Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 243: Zhiyun, who is putting old wine in a new bottle, is doomed
The S12 mobile phone launched by Zhiyun Technology this year includes other new-generation mobile phones that are ready to be launched, such as the A series, C series, and S12X series.

For Zhiyun Technology, and even for the entire domestic electronic consumer industry chain, the most important change is the full localization of core semiconductor components.

From SOC to running memory, to flash memory, and then to some other miscellaneous small chips, all of them are domestically produced.

Not only has the design field been localized, but the manufacturing field has also been localized. All of the above-mentioned chips are produced by the wafer fab under Zhiyun Microelectronics.

The significance here is huge!

This means that China's electronic consumer product supply chain has moved away from the low- and middle-end of the past and is moving towards the high-end.

The only thing that is still restricted is the lower-level semiconductor equipment and raw materials.

This area is also the key area that Xu Shenxue is currently trying to break through, but it just takes time.

In order to survive the transition period of a few years and avoid being stuck with core equipment such as lithography machines in a short period of time, Zhiyun Microelectronics has made large purchases of various equipment in the past two years and even in the following years, purchasing advanced DUV immersion lithography machines in dozens.

The purpose is to stock up in advance to avoid being unable to purchase after the sanctions are expanded.

Of course, problems with various consumables still exist, but most of the consumables are actually in Japan, South Korea and Europe, and the proportion in the United States is actually not large.

As long as there are no extreme situations in the near future, there will be no problem in purchasing these consumables!

Of course, just to be on the safe side, Xu Shenxue has increased his investment in the field of semiconductor consumables. The key photoresist has been secretly solved, but it cannot be used commercially on a large scale due to patent issues... But when it really comes to an extreme, the patent issue will no longer be a problem.

Since you have broken the rules, don't expect Zhiyun to follow the rules.

Similar problems also exist in the field of core equipment such as lithography machines. The DUV immersion lithography machines under development have serious patent infringement issues that cannot be resolved in a short period of time.

International patents are only useful if everyone abides by the rules. If no one abides by the rules, they are just a piece of waste paper.

As I said, at worst we can just file a lawsuit...

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The core semiconductor components of the S12 series of mobile phones are fully independent. This is an important strategic plan of Zhiyun Technology this year and also the most important change in this series of mobile phones.

In fact, it is not just semiconductor chips, but even another major core component, the screen, has achieved semi-localization.

Although the screen used in the S12 mobile phone is still based on LG and Sharp technology, LG has used its screen technology and factory to form a joint venture with Zhiyun, and then jointly established Huaxing Technology, and supplied Zhiyun Technology's S series flagship phones.

In this regard, Zhiyun has control.

This is also the main reason why Xu Shenxue changed the rules of previous years and started to brag about mobile phone chips at this year's press conference.

After boasting about the S303 chip, Xu Shenxue paused for a moment, then continued: "We all know that the world has begun to promote the most advanced 4G communication technology, and 4G networks have been deployed in various places. And our Zhiyun Technology will also be equipped with our latest communication baseband product: B12 communication baseband in this year's S4 mobile phone."

"Our B4 communication baseband will support two 4G network standards, three 3G network standards and two 2G network standards at the same time, achieving true full network access!"

"It also supports almost all communication frequencies of operators around the world. Users with our Zhiyun mobile phones can connect to the communication networks of any country in the world as long as they have the corresponding SIM card, without having to change their phones!"

"This communication baseband will be integrated into our S303 mobile phone SOC chip to provide perfect support!"

The S12 is not the world's first smartphone to support 4G networks, nor is it even the first smartphone to support TD-LTE network standards.

Because in the past first half of the year, a number of mobile phone manufacturers have launched 4G mobile phones that support the FDD-LTE standard. At the same time, some domestic mobile phone manufacturers have also purchased Zhiyun's SOC chips and released dual 4G mobile phones that support TD-LTE and FDD-LTE.

But its significance is still great!
After all, Zhiyun Technology's S series mobile phones are iconic products worldwide, and their support for 4G networks is of great significance to the development of 4G worldwide!
Zhiyun Technology promotes the development of 4G, and the efforts of many operators in various countries are indispensable behind this... They also want Zhiyun, a world-class mobile phone manufacturer, to enter the 4G field, and then drive the development of the entire 4G, and then usher in a wave of 4G business.

