Meizu Revives M Series, Targeting the Budget Phone Market: Can Nostalgia Bring Back Past Glory?

Meizu Revives M Series, Targeting the Budget Phone Market: Can Nostalgia Bring Back Past Glory?Last month, Meizu, which had been absent from the smartphone market for a while, suddenly released the Meizu 20 AI phone. This device, developed in collaboration with telecom operator China Mobile, is equipped with a Unisoc T765 processor and is repositioned as an "AI phone at a budget price," differentiating itself from its previous "youthful quality" label

Meizu Revives M Series, Targeting the Budget Phone Market: Can Nostalgia Bring Back Past Glory?

Last month, Meizu, which had been absent from the smartphone market for a while, suddenly released the Meizu 20 AI phone. This device, developed in collaboration with telecom operator China Mobile, is equipped with a Unisoc T765 processor and is repositioned as an "AI phone at a budget price," differentiating itself from its previous "youthful quality" label. Meanwhile, another Meizu phone, targeting the mid-to-low-end market, has recently been certified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. This new phone is said to be a part of the revived Meizu M series, tentatively named Meizu M20.

Mentioning Meizu's M series evokes nostalgic memories for countless "Meizu fans." In 2009, Meizu launched its first smartphone, the Meizu M8, marking the birth of the M series. However, with continuous adjustments to its product lines, Meizu has completely replaced the M series and the once-popular Pro series with its numbered series. The classic designs of those days are no longer found in Meizu's current lineup. Objectively speaking, Meizu's revival of the M series is not a return to its former strategy of high-performance flagships at competitive prices. Instead, it aims for the budget market, directly competing with Xiaomi's Redmi series. Interestingly, after years of development, Meizu and Xiaomi have once again found themselves battling it out in the budget phone market.

Meizu's Resumption of the M Series is a Sign of Necessity

In 2009, Meizu released its first smartphone, the Meizu M8. As the Android system was not yet a mainstream mobile operating system at that time, Meizu chose to collaborate with Microsoft, porting Windows CE to the mobile platform and creating the first customized operating UI, "MyMobile," which later evolved into Flyme. The second product in the M series, the Meizu M9, was officially launched in 2011. Starting with this phone, Meizu shifted from Microsoft to the Android camp. At the time, the Meizu M9 was considered the "king of Android phones in China." Its subsequent iterations were renamed Meizu MX, and the M series continued to evolve with the MX prefix.

In the initial few M series products, Meizu consistently positioned them as high-end flagships. For example, the Meizu M8 was priced at nearly 3000 yuan, while the top-of-the-line version of the MX2 was priced at 3999 yuan. However, in the smartphone market at that time, value for money was the driving force behind intense competition. Xiaomi's numbered series, starting at 1999 yuan, and OnePlus, with its starting price of 1999.99 yuan, had a significant impact on the market. Meizu also adopted the "1999 yuan" strategy starting with the MX3. However, with the MX4, it began releasing both standard and Pro versions simultaneously, aiming to conquer both the value-for-money and high-end segments.

In 2016, Meizu reached its peak, with shipments in the Chinese market reaching 22.1 million units, accounting for approximately 4% of the market share. However, Meizu's high shipment volume was primarily driven by Meizu Blue Charm, particularly the Blue Charm Note series.

The life of the M series ultimately ended in 2016 when Meizu announced that its next flagship phone would be named "Pro6," abandoning the MX prefix. While the M series, as Meizu's founding hero, did not achieve a clear product positioning and roadmap like Xiaomi and OnePlus, it also missed a prime opportunity to make a significant market impact due to patent disputes. When we encountered the M series again, it was in 2019 with the Meizu M10, launched for the overseas market.

The Meizu M10 is a mid-to-low-end phone, featuring a MediaTek HelioP25 chip, a 6.5-inch waterdrop screen, and a rear fingerprint sensor. It is clear that the M series positioning has shifted from its initial high-end flagship approach to a budget phone strategy focused on the mid-to-low market. The recently certified M20 is expected to follow this positioning as well.

