Meizu Shifts Focus to AI Technologies, Moving Away from Traditional Smartphones
On February 18, 2024, Meizu Technology announced on its official WeChat account its strategic decision to go “All in AI.” The company declared discontinuing new projects related to traditional “smartphones” and fully dedicating itself to “AI for New Generations” devices, embracing the promising new wave of AI technology.
Meizu expressed that from the era of MP3 players to the smartphone era, it had been a pioneer in China’s smartphone industry. Now, transitioning from the smartphone era to the AI era, Meizu stands at a fresh starting point. They stated, “Through continuous innovation and effort, we aim to become a leader in the field of AI technology, delivering users a comprehensive, immersive experience across multiple devices and scenarios.”
Currently, the global smartphone market faces unprecedented challenges due to lengthening replacement cycles, limited room for innovation in consumer preferences, and intensifying cut-throat competition. Relying solely on hardware upgrades and parameter competitions, smartphone products can no longer meet the diverse and comprehensive needs and experiences of consumers. Thus, the industry urgently seeks new sustainable development directions.
Following its acquisition by Xingji Era, after two years of team integration, resource allocation, product layout, and thorough preliminary research on relevant technologies, Meizu believes it now possesses the capability to completely transition into the field of AI. As a comprehensive technology ecosystem company, Meizu boasts well-established hardware teams in research and development and the supply chain, along with a systematic software team for development, design, and interaction, providing solid technical support and service guarantee for its AI-focused initiative.
During the AI conference, Meizu also unveiled detailed plans for its AI strategic initiatives, including developing AI Device products, restructuring the Flyme system, and establishing the AI ecosystem.
The development of AI Device involves AI-native design of product forms, hardware computational power for global AI usage, aiming to provide users with more intelligent, convenient, and innovative AI product experiences by reconfiguring hardware forms. The Flyme system will undergo a bottom-up reconstruction of the system and applications, enabling deep integration of AI technology into the operating system to offer users more intuitive AI interaction experiences. Moreover, Meizu will focus on constructing the AI ecosystem, opening up Meizu AI Device hardware to numerous top international large-scale AI model teams, including OpenAI, in a collaborative effort to drive AI technology innovation and development.
Meizu stated that by strategically planning its ecological layout and technological accumulation over three years, it aims to gradually realize its vision of going “All in AI.” According to the roadmap, in 2024, Meizu will update its smartphone operating system, creating foundational capabilities for an AI-oriented OS in this era. Additionally, the company’s first AI Device hardware product is set to be officially launched this year, entering direct competition with leading global AI device manufacturers.
Emphasizing that users are Meizu’s “most precious wealth,” the company assures that during the transition phase to “All In AI,” existing users of Meizu’s services like Flyme, Flyme Auto, Flyme AR, MYVU, PANDAER, and boundaryless smart services will not be affected. Currently, Meizu has completed the construction of 300 retail stores and 400 service stores in offline channels, providing convenient and high-quality service experiences for users nationwide.
Furthermore, for users of existing Meizu smartphone products in the market, Meizu will continue to offer normal software and hardware maintenance services. Those who have purchased Meizu 20 series and Meizu 21 flagship phones will still benefit from the original after-sales and related service guarantees.
Editor: Xinzhi News – Lin Zi