Just like the 3G network wave in previous years!
When 3G was introduced, many operators made a lot of money, and now they also want to take advantage of the 4G network to make another wave.

So at the press conference, many representatives of operators applauded when they heard Xu Shenxue's words...

It doesn’t matter whether ordinary users like 4G or not, but their operators definitely like it!
Especially the mobile representatives in the audience, their applause was extremely enthusiastic!
If we were to say who has benefited the most from Zhiyun's 4G strategy, apart from Zhiyun itself, it would definitely be China Mobile... because currently in China, they are the only one that is vigorously promoting the construction of 4G networks based on TD-LTE technology, while the other two are still watching and hesitating.

Xu Shenxue paused for a moment amid the applause, and then continued to introduce: Last year, we launched the S11 Pro, a large-screen mobile phone with a 12-inch reticulated screen for the first time. This phone was loved by a large number of users after it was launched. This year, we continued our efforts and used a -inch reticulated screen for the entire series in the S standard version. "

"Not only is it 12 inches, we also have a -inch screen on the S Pro version, which is a breakthrough in the era!"

While he was speaking, two mobile phones appeared on the big screen behind him, one was the S12 standard version with a 12-inch screen, and the other was the S Pro version with a -inch screen.

"A larger screen can display more content, achieve better display effects, and also bring better operating effects!"

At this time, Xu Shenxue took out an old mobile phone: "This is our earliest mobile phone C1, which uses a 12-inch screen, and the S Pro in my left hand."

"You can intuitively feel the huge difference in display and operation brought about by the screen size!"

Xu Shenxue demonstrated as he spoke: "For example, the most basic typing, using a 1-inch C phone, is a little more difficult to type due to the screen size. It is easy to touch by mistake. In order to solve this problem of easy mistaken input, we put a lot of effort in it and even developed a touch control algorithm."

"Now, with the 12-inch screen of the S Pro, there are no more troubles. Its screen is large enough, and the large screen brings a larger virtual keyboard, so touch input and typing are very convenient!"

"At the same time, the larger screen size brings a better effect for watching videos!"

As Xu Shenxue spoke, he opened a video APP and casually played a demonstration video.

After a brief demonstration, Xu Shenxue said: "A larger screen size naturally leads to a larger phone size, but our hands are limited in size, and we cannot increase the size of phones indefinitely."

“And how did we solve this problem?”

"It's simple, but also complicated. We have increased the screen-to-body ratio to 66% through extreme design and processing technology!"

“The mobile phone with the highest screen-to-body ratio in the contemporary era, no doubt about it!”

“So we were able to fit such a huge high-definition retina screen into a length of 160 mm and a width of 79 mm!”

“Then we achieved an unparalleled display effect!”

"The larger screen size brings a new problem. The normal touch buttons are no longer enough. When we use our phones, we often use our thumbs. When we operate the phone with one hand, it is inevitable that we will encounter inconvenient interactions!"

"To address this problem, we have launched a new gesture operation mode!"

"We can use swipe left to return, pull up to return to the home page, pull up and long press to display the multitasking selection interface, and then pull down from the top of the screen to display the information notification management center, and pull down from the right side to display the function component menu options."

“At the same time, the left swipe back and the right drop-down menu options can also be symmetrically swapped in the settings to achieve right swipe back and left drop-down menu options.”

"Strictly speaking, you almost don't need to use the three buttons at the bottom of the phone to operate the phone smoothly!"

Gesture operation is an essential feature for large-screen mobile phones, but it is still relatively unfamiliar to people today. Although Zhiyun mobile phone launched gesture operation last year, it was not widely used because the screen of the mobile phone was not large at that time.

This year, because the standard version of the S12 series has a large screen of 12 inches, and the S Pro has a -inch screen, gesture operation has become a necessity. Therefore, Xu Shenxue once again promoted gesture operation at this year's press conference.

The purpose is to allow the media to publicize it more widely, thereby dispelling users' concerns about purchasing large-screen mobile phones and allowing them to adapt to large-screen mobile phones in advance.

User habits can be cultivated and changed. What Zhiyun Technology needs to do now is to change user habits... Don't tell me that 3.5-inch or 4-inch mobile phones are the perfect size for one-handed operation.

