From being the "Android version of iPhone" to slashing Xiaomi and returning to Lenovo, has ZUK changed?

By 2016, signs of a reshuffle in the domestic mobile phone industry were becoming increasingly apparent, and the overall market saturation had reached its peak, leaving many emerging brands that had only been established for a few years at risk of being eliminated.

Before, ZUK was undoubtedly in such a group, but after the word "Lenovo" was added before the brand name, future planning was obviously more confident.

Unlike last year's long-awaited ZUK Z1, Lenovo ZUK can be regarded as one of the most active domestic mobile phone brands this year. ZUK Z2 Pro and the just-released ZUK Z2 not only use the same processor and screen of similar size, but are also announced only one month apart. Behind this, ZUK, which has returned to Lenovo, seems to have also undergone changes in its brand positioning.

The "Android version of iPhone" is a thing of the past, and the current target is Xiaomi

Looking back at the period before the release of ZUK Z1, ZUK's decision to create an "Android version of iPhone" was impressive. Although almost all Android phone manufacturers regard the iPhone as an imaginary enemy, the rumor that Z1 engineers often confuse the Z1 with the iPhone in daily use still sounds exaggerated.

Today, let’s not talk about whether ZUK Z1 has met people’s expectations, the current ZUK Z2 no longer bears such responsibility. During the press conference, Xiaomi 5 became the object of comparison on the PPT more than once, and the repeated emphasis on “playing out a certain percentage of the performance of the Snapdragon 820 processor” was also a farce that alluded to the fact that Xiaomi 5 used a “residual processor”.

The target has changed from iPhone to Xiaomi. The most obvious example is of course the price. If the Xiaomi mobile phone has set the price benchmark for domestic flagship mobile phones with a price of 1,999 yuan since its birth, then the ZUK Z2 with a price of 1,799 yuan is a cheaper and better choice in all aspects.

ZUK abandons sentimentality and becomes a "booster" for Lenovo's mobile phone business

From a market perspective, the leader in the PC field is not doing well in the mobile phone world. The market share ranking of "Lenovo+MOTO" is already difficult to make it into the top five. The effect after the acquisition of MOTO is the same as the previous absorption of ThinkPad by the notebook business. Even the "fan card" is not going well.

The establishment of Lenovo ZUK is Lenovo's third force in the mobile phone business. This brand does not have a complicated history, has more sufficient Internet thinking, and even has a more effective supporter group, as can be seen from the name of Chang Cheng "Chang Shopkeeper" and the screams at the press conference.

With the help of ZUK, Lenovo can play some games in the mobile phone business that do not seem to be in line with the Lenovo or MOTO style, such as impacting Xiaomi in terms of price-performance ratio. After all, opening up the market and boosting sales are Lenovo's most important issues at present.

In essence, the emergence of ZUK Z2 is itself a rather strange phenomenon. The reason for the strangeness is that in many aspects, especially those related to parameters, it is too similar to the ZUK Z2 Pro from not long ago. If ZUK Z2 is called a "small-screen super flagship", then ZUK Z2 Pro would never belong to the large-screen category. The reduction of RAM, ROM, and change of screen material ultimately make the product more meaningful.

This also means that ZUK may not be able to continue to talk about metaphysical views such as "Android version of iPhone". What Lenovo really needs may be a competitor to Xiaomi and Huawei with the Lenovo label.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.