■ Serialization / Smartphone conference of Takayuki Horin, Atsushi Ishikawa, Junya Ishino, Asako Fusano
"Smartphone talk" that you can understand the back side of the industry by four people who are interviewing at the forefront of the smartphone industry. This time, we will discuss the globally announced "Galaxy S22" series and "Xiaomi Redmi 11" series.
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Mr. Fusano: The "Galaxy S22" series has been announced globally. If it is as usual, it is a model that can be expected to be released in Japan, but what kind of impression do you have?
Mr. Fusano
Mr. Ishino: The two models of the "Galaxy S22" and "Galaxy S22 +" were minor changes from the "Galaxy S21 5G" and "Galaxy S21 + 5G" released in 2021, and there was almost no change. The topic is about the evolution of "Galaxy S22 Ultra".
Mr. Ishino
Mr. Fusano: The design of the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 + hasn't changed much, hasn't it?
Mr. Ishikawa: Isn't the Galaxy S22 Ultra also stored in the "S Pen"?
Mr. Ishikawa
Mr. Ishino: The Galaxy S22 Ultra is quite close to the "Galaxy Note" series in terms of design. I also stored the S pen, and in effect, it looks like "Ultra" has been abolished and "Note" has been brought.
Mr. Horin: It's actually a Galaxy Note (laughs)
Mr. Horin
Mr. Ishino: It may be a new strategy, but the explanation that "the S pen can be stored for the first time in the S series" also makes me want to say "I did it with Note!" (Laughs)
Mr. Fusano: What kind of terminal was the 2021 model "Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G"?
Mr. Ishino: It was a terminal that the camera was big and amazing. Although it is not stored in the main body, it also supports S pen. The design was similar to the other S series. On the other hand, the Galaxy S22 Ultra that appeared this time is completely independent of the other S22 series in design, and the four corners of the display are right angles. Assuming that you take notes with the S pen, it is difficult to use the rounded corners. Even if you compare it with the past Note series, you can see that it follows the design flow of "Galaxy Note 20 Ultra".
Even though the Note series was abolished, it was the same series that had high sales, so I think Samsung created a product like the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Mr. Ishikawa: Regardless of the movements of any manufacturer, I feel that it is difficult to evolve smartphones every year. Samsung in 2022 has only evolved a little smaller.
Also, it is becoming difficult to differentiate high-end smartphones that cost more than 100,000 yen. In the case of Samsung, while folding smartphones create the image of Galaxy as the "state-of-the-art brand", it is the entry-to-midrange "Galaxy A" series that earns sales. I think that the positioning of smartphones, which used to be in the high-end position, will become more difficult for each company in the future.
For example, in the case of Sony, while there is "Xperia PRO-I", the standing position of "Xperia 1 III" is a little ambiguous. Looking at the Galaxy S22 series, I got the impression that there is a turning point in the significance of the existence of high-end smartphones that exceed 100,000 yen.
"Galaxy A" series
Mr. Ishino: In recent years, even with mid-range smartphones, models equipped with excellent cameras have appeared, so it is difficult to find the value of paying more than 100,000 yen for Galaxy. In particular, the two models, the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 +, are said to be new, or some of the camera specs have evolved, but the impression is that they are only subtle evolutions.
Mr. Ishikawa: Chinese manufacturers are clearly fighting for specs, so even Samsung, which has the largest market share in the world, feels harsh.
Mr. Ishino: The sales of the previous model Galaxy S21 5G series are not very good. Samsung's fourth-quarter sales have been overtaken by Apple. Of course, Apple launched a new product at the same time, so I think it's an expected situation for Samsung, but even so, the decline in market share is remarkable. Meanwhile, there is a question as to whether it is okay to introduce a new product with only minor changes without major renewal.
That's why the Galaxy S22 Ultra has brought the popular “Note” spec. However, if you do that anyway, if you support the S pen for all three models and store only the Galaxy S22 Ultra in the main body, you will think that you could be a little different from other companies' high-end smartphones. ..
Mr. Fusano: The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G also supported the S pen, but after all the S pen is not used unless it is stored in the main body.
Mr. Horin: It corresponds to the S pen, and it is stored in the main body, but it is gradually evolving every year, so I think that was good for the time being.
Mr. Ishikawa: Pen input is a technology that Galaxy is good at, and other manufacturers are not doing well, so I would like Samsung to cherish it.
Mr. Ishino: There is a rumor that the S pen will be stored in the main body of the next "Galaxy Z Fold" that will appear in 2022.
Mr. Horin: The Galaxy Z Fold has a larger housing, so it's easier to create space for storing the S pen.
Mr. Fusano: It would be nice to have a larger S-pen that is easier to grip than the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Mr. Horin: Recently, when I went to a consumer electronics retail store, the PC corner was a big success. This is because, although it could be used at GIGA school until high school, some schools let it go at the time of graduation, and at university, the specifications are insufficient, so more and more people are buying PCs again when they go on to school. Taking advantage of this, for example, "Surface" has a camera on the back, so you can take a picture of the blackboard and make a note on it. Touch pen support is a hot topic not only in smartphones but also in the PC industry, and there are needs.
