Meizu will no longer make ‘traditional’ Android phones as it goes ‘all in on AI’
Meizu has announced that it is “all in on AI,” with the company throwing in the towel on making Android smartphones.
Expand Expanding CloseMeizu has announced that it is “all in on AI,” with the company throwing in the towel on making Android smartphones.
Expand Expanding Close2019 hasn’t only ushered in foldable smartphones, but it also delivered the world’s first smartphones without any ports. The first of those was the Meizu Zero, and as it turns out, it was a hilarious failure.
Since the loss of the headphone jack, many have assumed that we’ll eventually see a device which drops each and every port. Today, that’s exactly what’s happening with the arrival of the Meizu Zero, the first smartphone without a single cutout.
Another OEM has joined Google in its international, affordability-focused Android Go program.
Back in June, Meizu — known for interesting designs and high specs at low prices — was sued by Qualcomm for refusing to pay licensing fees. The two companies have since settled (via Bloomberg), with four lawsuits around the world coming to a close and Meizu agreeing to license its usage of various tech.
Meizu is a somewhat unknown brand for many customers, but over the past couple of years the Chinese manufacturer has been putting out some pretty impressive Android smartphones. Today, it has taken the wraps off of its latest flagship, the Meizu PRO 6 Plus with its powerful spec list and affordable price tag.
With the Mi Mix, there is no doubt that Xiaomi has done something outstanding — and, considering today’s general standards, quite futuristic, too. But, if that’s the direction we’re heading towards, it will become increasingly more natural for us to expect the various OEMs to up the ante in the race to the truly bezel-less smartphone.
And Meizu could be next…
The prosperous urban regions of China – where almost all the emerging middle class are to be found – is a key market for premium smartphone models, and the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel suggest that local Android brands are taking market share from Apple.
The latest smartphone OS data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech for the three months ending February 2016 shows that Android increased its sales share in urban China to 76.4% from 73% in the same period a year ago. In the US and EU5, Android continued to make year-on-year gains.
Apple saw the iPhone’s market share drop 3.2% in the same period.
Update: Looks like US Mobile has pulled the phones from its online store already following Xiaomi’s statement that sales were unauthorized.
One of 2016’s major trends will be the entrance of large Chinese OEMs into the American phone market. Announced at CES, Huawei is entering with their Honor lines of phones and now more are joining in. While Honor is selling unlocked phones through numerous retailers, Xiaomi and Meizu devices are being sold by US Mobile.
Meizu has just taken the wraps off its latest flagship smartphone and — from the spec sheet alone — this could be one device worth paying attention to. Apart from the display resolution, everything about the device is high end. From the build quality to the camera and processor, the Meizu PRO 5 is a beast…
The Android hardware market in the US better make some shelf space as Chinese manufacturer Meizu states its intentions to come stateside. The company announced its plans to jump-start its entry into the US at the Consumer Electronics Show next month.