Read More《在手机上追求顶级扬声器，如今究竟还有意义吗?》
Positive Reviews: The Dual Value of Technological Breakthroughs and User Experience in Top-Notch Mobile Phone Speakers
In today’s era of highly homogenized smartphone functions, the news that the Redmi K80 Extreme Edition “is equipped with two 1115 coaxial and co-magnetic circuit speakers at once” has attracted wide attention. Essentially, it has achieved dual value in technological breakthroughs and user experience in a long-neglected area – the external sound quality of mobile phones. This approach of “bringing high-end configurations to the mid-range” not only continues Xiaomi’s tradition of “breaking industry barriers with cost-effectiveness” but also reactivates the industry’s attention to mobile phone speaker technology, and its significance is worthy of affirmation.
From the perspective of technological evolution, the “high-endization” of mobile phone speakers is an underestimated innovation path. Looking back at history, the emphasis on “external sound” in mobile phones has a long – standing origin: In the era of polyphonic ringtones in the early 2000s, consumers’ demand for “more gorgeous incoming call alerts” drove manufacturers to “pile up” speaker hardware; during the “multimedia boom” in the feature phone era, brands such as Nokia and Samsung even launched designs where “half of the phone body was a speaker” (such as the Samsung F310 co – branded with B&O). After entering the smartphone era, although 3G/4G network speeds limited audio – visual needs, the LG G7 (in 2018) first elevated external sound quality to a “flagship selling point” through the combination of a “Boombox speaker + ESS HiFi chip”; subsequently, the Xiaomi 10S (in 2020) pushed the external sound experience of regular flagships to the peak with its large sound cavity design; and now, the “coaxial and co – magnetic circuit dual units” of the Redmi K80 Extreme Edition have achieved upgrades in core indicators such as sound pressure level and distortion control on the premise of a smaller size (further reduced compared to the 1216 unit of the Xiaomi 10S). This kind of technological progress in a limited space not only reflects the breakthroughs of the supply chain in the research and development of miniaturized and high – efficiency speakers but also proves that mobile phone hardware innovation does not only rely on imaging or performance. There is also room for in – depth technological exploration in areas where users have strong perception but the industry has less investment.
From the perspective of user experience, the value of top – notch speakers is crucial for specific groups. Although the mainstream view is that “the external sound of mobile phones is not as good as that of headphones or Bluetooth speakers”, there are still two types of users with strong demand for high – quality external sound: Firstly, audio – visual enthusiasts. They pursue a “readily available” sound quality experience – whether it is temporarily playing a piece of music or sharing a video clip with friends, the convenience of mobile phone external sound cannot be replaced by headphones or external devices; Secondly, game players. In recent years, 3A mobile games such as “Genshin Impact” and “Honkai: Star Rail” have increasingly high requirements for sound effects details. The stereo effect of dual speakers (especially the symmetrical design) can significantly enhance the sense of immersion, which is also the core reason why gaming phones such as Black Shark and ROG have long adhered to the “super – large speaker” configuration. Redmi’s move of bringing the speakers of million – yuan flagships to the mid – range price segment is essentially to meet the needs of this “niche but high – value” user group. At the same time, it expands the audience through the “high – cost – effectiveness” strategy, promoting the transition of external sound quality from being “exclusive to geeks” to being “accessible to the public”.
In addition, the “bringing down of high – end speaker configurations” has a positive impact on the industry ecosystem. In the past, high – end speakers were often only found in million – yuan flagships due to high costs and large space occupation, making it difficult for ordinary users to experience them. Redmi’s approach is equivalent to using the “price lever” to force the supply chain to reduce costs and optimize technology – when more manufacturers start to pay attention to speaker configurations, upstream suppliers (such as AAC Technologies and Goertek) will increase R & D investment, promoting technological iteration; and technological iteration will further reduce costs, forming a positive cycle of “demand – technology – cost”. This model of “exchanging market scale for technological progress” has been proven effective in areas such as mobile phone fast charging and high – refresh rate screens, and it may also become the key to breaking the situation in the speaker field.
Negative Reviews: The Realistic Dilemma of Top – Notch Mobile Phone Speakers Failing to Become Mainstream under the Dual Constraints of Design and Demand
Although the speaker configuration of the Redmi K80 Extreme Edition is exciting, a calm analysis reveals that the popularization of top – notch mobile phone speakers still faces dual challenges of design limitations and weak demand, and it is difficult to become a mainstream selling point in the short term.
Firstly, the “zero – sum game” of the internal space of mobile phones makes the cost of “piling up” high – end speakers extremely high. The design of smartphones is a typical “space economy” – functional modules such as the battery (requiring a large volume), the camera (requiring a periscope structure or a large – sensor), heat dissipation (requiring a VC heat spreader), and wireless charging (requiring a coil) are all competing for the limited internal space. Take the “two 1115 coaxial units” of the Redmi K80 Extreme Edition as an example. Although its volume is smaller than that of the 1216 unit of the Xiaomi 10S, it still occupies precious space on both sides of the motherboard; if manufacturers want to further improve the sound quality (such as increasing the sound cavity volume or adopting a multi – unit frequency division design), it may squeeze the battery capacity (affecting battery life) or the camera module (affecting imaging performance). For most manufacturers, users are more sensitive to “battery life” and “photography” than to “external sound quality”. Therefore, in resource allocation, speakers are often the ones to be sacrificed. This also explains why, in recent years, except for gaming phones, the speaker configurations of mainstream flagships have generally remained stagnant – it is not that the technology cannot make breakthroughs, but rather that under the trade – off between “space cost” and “user value”, manufacturers are more inclined to invest resources in areas where users are more willing to pay.