Mr. Ishino: That's why I wanted the Galaxy S22 series to be compatible with the S pen even if the display is small. If the iPhone supports Apple Pencil, I think Galaxy will increase the number of compatible models.
Mr. Horin: It would be interesting to support the "Galaxy A50" series in the future.
Mr. Ishino: Certainly. Wacom's technology is used to operate the stylus, and it costs money because the panel side must also support it, but it seems that the Galaxy A50 series, which is higher in the Galaxy A series, may be adopted.
Mr. Horin: Also, smartphone makers other than Samsung aren't really compatible with styluses.
Mr. Ishikawa: The writing taste is not good, and it is not very good.
Mr. Horin: The touch pen on the Surface was originally Wacom's technology.
Mr. Ishikawa: The slim pen that can be used with "Surface Duo 2" can be shared with the Surface of a PC. Isn't it a proof that Microsoft is seriously working on it? With the spread of telework and the decrease in work on paper, I think that there are surprisingly many people who want to write characters directly on digital data with a pen.
Mr. Horin: I hope that touch pen support will spread to other smartphone makers in the future.
Mr. Ishikawa: By the way, even though China has a culture of Chinese characters, there are no Chinese manufacturers that are actively developing touch pen technology. Is it easier to enter characters normally?
Mr. Ishino: It's a little disappointing that Chinese manufacturers are more focused on cost performance than additional functions such as stylus.
Mr. Fusano: Xiaomi announced "Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G," "Redmi Note 11 Pro," "Redmi Note 11 S," and "Redmi Note 11" with different specifications.
"Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G"
Ishikawa: To be honest, I can't remember all four models when they are announced (laughs).
Mr. Fusano: It's difficult to grasp.
Mr. Ishino: To briefly explain the product lineup, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is the top model. But the number of out-cameras is one less. Also, the cheapest model is Redmi Note 11. Only here, the main camera has 50 million pixels, and the remaining 3 models have 108 million pixels.
The chipset installed in Redmi Note 11 Pro is "Snapdragon 695", which is actually a middle range smartphone. Still, it was equipped with a 108-megapixel camera. As a result, it is noteworthy that even the top model was below $ 400.
Ishikawa: There aren't many recommended points other than cheap. Even if I watch the recital, I get the impression that when the price is announced, I'm finally interested in it.
Mr. Ishino: Xiaomi has a particular tendency to do so. There are few surprise points overall.
Mr. Horin: Other than the price, each company has fewer selling points that "we sell this function." The element of plus alpha has decreased.
Mr. Ishino: This Redmi Note 11 series also has amazing specs, but if you think that the 100 million pixel camera and the quick charging function itself are not new and the design is not very innovative, you will be surprised at the price. That is the usual Xiaomi pattern.
Mr. Fusano: Is there any reason for the four models to be deployed?
Mr. Horin: I think that the terminals used will be subdivided according to the country of sale.
Mr. Ishino: Also, the lowest rank Redmi Note 11 is as cheap as $ 179, and only the top model Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G supports 5G, so there is a surprising performance difference.
Mr. Horin: However, the "Redmi Note 10 JE" that appeared from au in 2021 has already been sold for sale even though it has been less than a year since its release. The price competition is fierce, isn't it?
Mr. Ishino: It's a shame that I customized it to "JE (Japan Edition)". Originally, Xiaomi had a fan community and grew by supporting the user's customization culture by distributing custom ROMs etc., but when I came to Japan, such cultural characteristics have decreased.
Mr. Horin: The Japanese market is difficult because there is no way to sell smartphones in large quantities, either by partnering with a telecommunications carrier or selling cheaply.
Mr. Ishikawa: Xiaomi has been well received by users who are looking for cheap terminals while it is not possible to discount communication carriers so much, but looking at the situation such as iPhone toss, even if the original price is not a cheap smartphone The image that you can buy it somehow is becoming established.
In the future, it will become more and more difficult for manufacturers, not just Xiaomi, to maintain their uniqueness with only "cheap" terminals.
……Continue!
Next time, we'll have a meeting about the sale of NVIDIA. Please stay tuned.
Takayuki Horin writes review articles for digital-related products such as smartphones, mobile phones, and personal computers, and commentary articles for beginners, focusing on Web media and magazines. He has written many books such as manuals. Opinion number of the mobile industry.
Atsushi Ishikawa After joining Nikkei Home Publishing Co., Ltd. (currently Nikkei BP), he became independent in 2003. He covers not only domestic carriers and manufacturers, but also Google and Apple. He appeared as a lecturer on NHK E-Tele "Hobby Doki! My First Smartphone". He is publishing an e-mail magazine "Smartphone Industry Newspaper (540 yen per month)".
Junya Ishino Joined Takarajimasha after graduating from Keio University. After becoming independent, he has been active in a wide range of media as a mobile journalist / writer. He has authored numerous books such as "Keitai Children" (Softbank new book) and "Easy to understand in one hour" (Mainichi Shimbun).
After being involved in editing mobile phone magazines at Asako Fusano Publishing, she became independent as a freelance writer from 2002. As one of the few female writers in the mobile industry, she writes in magazines and web media, focusing on introducing mobile devices from a female perspective.