Meizu bids farewell to the traditional mobile phone market and reviews the five major turning points in its 'mobile phone' journey

On the first day after returning to work after the Spring Festival holiday, that is, February 18, Meizu couldn’t wait to launch its big move. Meizu’s official Weibo announced that it will stop the development of new projects for traditional smartphones (Meizu 21 PRO, Meizu 22, and Meizu 23). It will follow up with All in AI and focus on the exploration of new AI devices.

Since its birth in 2003, Meizu has made a mark in the consumer electronics market such as smartphones with its unique design concept and innovative spirit. From the success of Meizu M9, to the launch of cost-effective mid-range phones, to the expansion of overseas markets, Meizu has been working hard to seek breakthroughs and growth. However, as market competition intensifies, Meizu’s position in the smartphone field is gradually being challenged.

Now, Meizu has announced that it will stop the development of new traditional smartphone projects and fully invest in the field of AI. This marks that Meizu is about to embark on a new journey. In this article, CNMO will take everyone to review the development process of Meizu and the turning points it has encountered.

Meizu launched its first smartphone in 2007: Meizu M8

In that era of rapid technological development, Apple completely changed the landscape of the entire mobile phone industry with a product called iPhone. The iPhone is more than just a phone, it's an engineering marvel, a revolutionary product whose innovative design and features eclipse its competitors. At that time, the transition from feature phones to touchscreen devices was just beginning, and the iPhone was undoubtedly the leader of this change.

As a domestic technology company at the time, Meizu keenly captured this huge market opportunity. In order to quickly capture market share, they launched the Meizu M8, a phone that is very similar to the iPhone in design. Meizu M8 uses a customized operating system based on Windows CE. It is worth noting that the Android system had not yet appeared at that time, and Meizu M8 was undoubtedly at the forefront of the times.

With the rising demand in the touch screen smartphone market, Meizu M8 has performed well in the consumer market. Compared with the expensive iPhone, the price of Meizu M8 is more affordable, a full 30% cheaper. Moreover, since the Meizu M8 is very similar to the iPhone in appearance design, many consumers regard it as an affordable iPhone alternative, further boosting its popularity in the market.

With its advantages in performance, appearance, etc., the sales of Meizu M8 are very good. In just 2 months, sales reached 100,000 units, and 5 months later, sales exceeded 500 million. You know, the penetration rate of smartphones was not very high back then, and Meizu’s physical stores already had queues. Since this phone was using a Microsoft system at the time, it was permanently collected by Microsoft.

Meizu’s Android Journey

After being “bitten” by Apple, Meizu was not discouraged. Instead, it saw an opportunity for transformation. In 2011, they launched the first smartphone based on Android operating system, Meizu M9. The phone quickly became a popular product for the company with its high-resolution screen and all the features the market expected from a smartphone at the time. The success of Meizu M9 not only won Meizu market recognition, but also established its position in the smartphone field.

With the success of Meizu M9, Meizu began to expand its product line and launched mid-range phones such as Meizu M1 Note and Meizu M2. These phones provide rich functionality and a good user experience while maintaining high cost performance. In order to further expand the market, Meizu has also set its sights on overseas markets. Devices such as Meizu M3 Note and Meizu M5 have successfully entered the Indian market, attracting the attention of many consumers.

Based on continuous accumulation of experience and technology, Meizu launched its first flagship smartphone - Meizu PRO 5 in 2015. This phone has reached new heights in terms of hardware configuration, system optimization and user experience, further consolidating Meizu's position in the smartphone market.

However, Meizu is not satisfied with the status quo, they always maintain an optimistic attitude towards the future. In 2019, Meizu showed off a concept smartphone called Meizu ZERO. The design of this phone subverts the tradition, with no buttons and ports, and completely uses wireless charging technology to replace the traditional USB charging method. In addition, Meizu ZERO is also equipped with an under-screen fingerprint scanner, providing users with a more convenient and secure unlocking experience. Although this phone did not eventually enter the consumer market, it demonstrated Meizu's exploration and pursuit of future technology.

Meizu’s decline in competition

Meizu once made a splash in the smartphone market, but has gradually lost its luster in the increasingly fierce competition. While other brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo are emerging, Meizu has failed to establish its own unique market positioning. Xiaomi has attracted a large number of consumers with its excellent price/performance ratio, while OPPO and vivo have won the favor of photo-centric user groups with their powerful camera functions.

In the fiercely competitive market environment, every brand is striving to find a unique competitive advantage. However, Meizu seems to have lost its way in this trend. Despite their success in the market, Meizu failed to successfully highlight its unique selling points in competition with other brands. Despite its diverse product lines, it lacks a flagship product that can lead the market trend, which makes Meizu unable to compete.