According to the digital blogger @DigitalChatStation, Meizu is preparing a mid-range phone with a 6000mAh battery this year. The configuration is similar to the Meizu 20, and the price will be within 2000 yuan. It is likely to be released by the end of the year. Comparing this information with the certification details, it could be the Meizu M20.

Although Meizu may struggle to gain an advantage over its competitors with such a configuration and price, the mid-range market is undeniably crucial. Data from StrategyAnalytics, a market research firm, shows that the global mid-to-low-end smartphone market reached approximately 250 million units in 2023, accounting for nearly 30% of global smartphone shipments. This underscores the immense potential of the mid-to-low-end segment. By launching the Meizu M20, Meizu aims to regain a foothold in this market, particularly among price-sensitive users with brand loyalty. The M20's pricing and configuration could attract users who were previously inclined to purchase Redmi, Honor, or other budget phones.

Is Meizu on the Right Track by Targeting the Budget Market?

In 2018, Meizu launched its new numbered series, starting with the Meizu 15/Plus. These phones garnered significant market attention at the time due to their unique design. However, Meizu Blue Charm, responsible for the mid-to-low-end market, experienced a bumpy start. Despite releasing several models, such as Blue Charm S6, Blue Charm E3, and Blue Charm Note8, they failed to resonate with Meizu fans' needs, resulting in underwhelming sales. In an effort to streamline its organizational structure, Meizu Blue Charm was merged into the main Meizu brand that year.

After the merger of Meizu Blue Charm, Meizu's smartphone product line became more streamlined. In 2019, it only released four models: Meizu 16s, Meizu 16XS, Meizu 16sPro, and Meizu 16T. In 2020, it further reduced the number of new launches to just two: Meizu 17 and Meizu 17Pro. The gradual loss of the mid-to-low-end market led to a decline in Meizu's overall competitive edge. According to Counterpoint data, Meizu's market share fell to less than 1% in 2020.

This year, Meizu not only launched the new phone Meizu 20 under the Meizu Blue Charm brand but also brought back the Note series with the Meizu 21 NOTE. Now, the Meizu M20 has also been certified for release, likely within the year. With three new budget phones in a year, it seems izu is ready to change its strategy.

This is quite understandable. This year, I had the opportunity to experience the Meizu 21, Meizu 21PRO, and Meizu 21 NOTE. The conclusion I reached with these three models was similar: user experience is good, but they still lag behind mainstream flagship phones. These gaps are primarily in performance and imaging, which have been Meizu's weak points for a while. For example, the Meizu 21PRO, a "super-sized" flagship starting at 4299 yuan, only features a triple-camera setup consisting of an OV50H + 10-megapixel vertical telephoto lens + 13-megapixel ultrawide lens. This combination is merely a standard configuration found on Vivo and OPPO devices. Meizu's advantages lie in Flyme, 2K screen, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, and a large-size vibration motor.

Since the release of FlymeUI, Meizu has consistently been a leader in customized Android in China. Many Meizu fans remain loyal to the brand because of the smooth and fluid experience, rich system animations, and overall intuitiveness of Flyme. This is a crucial advantage for Meizu. If Meizu aims to conquer the budget market without focusing on hardware specs, Flyme would be a significant asset. However, if it wants to compete with mainstream flagship phones on hardware, Meizu's chances of success are slim.

Of course, Meizu's decision to shift gears at this point raises concerns. After all, the company's current shipment volume is not high, and its market share has not shown any significant upward trend. Abandoning the flagship phone market could further weaken its market presence and eventually transform it into an OEM manufacturer. The launch of smartphones by Polestar and Hongqi, two car brands, suggests that Meizu may already be heading in this direction.

Let's Hope Meizu Doesn't Become the Next LeEco

Speaking of Meizu's recent changes in market strategy, one cannot help but think of LeEco, a company that was once known for its distinctive style. LeEco smartphones created a