I have now made you a 5.5-inch mobile phone, and equipped it with gesture operation... Don’t talk too much, just buy it!
What I give you is the best, you don’t need to think too much, just use it!

Of course, this kind of operation can only be done by mobile phone manufacturers of Zhiyun’s level. If you change to a mobile phone manufacturer that is not high-end enough, users will criticize you to death.

After Xu Shenxue demonstrated the gesture operation, the main changes of this generation of new S12 mobile phones were basically explained.

Then some partner manufacturers, mainly Yihai Network, came on stage to demonstrate their new 3D action mobile game to show the powerful gaming performance of the S12 phone.

After the introduction, Xu Shenxue returned to the stage to announce the new generation of S12 series mobile phones.

S12 16GB version, 5299 yuan.

S12 32GB version, 5799 yuan.

S12 64GB version, 6599 yuan.

S12 Pro 32GB version, 6799 yuan.

S12 Pro 64GB version, 7699 yuan.

Expensive as always!
The initial launch price of Zhiyun's S series mobile phones has been particularly expensive in recent years, and the price reduction is not significant during the main sales period of the following year.

For example, the S11 16GB standard version released last year had an initial price of 5299, but after a price adjustment in April this year, the domestic price is still yuan, a price reduction of only about yuan.

With the launch of the new generation of models, the current price of the S11 16 standard version in several major online sales channels is still yuan, but it can be reduced to yuan with coupons, which is still very expensive.

An old mobile phone that has been on the market for a year can still be sold for 16 yuan for its low-end GB version...other mobile phone manufacturers must be jealous.

Of course, consumers are not stupid. Many of them would rather pay an additional thousand yuan to buy a new S series mobile phone.

The reason why Zhiyun did not reduce the price of its flagship phone is, on the one hand, to avoid impacting the sales of new models, but more importantly, to maintain the brand style.

A mobile phone that is sold out shortly after it is launched on the market and has only half its residual value after a year cannot be considered a high-end brand!

Zhiyun Technology’s attitude towards the price reduction of its flagship phone is: it would rather stop production than reduce the price!

After Zhiyun’s annual flagship phone launch conference came to an end, there was a flood of reports and discussions on the Internet.

Part of it is naturally the masterpiece of Zhiyun Technology’s advertising department, but it is undeniable that more of it is the spontaneous reporting of major media and spontaneous discussions of netizens.

Nowadays, Zhiyun has the reputation to generate widespread spontaneous discussions after releasing new models. It no longer has to brag about everything itself as it did a few years ago!

However, this year, among the many reports and comments praising Zhiyun phones, there were also some negative reports.

The most typical example is that many technology bloggers and self-media reporters have made various comparisons and said that Zhiyun has run out of ideas... and can no longer come up with any black technology, and can only play with piling up materials!
There are only faster SOC, bigger screen, bigger battery and so on, but no eye-catching high-tech like in previous years.

Looking back to when the S9 phone was released a few years ago, it was so amazing!
The three-section aluminum alloy body with a four-inch screen almost became the most perfect mobile phone in the minds of a generation, making many people directly believe that high-end smartphones should look like this.

When S10 was released, it was even more exaggerated!
Because the S10 is equipped with fingerprint recognition technology, which was almost black technology at the time, it sparked widespread discussion around the world.

Last year's S11 phone had an aluminum alloy body and a very eye-catching bright black color. More importantly, the S11 phone was equipped with the artificial intelligence "Xiaoyun".

With the release of the S11 mobile phone, a wave of discussion on artificial intelligence has been set off around the world, and major high-tech manufacturers have been stimulated to develop artificial intelligence almost unanimously.

When many authoritative media listed major events and Internet buzzwords in the past 11 years, they all relied on Zhiyun Technology's artificial intelligence technology.

However, this year's S12 mobile phone is still amazing in many aspects, such as the change in antenna layout, which makes the phone look more harmonious and comfortable.

The 5.5-inch large screen is also unique, but it is too large. Many people have some concerns about this large screen, thinking it is too large. Therefore, in the eyes of many technology bloggers, it is difficult to say whether this feature is an advantage or a disadvantage.

Gesture operation, that was last year’s thing, but it’s brought up again this year!

