'Handshakes' change mobile photography trends
Nokia and Zeiss can be considered the two companies that started the trend of upgrading the photography experience on phones. Nokia in its heyday collaborated with Zeiss on camera research, marking a new direction for the smartphone era. The products launched by this duo later were mostly successful in terms of photography, but Nokia entered a period of recession, causing the Zeiss name to fade away in terms of smartphone photography. Sony and then Vivo later joined hands with Zeiss.
Hasselblad, one of the high-end and money-making brands in the camera world, has also had relationships with Motorola (making separate accessories), then OnePlus and Oppo. Previously, Oppo had "put all its trust" in Schneider Kreuznach but soon went their separate ways.
Nokia once "overwhelmed" the technology world when it joined hands with Zeiss to upgrade the photography experience right on the phone.
A familiar brand to many Vietnamese people as well as the world photography community, Leica, has also joined hands with Huawei and most recently Xiaomi to change the mobile photography experience for customers.
All of the above pairings have mostly brought buzz to both sides as well as a boost to the market, opening up a new competitive trend between the world's leading smartphone manufacturers as the race for camera "dots" and the level of configuration gradually saturates. Even names like Vivo and Xiaomi have risen in the global market thanks to this change.
The Disintegration of Alliances
As mentioned above, Nokia and Zeiss started the trend but soon parted ways as the Finnish phone brand could no longer survive in the harsh market. Even under HMD Global, Nokia struggled and gradually came to an end. Zeiss is now successful with Vivo, but according to a reliable leaker, the duo may not be together for long after the partnership ends later this year.
Hasselblad is still the lens brand that appears on OnePlus/Oppo smartphones. However, leaker Yogesh Brar revealed that there is a high possibility that the two sides will stop cooperating because "it does not bring enough improvements in the camera". Meanwhile, the contract between Leica and Huawei has been in an open state since Huawei was banned by the US, causing this smartphone brand to almost disappear globally.
Some sources say that smartphone companies are preparing for their own photography brands and are ready to stop cooperating as soon as the old alliance contract expires.
The remaining bright spot in the trend
If the leaked sources are correct, by the end of this year, only Leica and Xiaomi will be left to “shine” in the combination trend. The German photography company joined hands with Xiaomi in May 2022 with the first product being the Xiaomi 12S Ultra smartphone, equipped with a 50 MP main lens. In early 2023, the duo of manufacturers impressed the technology world after launching the high-end Xiaomi 13 smartphone line, which greatly improved its photography capabilities.
Xiaomi - Leica may be the only pair left on the market after 2024.
According to market research firm GfK, despite competing in the high-end segment, Xiaomi 13 still achieved the third market share and led the growth rate in the first month of sale. That success created confidence for both Xiaomi and Leica to continue with the Xiaomi 14 generation with Vario-Summilux lens. In particular, the Light Fusion 900 image sensor, which is the first on a smartphone, helps improve light collection.
In addition to the lens, Leica also offers partners its exclusive Authentic Look and Vibrant Look color filters, which help provide a better photography experience and are not "incompatible" with other devices.
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the past 2 years has also contributed significantly to the process of changing the appearance of smartphone photography. Advanced algorithms help mobile devices improve their shooting speed as well as image processing capabilities, especially on devices equipped with dedicated AISP chips for this purpose.
AI features such as portrait photography, automatic library search, editing, image reconstruction (enlarging the frame, removing unnecessary details or unwanted objects)... also contribute positively to the success of Xiaomi and Leica, opening up opportunities for both to go further in a market context that always requires constantly improving experiences.
Source
Comment (0)