Meizu faces another crucial moment.
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Author | Huang Yu
Editor | Wang Xiaojuan
A year ago, Meizu, two years after its rebirth, sent out signals that it was back on track; however, since the second half of this year, Meizu has once again experienced internal turmoil, ushering in a pivotal turning point in its fate.
Meizu and its management are in urgent need of a new product to win back the market. After a two-year gap and two delays, on September 15th, at the Meizu 22 Annual Flagship Phone and Flyme AIOS Ecosystem Launch Event themed "Return to Port", Meizu finally launched its new generation flagship phone—the Meizu 22.
With external competition intensifying and internal strategy wavering, Meizu can only rebuild trust through a "return to port." This launch event will determine whether Meizu can regain its footing or continue to drift in the fog.
At the launch, Wan Zhiqiang, CMO of Xingji Meizu China, stated bluntly: "The Meizu 22 has been delayed for a long time, and the pressure on all of us is very high. Why is the Meizu 22 so late? In fact, apart from many unexpected influencing factors, we must also admit that developing the 22 was more difficult than imagined."
The Meizu 22 is positioned as a 6.3-inch small-screen phone. Wan Zhiqiang said that 6.3 inches is an industry-validated golden size—a balanced connection point for one-handed operation and visual comfort, a perfect smartphone form factor.
In the past two years, small-screen smartphones have been well received by the market, and many phone brands have launched small-screen flagships. However, satisfying the needs of design, imaging, battery life, and performance is no small challenge.
It's not easy to make a good small-screen flagship, especially since the Meizu 22 also shoulders Meizu's responsibility for a "turnaround battle." Therefore, Meizu needed more time to find the answer for a 6.3-inch phone. Wan Zhiqiang said the Meizu 22 is the most polished phone in Meizu's history and will also be the new product positioning for the Meizu number series in the future.
Against this background, Meizu 22 no longer differentiates between standard and PRO versions, but focuses on perfecting a single version.
The Meizu 22 puts considerable effort into the feel and design valued by the "small screen party." The body uses a 2.5D micro-curved front panel and an equally deep four-curve 3D back cover. The body is only 71mm wide, weighs 190g, and is just 8.15mm thick, continuing the 50:50 balanced design since Meizu 17, as well as retaining the white front panel design.
In addition, the Meizu 22 integrates four 50-megapixel-level lenses, is powered by the fourth-generation Snapdragon 8s mobile platform, and uses a custom 5510mAh "Begonia Battery" jointly developed with ATL.
It is not difficult to see that the Meizu 22 does not use the current top Qualcomm mobile processor. In Wan Zhiqiang's view, Meizu is facing a very realistic choice: if they select the fourth-generation Snapdragon 8 Ultimate Edition, the price would have to increase by nearly 1,000 yuan; if they wait for the next-generation Snapdragon 8 Ultimate Edition, the price increase would be 1,300-1,500 yuan, and the earliest release would be at the end of the year.
At the same time, Wan Zhiqiang pointed out that the choice of chip for Meizu 22 had to fit a reasonable price. "One option is to increase the price by 1,000 yuan for an ultra-flagship chip that can only reach its full performance in extreme load scenarios. The other is to use a better all-around configuration, picking a cost-effective chip that satisfies over 95% of performance needs, and max out the flagship imaging configuration."
Not everyone needs to use their phone at the highest load all the time. This is the core logic behind the final decision to equip the Meizu 22 with the fourth-generation Snapdragon 8s chip.
Stronger cost-effectiveness is clearly a vital strategy for the Meizu flagship digital series' return to the market. The Meizu 22 is priced from 2,999 yuan, including the 12 GB + 256 GB version (2,999 yuan), 12 GB + 512 GB version (3,299 yuan), 16 GB + 512 GB version (3,399 yuan), and the top-end 16 GB + 1 TB version (4,199 yuan).
For comparison, in November 2023, the lowest configuration of Meizu 21 (8GB+256GB) sold for 3,399 yuan, while the 12GB+256GB version was 3,699 yuan, 700 yuan more expensive than the equivalent Meizu 22.
It remains to be seen whether consumers are willing to buy into Meizu's offerings this time, but for Meizu, this is a battle it cannot afford to lose.
First, this is a signal to the outside world. After management changes in the second half of this year, Meizu needs to prove it still has execution and delivery capabilities and can produce flagship products like the Meizu 22 at crucial moments.
Second, it's a reassurance internally. Changes in management have unsettled the team; "return to port" signals stability and a sense of direction, reminding employees and partners that Meizu still has a clear strategy.
Lastly, it is a demonstration of re-aligned strategy. In this launch, in addition to Meizu 22, Meizu also released major upgrades such as the new Meizu AI camera glasses StarV Snap, Flyme AIOS 2, and Flyme Auto 2.
From going all-in on AI to building the Flyme AIOS ecosystem, Meizu wants the public to see that it is not just "building phones," but aims to use Flyme AIOS as its foundation, with AI phones, smart glasses, and smart cockpits as the carriers, to build an integrated AI ecosystem.
As a veteran in the mobile phone industry, Meizu has had its moments of glory in China's smartphone market, but due to fierce industry competition and missteps in strategic decisions, it was relegated to the "Others" category and has struggled to survive as "small yet beautiful."
In July 2022, Xingji Times acquired 79.09% of the equity of Meizu Technology, a veteran phone maker, and merged it into Xingji Meizu Group in March the following year. Since then, one of Xingji Meizu's key tasks has been to clarify its strategic direction.
However, over the past two-plus years, Xingji Meizu has experienced repeated strategic hesitations and is now signaling its intention to return to Meizu's core brand value.
Therefore, for Meizu, this launch is not just a product release but a stance: after rain and confusion, Meizu chooses to "return to port."
Ultimately, will this "return to port" be the starting point for a comeback against the odds, or the final act of stubbornness? The answer will be given by the market.
Risk Notice and DisclaimerThe market carries risks, investments should be made cautiously. This article does not constitute personal investment advice, nor does it take into account the special investment goals, financial situation, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, viewpoints, or conclusions in this article are suitable for their specific circumstances. Investments made accordingly are at your own risk. ```