Top of the big era

Zhou Shaoning worked in Bell Labs in the United States in his early years. He is a hard-core technical engineer and is also involved in the fields of communications and semiconductors. He smiled and said: "Three years ago, the world's best mobile phone chip, which was made using a 28-nanometer process, was Only Qualcomm has it. How fast is this development? Now all the 28nm process chips are entrusted to SMIC.”

Zhou Buqi asked: "Is the 28-nanometer chip a low-end chip?"

Zhou Shaoning said: "Mid-to-low-end. After all, what we develop ourselves is 32 nanometers, which is even worse."

Zhou Buqi smiled and said: "Doesn't this mean that the top mobile phone chips in the industry three or four years ago are now low-end chips?"

"Definitely, one generation will be upgraded in one and a half years, which is two or three generations new!" Zhou Shaoning boasted, "If our chips were obtained three years ago, they would not be much worse than Qualcomm's!"

Zhou Buqi nodded, "The gap isn't that big, it's just a matter of two or three generations."

Zhou Shaoning said: "Yes, almost."

Zhou Buqi followed this idea and understood the performance of mobile phones determined by chips, "Doesn't that mean that the lowest-end smartphones we produce now actually have similar performance to the world's top smartphones three years ago? "

"Well……"

Zhou Shaoning scratched his head.

Yan Guangming has been engaged in the mobile phone industry for so many years. Although he has no education, he has gradually understood a bit after being immersed in it for a long time. He said: "That should still be impossible. Top-grade mobile phones use top-grade spare parts, not just processing. The smartphone is a system, as well as flash memory, batteries, sensors, camera modules, etc., and the chip is just the brain.”

Zhou Buqi couldn't help laughing.

Zhou Shaoning said: "Yes, the processor chip performance of today's low-end machines is about the same as that of high-end machines three years ago, which is equivalent to the brain. But the human body is also composed of bones, internal organs and trunk, and the quality of these parts can also be determined. Determine who is healthier."

Yan Guangming said: "Just like mobile phone casings, three years ago, the casings of high-end mobile phones were basically made of metal. When held in the hand, they would be very weighty, tactile and textured. But in order to control costs, low-end mobile phones use It’s made of plastic. It’s very light and feels too cheap in the hand.”

Zhou Buqi immediately became serious, "Well, that's it! Users' opinions on the configuration level and so on will not be as deep as the real thing. This kind of appearance and experience is often more convincing on the evaluation side."

Yan Guangming looked at Zhou Shaoning with a smile, "How is it?"

Zhou Shaoning's face darkened.

At this time, the food has been served.

It is a Northeastern restaurant.

There were only three of them eating, and they would meet with Li Zaiyong later, so they just had a simple meal, three dishes, one soup, and a few plates of pickles.

Zhou Buqi noticed the clue and asked strangely: "What's wrong?"

Yan Guangming said calmly: "I told him two or three months ago that low-end phones can't do that. Motorola's low-end phones are for domestic users, which is different from my mobile phones that are sold to Africa. . It doesn’t matter what you do if you sell it to Africans. It’s all plastic and no one cares, as long as the price is low enough, it won’t work in China. Last year, a total of 22 low-end smartphones with prices below 1,000 yuan were launched in China. This is very competitive. How intense?"

Zhou Buqi agreed, "That's the truth."

Yan Guangming said: "So I say, Motorola must make changes. It cannot ignore the user experience in order to control costs. The cost difference between the metal casing and the plastic casing is less than 5 yuan, but the user experience is different." Huge improvement. The competition in the domestic low-end mobile phone market has become fierce. This year, all parties will definitely rush in even more crazily. As a world-class brand, Motorola must show its own product pursuits. ”

Zhou Buqi looked at Zhou Shaoning and said, "I think what he said is correct, but you don't agree?"

Zhou Shaoning coughed and said seriously: "No, I have actually accepted it. This year, we are expected to release 7 models, none of which have plastic casings."

