The Story of Meizu: From Pioneer to Innovator

If you are following the development of the domestic smart phone industry, you must be familiar with the fact that Meizu has played a pioneering role in the field of domestic smart phones.

Before Huawei and ZTE were relying on imitating others, and even before Xiaomi came into existence, Meizu was already developing smart phones. The first model was named M8, built on the foundation of Microsoft’s WinCE operating system.

Subsequently, with the release of models like M9 and MX, Meizu was once considered the most iPhone-like domestic phone in China.

Early on, Meizu showcased numerous innovations, especially with its Flyme operating system, which was considered the most user-friendly domestic system. Features like the M-back button and certain design elements attracted numerous imitations and learning from other domestic phone manufacturers.

Initially, Lei Jun did not intend to venture into phone manufacturing by himself. His plan was to invest in Meizu and collaborate in expanding and strengthening the brand. However, the founder of Meizu had a different vision; he preferred to keep the company as a family-style enterprise and was unwilling to dilute his ownership by accepting investments.

This led Lei Jun to establish Xiaomi, officially entering the mobile phone market to compete with Meizu. Subsequently, Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, OPPO, VIVO, and others also entered the smart phone industry.

The family-style management and outdated ideology gradually caused Meizu to fall behind. In an industry where the strong prevail, Meizu’s decline made them unable to keep up with the times. From once being a “king” in the industry, they transitioned to becoming just “another player,” which was truly lamentable.

Even though Meizu still produces phones today, their sales have significantly decreased. To justify this decline, they coined the term “small but beautiful” for their products.

However, recent news has surfaced that Meizu will no longer even produce these “small but beautiful” phones. Meizu announced its decision to halt traditional “smartphone” projects completely, redirecting all efforts towards “Tomorrow’s Devices”: AI for New Generations.

What constitutes a traditional phone? Most likely, everyone is familiar with Meizu’s current phone lineup, such as the Meizu 20 series, 21 series, along with planned models like the Meizu 22 series and 23 series that will no longer be released in the future.

Although these phone models are discontinued, existing services will continue uninterrupted. There is no cause for concern; it’s just that Meizu will no longer introduce new phones of the previous types.

But what are “Tomorrow’s Devices”? Likely, nobody knows for certain. Meizu considers them to be AI devices that will involve AI Device products, Flyme System AI ecosystem, and more. The exact form these devices will take is uncertain, even Meizu might not have a clear picture yet.

In reality, Meizu had already reached a point where they couldn’t sustain their traditional phone projects. The sales had plummeted, earnings were insufficient, and they were continuously operating at a loss. Reviving their traditional phone business seemed almost hopeless. Thus, the bold decision to go all-in with AI might offer a chance for a turnaround.

With the discontinuation of traditional phones by Meizu, could they, much like the groundbreaking M8 from years ago, once again lead a new trend in the phone industry and revolutionize it? Only time will tell.