Subsequently, Meizu’s sales continued to decline, causing the company to close many stores. Meizu is facing huge operating pressure, and many senior executives within the company have also resigned. These problems make it extremely difficult for Meizu to maintain business operations.

What makes Meizu even more troublesome is that their customers started complaining on online forums. Customers have said that Meizu's after-sales service is very inadequate, which prevents them from getting timely solutions when they encounter problems. The spread of this negative word-of-mouth has further weakened Meizu's image in the minds of consumers.

At this critical moment, Meizu urgently needs a helping hand to help them get out of trouble. Fortunately, in 2022, Geely Group extended a helping hand to Meizu. The addition of Geely has brought new funds and resources to Meizu.

Meizu was acquired by Geely

In July 2022, Geely officially acquired Meizu. Car companies and mobile phone companies officially announced that they would join hands. Xingji Times holds 79.09% of Meizu Technology. controlling stake and obtain sole control of Meizu Technology.

According to the "Meizu Technology" WeChat account, Li Shufu, chairman of Xingji Times, Huang Zhang, founder of Meizu Technology, etc. attended and witnessed the signing ceremony. Century Times CEO Wang Yong and Meizu Technology CEO Huang Zhipan signed the contract on behalf of both parties. After this strategic investment, Meizu Technology will continue to operate as an independent brand. As a product strategic consultant for Meizu Technology, Huang Zhang will continue to contribute to the development of Meizu Technology, and Meizu Technology’s senior management team will remain stable.

Li Shufu said at the signing ceremony that in the future, the tracks of the two industries of smart cars and smartphones will no longer be monotonous. They will no longer go their own way, but will be multi-terminal and full-scenario for common users. , an integrated relationship of immersive experience. By deploying the mobile phone business, the consumer electronics industry and the automotive industry will be deeply integrated, and a cross-border user ecological chain will be created to achieve super synergy.

Shortly after Geely successfully acquired Meizu, in March 2023, Meizu officially launched the highly anticipated Meizu 20 series of new phones. As Meizu’s first flagship model after the acquisition, the Meizu 20 series has attracted a lot of attention before its release. This is not only because it is a new flagship launched by Meizu in the past two years, but also because the outside world is looking forward to seeing what kind of mobile phone products Meizu, which has more abundant funds, can create. Facts have proved that the Meizu 20 series has received a positive response in the market.

Only half a year later, Meizu released Meizu 21 in November, further consolidating its position in the market. However, just when everyone was expecting Meizu to continue to launch more new phones, on the first working day after the Spring Festival, Meizu suddenly became the focus of the industry. The company announced a shocking decision: to stop traditional "smartphones" project, fully investing in the field of AI.

Meizu stops the development of new traditional smartphone projects

On February 18, Meizu announced today that All in AI will stop the development of new traditional "smartphone" projects and fully invest in " Devices of Tomorrow” AI For New Generations.

Meizu officially issued a statement stating that currently, with the global mobile phone market’s replacement cycle extending, space for consumer innovation being limited, and vicious competition in the industry intensifying, the mobile phone industry is facing Facing unprecedented challenges. At the same time, mobile phone products rely solely on hardware upgrades and parameter competition, which can no longer meet the diversified and comprehensive usage needs and experience of consumers. The industry urgently needs to find new sustainable development directions.

魅族稱，經過兩年的團隊磨合、資源配置、產品佈局以及相關技術的充分預研，魅族目前已具備向AI領域全面轉型的能力。作為一家全面發展的科技生態公司，魅族擁有完善的研發和供應鏈等硬體團隊，同時也擁有體系化開發、設計、互動的軟體團隊，這將為魅族All in AI提供堅實的技術支援和服務保障。

按照規劃，2024年魅族面向AI時代全新打造的手機端操作系統將進行系統更新，構建起AI時代操作系統的基建能力；此外，魅族首款AI Device硬體產品也將在今年內正式發布，並與全球頂尖的AI Device廠商展開正面競爭。

寫在最後

雖然魅族宣布停止傳統智慧型手機新專案的開發，但並不意味著它將徹底退出手機市場。根據星紀魅族內部人士透露，這項決策並不意味著魅族不再推出手機產品，而是意味著未來的手機產品將融入AI技術，打造與傳統智慧型手機截然不同的互動體驗。在全球手機市場換機週期延長、智慧型手機創新遭遇瓶頸的背景下，AI已成為手機廠商的共同轉型方向。魅族此舉正是為了順應這股趨勢，以AI為新的成長點，探索手機市場的未來發展。

當然，魅族在AI領域的發展仍面臨著許多挑戰和不確定性。如何在這個新領域中找到自己的定位與發展方向？如何充分利用自身的技術優勢和資源？如何滿足消費者日益多元的需求？這些都是魅族需要思考解決的問題。

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