Yan Guangming was very happy, "This is right! This is what a big company looks like! In order to grab market share, domestic manufacturers are trying to compress and control costs to the extreme. If this continues, the competition in the industry will only become more and more intense. There is no decisive advantage in terms of price, but it stands out in terms of quality.”

Zhou Buqi has already seen it.

Lao Yan made a suggestion to Zhou Shaoning, suggesting that he change his plan and use metal casings in the manufacturing of low-end machines instead of plastic casings that are too low-end. Zhou Shaoning didn't seem to agree. This time he said it in front of him, which could be regarded as forcing him to have an abortion.

Zhou Shaoning had no choice but to change his mind temporarily.

Zhou Buqi smiled and said: "Okay, Lao Yan, there is progress!"

Yan Guangming said with a smile: "What progress have I made? It's all based on your theory. If the products are similar, then you have an advantage in price; if the prices are similar, then you have to be competitive in product. Today's smartphones The industry is in a turmoil. Except for Apple, other mobile phones have no 'brand' and must focus on price and products. "

"I think you, the chairman of Feiguo Group, understand it!"

"Where! Where!"

"OK!"

Zhou Buqi not only praised Lao Yan, but also reminded Zhou Shaoning not to pay too much attention to cost control. The competition in the domestic mobile phone industry is so crazy now. If you slack off a little and think that it is a low-end phone, it will be mediocre and you will definitely fall behind.

Replacing the plastic shell with a metal shell is only a matter of a few dollars, but the level of the mobile phone presented to the user has been greatly improved.

Don't be stingy at this time.

If you don't show sincerity to users, even if you are a big brand like Motorola, TCL, ZTE, and Coolpad, you will be abandoned by users, and the mobile phone industry will be reshuffled. New forces will take advantage of their "stinginess" to smoothly rise to the top.

Zhou Shaoning was a little angry, but he had no choice but to agree.

In fact, the mold opening of the plastic shell is very simple and the manufacturing process is extremely low, resulting in extremely low costs, less than 50 cents per piece. The metal shell is much more complicated, with stamping and polishing processes, and the cost is 5 yuan. It seems that the cost difference is less than 5 yuan, but in fact, the cost of changing the plastic shell to a metal shell has increased by 10 times.

However, Lao Yan's suggestion is not wrong.

A major weakness of self-developed chips is that they generate severe heat.

Compared with the thermal non-conductivity of plastic, the heat dissipation performance of the metal shell will be better, which can more effectively protect the CPU and other mobile phone parts. Next, if we want to increase the application scale of self-developed chips, we must change to a metal shell.

…

After dinner, Lao Yan went to the airport to pick up Li Zairong.

Before leaving, he grabbed Zhou Buqi and said, "I want to ask you something!"

Zhou Buqi didn't understand, "What's wrong?"

Yan Guangming lowered his voice, "My daughter, what's the situation?"

Zhou Buqi felt a headache when he heard it, "Gege's job is pretty good."

Yan Guangming said angrily, "She went there to work? You almost pissed her off."

"How could it be?"

Zhou Buqi felt a little guilty, because he was indeed deliberately avoiding this niece. She was too enthusiastic and had no girlish reserve at all. She seemed to have the intention of eating him.

Yan Guangming said with a bitter face: "You have to act quickly, she is making trouble with me every day!"

Zhou Buqi said in embarrassment: "Why don't you change her job and let her go to your side?"

"Forget it, she can sever the father-daughter relationship with me!" Yan Guangming didn't buy it, "It's all agreed, just do it according to the plan."

Zhou Buqi was angry and amused, "What plan? I didn't agree to anything!"

"Huh? What's wrong with my daughter?"

"It's not a matter of whether it's good or not."

"Okay, a grown man, why are you so hesitant." Yan Guangming felt that he was good in everything, but he was restrained when facing women and lacked some courage, "Hurry up, take action when it's time, why are you being polite?"

Zhou Buqi laughed, "Are you talking as a father?"

Yan Guangming snorted: "Because I am her father, I can make the decision. This matter is settled. I raised her before, and you will raise her in the future. Don't shirk your responsibility!"