China's smartphone makers release new phone models in the market ahead of the iPhone's launch in autumn. (Photo : Reuters)
China's smartphone manufacturers are all lining up to launch their top-of-the-line smartphone models way ahead of Apple Inc.'s much-anticipated new iPhone release in the latter part of autumn this year.
Various smartphone suppliers will be unveiling extensive lineups of phone models to cut across diverse price segments. Lenovo Group Ltd., for instance, has just revealed on Tuesday the ZUK Z1, its third smartphone brand. ZUK is Lenovo's first-generation mobile phone to compete in the less-than-2,000 yuan ($317) segment.
Xiaomi's chief executive Lei Jun is also putting up a grand event on Thursday to announce to the public Xiaomi's next flagship brand.
Other smartphone makers that have joined the bandwagon are the Qiku phones by Internet tycoon Zhou Hongyi and the Smartizan T2 by former English teacher and now entrepreneur Luo Yonghao.
ZUK's CEO Chang Cheng believed that the Z1 was ripe for market release at a price of 1,799 yuan.
"We planned to launch it a month earlier, but a small design change delayed the release. But it was okay because our phone is the best in the market," Chang stated.
Lenovo placed high hopes on the Z1 as the company attempts to recover from its declining smartphone sales. The largest PC maker in the world is struggling behind Xiaomi Corp., Huawei Technologies Co., and many other domestic brands when it comes to shipments following its acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google Inc. in 2014.
With the Z1's launch, Lenovo now has a family of three brands and at least six active product models. Despite company executives clarifying that Lenovo, Motorola and ZUK brands have different target markets and will not likely be competitors, consumers and industry experts are still confused in differentiating these brands.
Market statistics from research company International Data Corporation showed that Lenovo's second-quarter worldwide shipments of 16.2 million also failed to reach Xiaomi's 17.9 million units and Huawei's 29.9 million units.
According to smartphone analyst Wang Jiwen, competition in the smartphone sector will remain stiff, as major players continue to launch new devices to the market.
Xiaomi will be launching its new flagship phone on Thursday. Its specifications and price are still kept secret, although industry sources assume that it will most likely be a pamphlet model designed for the 3,000-yuan segment.