There is no major innovation in other functions!

Even the appearance has not changed much. It is still the same all-aluminum alloy body as the S11. The only change is that the antenna layout has been moved from the previous horizontal band to the edges of the top and bottom, which looks more pleasing to the eye.

Therefore, after a detailed review, many people say that Zhiyun Technology has run out of ideas and has lost the ability to innovate, and is only left with mindless hardware stacking...

Of course, many technology bloggers also believe that when it comes to hardware stacking, Zhiyun is still unrivaled in the world, and other mobile phone manufacturers have to pay homage to it.

While other ordinary mobile phones are still using 512MB of RAM and mainstream high-end phones are using 1GB of RAM, they have already made 2GB of RAM standard for the entire S series.

2GB of RAM is too much these days. Many PCs only have this much RAM!
The same goes for mobile phone screens. The 4.7-inch reticulated screens are pretty good. At least the 4.8-inch reticulated screens used in the new generation flagships of the next-door four-star brand are not bad either.

But the 5.5-inch reflex screen is truly unique on the entire network... You don't even need to look at it to know that it must be extremely expensive. Other mobile phone manufacturers dare not even think about it. It is too expensive and they simply cannot afford it.

It’s hard to say the specific performance of a mobile phone SOC, but judging from what was boasted at the press conference, at least the number of transistors is far superior to a large number of various mobile phone SOCs… The only thing that many passers-by don’t understand is why other manufacturers have started to develop quad-core chips, while Zhiyun’s flagship phone is still using dual-core chips!

Of course, those who know the business will know that Zhiyun, due to the uniqueness of its Yun OS operating system, actually focuses more on single-core performance rather than multi-core performance.

Speaking of quad-core chips, Zhiyun does have its own W600 series chips specifically for export, which are quad-core chips. A considerable number of domestic flagship mobile phones released in the second half of the year, including those of Wecoo Electronics, will use Zhiyun Semiconductor's quad-core chips specifically for export.

Although this thing is a quad-core, it is actually quite cheap, costing less than half of the S300 series...

In terms of other hardware details, Zhiyun has also piled up a lot, which other mobile phone manufacturers simply cannot afford to keep up with because the cost is too high.

There is not much innovation, but it is just a crazy pile of hardware. This is how many technology bloggers evaluated the Zhiyun S12 phone this year!
In short, it’s just old wine in new bottles, Zhiyun is doomed.

But... these are just the words of those so-called technology bloggers, and ordinary users don't bother to pay attention to them, especially many old users who have purchased C1, C2, C3, S9, and S10 phones in the past. As their contracts expire or the performance of the phone is no longer sufficient, it is time to change the phone.

For them, based on usage habits, brand trust and other factors, their attitude towards the new Zhiyun mobile phone is: sell it with your eyes closed!

They didn’t even bother reading the reviews and placed pre-orders right after the launch!
At the same time, the huge brand foundation laid by last year's S10 and S11 mobile phones has also led many users of other brands of mobile phones to start choosing to use Zhiyun phones.

And these behaviors are not limited to one place or one country, but are happening all over the world!
Therefore, even though many people are criticizing Zhiyun for having started to put old wine in new bottles, it has run out of ideas and has not made any major black technology innovations.
The pre-order orders for the S12 mobile phone around the world are even more exaggerated than when the S11 mobile phone was launched!

This was even more true of the sales performance after the first day of sale: flagship stores across the country, as always, had long queues of people waiting to buy the phone.

After a few days of crazy sales, Zhiyun Technology officially announced that the initial 10 million units prepared for the first batch of domestic markets have all been sold out!

Out of stock in China, Europe, Japan, ASEAN, North America and other regions!
As a result, the S12 mobile phone, like its predecessors, began a long period of global out-of-stock sales!
Scalpers also welcomed their annual carnival.

How to describe the popularity of the S12 phone?
During this period, brand new, unopened, and unactivated S12 phones were hard currency in the Huaqiang South Market. The standard version was sold for a price increase of to yuan, and the Pro was sold for a price increase of more than yuan.

Of course, in this situation, Zhiyun Technology’s hunger marketing and Xu Shenxue’s reputation of playing monkeys were once again frequently mentioned by people!

(End of this chapter)