each with its own strategies and ideas.

So how lively will the mobile phone industry be in the next period? Today, I will analyze it for you.

vivo and Redmi will have a "big cup" battle.

Speaking of the "big cup" of major brands, it seems that only vivo has not released it yet.

But the good news is that the vivo X100S Ultra has indeed given everyone a big surprise. Earlier, vivo released the official materials of the X100S Ultra, and the real shots of its lens Deco part were exposed. From the official images, it can be basically confirmed that this "big cup" has a quite powerful periscope telephoto lens.

The X100S Ultra was officially announced together with vivo's self-developed imaging brand "BlueImage". According to the information publicly released by vivo's vice president Jia Jingdong on Weibo, BlueImage will continue to collaborate with Zeiss to create a powerful mobile imaging system in both hardware and software, while also integrating AI technology to leverage the advantages of NICE algorithm.

Wow, it turns out that vivo's big move is waiting for us here?

Of course, as an extra-large cup model, the overall configuration of X100S Ultra is also impressive, such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform, 2K resolution Samsung E7 OLED panel, 5000mAh Blue Ocean large battery with 80W super fast charging, and more. In addition, according to the news, the periscope telephoto lens of X100S Ultra in the official announcement image has a pixel count of 200 million and supports up to 200X hybrid zoom.

It is worth mentioning that there is also a satellite communication version in the version of vivo X100S Ultra that has entered the network, and it is currently uncertain how it will appear in the SKU.

Just like vivo, Redmi is also holding back the "extra-large cup", and its K70 Ultra has always been a model highly anticipated by Mi fans. Based on previous models, the Ultra/Supreme Edition generally debuts in August or September of the same year, but Redmi's product manager Wang Teng revealed in a live broadcast earlier that all Redmi products will be accelerated, so the possibility of this Redmi "extra-large cup" being unveiled in May is very high.

In terms of core configuration, Redmi K70 Ultra will be one of the first models to be equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ mobile platform, and the performance of this chip is also remarkable, to the extent that it can be described as "dominating the market" in the first half of this year. The Dimensity 9300+ is most likely a simple overclocked version, but with the Redmi dedicated display chip X7 and the HyperEngine, the gaming performance is still worth looking forward to.

In the first half of this year, the mid-range and flagship models have all been "playing around" in terms of imaging, such as the realme 12 Pro+ even using the OV64B periscope telephoto lens, making the competition quite fierce. The biggest regret of the three models of the Redmi K70 series that have been released is that the imaging performance is slightly inadequate, and this regret will be filled by the "extra-large cup".

It is reported that the Redmi K70 Ultra will be equipped with the Light Hunter 800 sensor, the same as the Redmi K70 Pro, and the telephoto lens will be designed with a periscope, providing up to 3.2X optical zoom. In this way, the Redmi K70 Ultra will also have optical lenses supporting the entire focal range, and its imaging capabilities should be very powerful.

Although vivo and Redmi's "extra-large cup" are not in the same price range and do not constitute a competitive relationship, their product strategies are similar, both moving towards the "all-around" and "bucket" direction. If both models are to be released in May, it will be very interesting.

Will Honor's small iteration strategy withstand the onslaught of vivo's machine sea tactics?

The digital series has always been one of the most popular models in the offline market of Honor. The Honor 100 series released at the end of last year set multiple sales records with its balanced configuration and stylish design. According to the update frequency of the digital series, the Honor 200 series is expected to meet us in May.

The Honor 200 series is still divided into standard and Pro models, with the former equipped with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 mobile platform, and the latter using the contemporary flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. In terms of design, the Honor 200 is likely to choose the most popular small-sized straight screen OLED panel, while the Honor 200 Pro will maintain the curved screen design.

In fact, since the Honor digital series started with the 70, it has been moving towards the "bucket machine" direction, and the new Honor 100 series released last year, whether it is performance, design, or fast charging, has no obvious shortcomings. It is reported that the Honor 200 Pro will continue to focus on imaging, and it is not ruled out that it will be equipped with a periscope telephoto lens.

vivo will also update the X100 series with small iterative models in May - X100S and X100S Pro, with the former completely changing to a straight screen design, and the latter continuing the previous generation's curved design. The biggest improvement in these two small iterative models is the processor, upgrading from the Dimensity 9300 to the Dimensity 9300+, and the increase in frequency may bring stronger performance.

