The Revival and Future of Music Phones: Opportunities and Challenges Coexist

The Revival and Future of Music Phones: Opportunities and Challenges CoexistThe slogan "Music lets me speak" once embodied the fervent yearning of countless young people for music phones during the feature phone era. Nokia 5320, with its MP3 player and stereo speakers, became a global phenomenon, while the Sony Ericsson Walkman series, with its superior sound quality and innovative speaker design, became a trendsetter

The Revival and Future of Music Phones: Opportunities and Challenges Coexist

The slogan "Music lets me speak" once embodied the fervent yearning of countless young people for music phones during the feature phone era. Nokia 5320, with its MP3 player and stereo speakers, became a global phenomenon, while the Sony Ericsson Walkman series, with its superior sound quality and innovative speaker design, became a trendsetter. Music phones were once a coveted "kingmaker" segment for mobile manufacturers. However, the advent of smartphones relegated these "music-centric" phones to the sidelines. Larger screens, higher performance, and the proliferation of TWS earbuds seemingly reduced phone speakers to peripheral hardware. This category, which holds a place in the youthful memories of a generation, seemed to fade into oblivion.

But in 2024, manufacturers like Honor and vivo, with their flagship Magic series and mid-range Y series respectively, launched models emphasizing superior external speakers. These phones not only surpassed previous music phones in hardware specifications but also achieved a qualitative leap in sound effects and quality. The superior speaker designs and unique auditory experiences have once again drawn consumer attention to phone speakers, bringing the "music phone" category back into the market spotlight. However, after all these years, is there still meaning behind the resurgence of music phones? Does the return of external speaker focus signal a true revival?

At MWC 2024, Nubia launched a new phone for overseas markets called "Nubia Music," featuring a large speaker opening on the back, complemented by colorful record-like patterns, creating a strong music phone atmosphere. In fact, "music phones" aren't a 2024 novelty. As early as 2013, the vivo Xplay3S, with its Hi-Fi audio solution, became wildly popular, its ES9018 DAC chip and OPA2604 op-amp being considered by many audiophiles as the best portable music player alternatives. In 2021, the Xiaomi 10 Pro, with its Harman Kardon-tuned dual 1216 super-linear speakers, is still regarded by many music lovers as the best "substitute" for a phone speaker.

During the transition from feature phones to smartphones, prioritizing external sound quality was common. For example, HTC One series' BoomSound technology, with its front-facing dual speakers, achieved the best external sound at the time; the Moto X series used unique sound chamber tuning to make external sound quality a differentiating selling point. However, after 2018, almost all phone manufacturers simultaneously abandoned Hi-Fi and stereo sound as marketing points. In 2016, Apple released the iPhone 7, removing the 3.5mm headphone jack and introducing the first TWS earbuds, AirPods. A year later, Apple's sales figures proved the arrival of the true wireless earbud era. "External speakers" seemed less crucial in the TWS era.

In 2024, the Honor Magic7 Pro employed a slanted design, incorporating two GoerTek's 1216 speakers, combined with 0.8mm amplitude and an 8cc sound chamber, delivering a subwoofer-level auditory experience while maintaining a slim profile. A month later, the vivo Y300 utilized AAC Technologies' 2613D speaker and a three-way speaker system, increasing the single unit volume to 1222 cubic millimeters, boosting volume by up to 600%, and achieving Hi-Res Audio Gold certification.

Interestingly, unlike the previously discarded Hi-Fi audio solutions, this year's returning music phones don't limit their high-spec sound units to music services. Vivo leveraged the ultra-high volume to create an "SOS buzzer alarm" function, emitting a 600% volume alert in emergencies; Honor's surround sound subwoofer focuses more on multimedia applications such as movies and short videos, with surround sound enhancing immersion. From simple "music listening" to emphasizing bass impact, stereo coverage, and multimedia performance, the new generation of 2024 music phones propels speaker technology from a supplementary function to a core experience.

However, can music phones become the next market trend? This is perhaps full of challenges. Why have external speakers become a long-term weakness of phones? Over the past few years, almost all phone manufacturers have reduced investment in high-specification sound units. Except for gaming phones like RedMagic and ROG, most flagship phones only use standard-spec speakers, meeting basic audio-visual and notification needs. This isn't due to a lack of effort from manufacturers, but rather the rapid changes in market trends.

With the diversification of smartphone functions, internal space competition is becoming increasingly fierce. The imaging system is a major space consumer, from single-lens to multi-lens, and then to periscope telephoto modules. The cameras are bulky and require space for optical image stabilization, sensors, and heat dissipation modules. For example, the vivo X100 Ultra's newly launched HP9 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, along with its 1-inch large-sensor main camera, occupies the upper half of the phone's space. To place high-spec sound units in this area would further increase phone size.

Besides the imaging system, performance improvements require larger cooling systems, and increased battery capacity is crucial for longer battery life. These factors push the internal space of phones to the limit. Imaging, performance, and battery life form the golden triangle of smartphones, and prioritizing these three aspects is the consumer's main concern. Therefore, even flagship phones often adopt 0812 or 1112 spec sound units.

On the other hand, the rise of TWS earbuds has lowered consumer expectations for phone speakers; many users say that being able to hear ringtones and alarms is sufficient. IDC data shows that the global TWS earbud market size grew from $3.65 billion in 2018 to $12 billion in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 20%. In the Chinese market, TWS earbuds have transformed from niche products to mass consumer goods, with the 2023 market size estimated at $1.1 billion, more than five times larger than five years ago. Many phones come with TWS earbuds upon launch, and even if the sound quality is average, it meets daily needs.

Phone manufacturers competing to improve external sound quality doesn't necessarily mean music phones will explode in popularity. Do phone speakers really not need improvement? From content upgrades and user scenarios, improvements are necessary. The improvement in mobile game quality, and advancements in music and sound effects productionsuch as the significant investment in music production for popular games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Raillead players to prefer high-specification speakers. The demand for online movie and video viewing also drives the return of external sound quality; high-quality external speakers provide clearer sound details and are essential in shared viewing scenarios.

However, compared to imaging, performance, and battery life, these demands remain in niche areas. Of the three models that focused on external speakers this year, vivo and Nubia are mid-to-low-end models, with smaller imaging modules and heat dissipation structures, leaving enough space for sound units. The Honor Magic7 Pro, due to its lack of a 1-inch sensor and use of a slanted design, also frees up some internal space. If manufacturers prioritize external sound quality over imaging, performance, or battery life, consumers are unlikely to accept it.

Market feedback shows that models with high-specification sound units haven't received better responses. For example, the vivo Y300's activation ranking in the 52nd week of 2024 was only 17th, far lower than its predecessor, the vivo Y200, which used an LCD screen. For music phones to move from niche to mainstream, two major challenges exist: one is actual consumer demand, where the portability and trendy nature of TWS earbuds still dominate; the other is product experience differentiation, where manufacturers need to define the core value of "music phones" in multiple scenarios, rather than relying solely on a single feature to attract attention.

Can the "music phone" category become the next trend? The phone market will inevitably spark a new round of competition around music, but it's unlikely to be the core selling point, as its appeal is far less than an excellent telephoto lens or a powerful processor. On January 7, 2025, CES 2025 grandly opened, the most popular CES in history, and a watershed moment for the tech world's shift from mobile to AI.