Secondly, the demand for mobile phone external sound has been severely diverted by alternative solutions. From the perspective of objective performance, even the top – notch speakers of million – yuan flagships are difficult to match the sound quality (especially the low – frequency response and dynamic range) of hundred – yuan TWS headphones (such as AirPods Pro) or Bluetooth speakers (such as JBL Flip); from the perspective of usage scenarios, playing external sound in public places has become an “impolite behavior” (especially in enclosed spaces such as subways and offices), and in private scenarios, users are more inclined to use TVs, audio systems, or computer external speakers – the sound quality and volume of these devices far exceed those of mobile phones. Even among game players, a considerable number of them choose to wear gaming headphones (such as the Sony PS5 headphones) to obtain a more immersive sound effect and lower latency. The “hollowing out” of demand has significantly reduced the “irreplaceability” of mobile phone external sound, and naturally, manufacturers have less motivation to invest in high – end speakers.
In addition, users’ willingness to pay for “external sound quality” is limited, further weakening manufacturers’ enthusiasm for investment. Surveys show that most consumers are willing to pay a premium for functions such as “fast charging”, “high – refresh rate screens”, and “imaging”, but they are less sensitive to “external sound quality”. For example, the Xiaomi 10S became a “sound quality flagship” due to its “Harman Kardon tuning + super – large speaker”, but its main sales force was “cost – effectiveness” rather than “sound quality”; and subsequent models gradually淡化了 the宣传 of speakers due to the unmet market expectations. This phenomenon reflects that in users’ minds, the external sound of mobile phones is more of an “add – on” function rather than a “core requirement”. If manufacturers increase costs for high – end speakers (such as customized units and tuning fees) but cannot cover them through pricing, they will eventually have to abandon this direction.
Suggestions for Entrepreneurs: The Way to Break the Deadlock through Precise Positioning and Technological Synergy
Facing the current situation where top – notch mobile phone speakers are well – received but have poor sales, if entrepreneurs want to make breakthroughs in this field, they need to formulate strategies from three dimensions: technology, market, and function synergy:
1. Technology end: Focus on “miniaturization + scenario adaptation” to solve the pain points of space and demand
The shortage of internal space in mobile phones is a long – standing contradiction. Entrepreneurs can focus on researching and developing the technology of “miniaturized and high – efficiency speakers”, such as through designs like coaxial and co – magnetic circuits, ultra – thin diaphragms, and intelligent frequency division to improve sound quality while reducing the volume; in addition, they can optimize the external sound effect in combination with AI algorithms – for example, automatically adjusting the sound effect through environmental perception (enhancing the mid – high frequencies in a noisy environment and optimizing the low frequencies in a quiet environment), or customizing tuning schemes for scenarios such as games and audio – visual to enhance user perception.
2. Market end: Precisely position “high – value niche groups” and avoid competing directly with mainstream demands
Abandon the fantasy of “making all users pay for speakers” and focus on two high – value groups: One is “audio – visual enthusiasts”, attracting them through the differentiated selling points of “high sound quality + portability” (such as launching customized sound effects in cooperation with music platforms); the other is “game players”, emphasizing functions such as “stereo positioning” and “low – frequency vibration” of speakers in combination with the “immersive experience” needs of gaming phones (such as developing sound effect optimization schemes in cooperation with popular games like “Genshin Impact” and “Honor of Kings”).
3. Function end: Collaborate with other hardware/services to enhance the “added value” of speakers
Combine the speakers with other functions of the mobile phone to enhance their irreplaceability. For example: Collaborate with TWS headphones (automatically reducing the headphone volume when the mobile phone plays external sound to avoid conflicts; or playing “environmental sounds” through the speakers to assist headphone users in perceiving external sounds); Combine with the imaging function (recording stereo sound in real – time through dual speakers when shooting videos to enhance the Vlog creation experience); Link with smart home devices (automatically connecting to home speakers when the mobile phone plays external sound to achieve “seamless sound expansion”). Through these collaborative designs, turn the speakers from an “independent function” into an “ecological entrance”, thereby enhancing user value.
4. Cost end: Reduce R & D and production thresholds through “modular design”
For small and medium – sized manufacturers, they can adopt a “modular speaker solution” – cooperate with upstream suppliers to develop standardized high – end speaker modules (such as a 1115 coaxial unit + a customized DSP chip) to reduce R & D costs; at the same time, through the “on – demand selection” model (users can purchase high – end speaker modules additionally), shift the cost from being borne by the manufacturer to being voluntarily paid by the user, balancing investment and return.
Conclusion: The significance of top – notch mobile phone speakers does not lie in “subverting the existing market” but in “creating an irreplaceable experience for specific users”. Entrepreneurs need to break out of the framework of “mainstream demands” and find their own positions in technology, market, and ecological synergy to make this “neglected innovation point” shine.