Both the Honor 200 series and the vivo X100S series are popular players in the offline market, and their respective previous generation models have also received good reviews. With the launch of the small iterative models, they will also attract the attention of many online and offline users. In addition, both Honor and vivo have scheduled the release of their popular models for the middle and late May, apparently in preparation for the upcoming 618 promotion.

Mid-range AI devices collide, Meizu and Google both release new products

Since Meizu announced the cessation of its traditional mobile phone project and turned to AI terminal research and development, its first "AI terminal" Meizu 21 PRO has also caused a lot of discussion. Although this model still maintains the Meizu family design and excellent practical experience, for ordinary consumers, it seems a bit too expensive to spend 5000 yuan on a "fresh" AI terminal.

Considering this, Meizu has also extended its "AI terminal" plan to the mid-range market, launching the Meizu 21 Note.

The Meizu 21 Note is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform, which stands out among the mid-range models with Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. However, purely in terms of performance, the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is not weak. As for the design, the biggest difference between the Meizu 21 Note and the previous standard models is the screen size, which will be increased to 6.8 inches, which may be the source of the "Note" suffix.

In terms of peripheral configuration, the Meizu 21 Note has once again chosen the under-screen fingerprint, mEngine linear motor, and a 50-megapixel + 8-megapixel imaging solution. It has to be said that if the Meizu 21 Note can control the price within 3000 yuan, then its performance, under-screen fingerprint, and vibration motor will be very competitive configurations. However, as for the performance of AI functions, Meizu seems to have not yet revealed any unique features.

Similarly, Google, which also pays attention to AI devices, will hold the Google I/O developer conference on May 14th, where it will launch its new mid-range model, the Pixel 8a.

The Pixel 8a is expected to be equipped with the Tensor G3 processor, a 6.1-inch OLED display, and a 64-megapixel main camera + 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. Of course, as an AI phone, the biggest suspense of the Pixel 8a is whether Google will debut the Gemini large model for mobile use on this phone to provide more on-device AI functions.

In terms of pricing, the Pixel 8a is not much different from its predecessor, starting at $500 (about 3625 yuan). As a mid-range model, the pricing of the Pixel 8a is still quite competitive in the overseas market, but in the domestic market, both its performance and imaging capabilities may not be sufficient.

It is not difficult to see that the trend of AI phones has finally shifted from the flagship market to the mid-to-low-end market. Mid-range models represented by the OnePlus Ace 3V and Redmi Turbo 3 at the beginning of the year have provided AI experiences similar to flagship models. Meizu and Google, both of which have established AI as the future development goal of the mobile market, coincidentally brought new mid-range models in May. Whether they can bring more surprises in AI experience on such low-priced phones is also what we are concerned about.

In May, which brand will take the lead?

Most mainstream brands have completed the iteration of flagship models in the previous quarter, and in the first month of the second quarter of 2024, they have successively released cost-effective mid-range models. By May, the excitement in the mobile phone market has also begun to fade. However, unlike last year, vivo has delayed the release of its flagship "Super Cup" to the second quarter, which has attracted high attention.

In terms of technology, vivo, Redmi, Meizu, and Google are all worth looking forward to: on the one hand, can the X100S Ultra and Redmi K70 Ultra make breakthroughs in imaging and gaming performance in the mobile field, leading the future market development; on the other hand, as leaders in "AI terminals," what kind of answers can Meizu and Google give as AI enters the mid-range market.

Of course, as consumers, product strength and cost-effectiveness are still the most important. Based on the known information, the iterative models of vivo and Honor have shown enough sincerity. If you are looking forward to an imaging flagship, then the vivo X100S Ultra should not disappoint you. Or if you want to choose a balanced configuration and moderately priced model, perhaps the Honor 200 series would be a good choice.

In any case, the mobile phone market in May is not like April, where various brands were "deadlocked" in almost the same configuration, but each has its own strategy, and the layout of products also has its own routines. In addition, considering that most new phones are targeting the 618 promotion, choosing to release new phones in the middle and late May, if you are considering changing your phone, you can also wait until June to observe another wave. As the saying goes, no phone is perfect, and it is most important to choose the one that suits you.