2016年CRI Chinese Companies Compete with Established Giants at MWC

 

Nestling among the big players such as Apple, Samsung, LG and Sony - Chinese companies like Huawei and Alcatel are vying¹ to steal the limelight. Xiaomi too is making it's European debut² with the Mi5 smartphone.

But the major players are waking up to the threat. Sony is unveiling its new Xperia X smartphone - a mid-range model.

Nicole Scott, Editor of Mobilegeeks, says like Chinese manufacturers, Sony is also targeting people who want a phone that works, at an affordable³ price.

"Everybody is launching a mid-range phone, because it is all about pricing, versus⁴ not necessarily having high specs but having a phone that just works really really well. And we are definitely seeing that at the Sony launch, with the launch of the Xperia X which is a mid-range phone. But Sony is doing it with their own style, it looks good, everything feels high-end, but the specifications⁵ are quite budget. And that is definitely in competition to what we are seeing from the Chinese manufacturers."

Also making an impact at the show in Barcelona is Chinese company ZTE, with the launch of the ZTE Blade V7.

The new smartphone will be selling for about 250 euros in Germany, Spain, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Mexico by this summer.

Adam Zeng, CEO of ZTE mobiles, says the company is gaining strength in key markets, which they hope to use to gain traction⁶ globally.

"In future, our strategy is to leverage⁷ our success in China and the US, and the European markets, to expand into additional strategic countries around the globe. We hope that in the next three to five years, ZTE can be one of the top three smartphone vendors⁸ in select markets."

Beijing based company Lenovo is also looking to expand worldwide. The company, which is currently fifth in the global market share race, is launching the Vibe K5 Plus at the show – a 149-U.S. dollar phone only available in emerging markets.

Neil Mawston, smartphone market analyst⁹ at Strategy Analytics, warns that no company can be safe as the market is constantly changing.

"The market historically for the last 30 years, in mobiles, has always changed. Companies like Siemens from Germany used to make phones, now they don't. So the market always changes. I think how it is changing at the moment is that we are seeing a swing from developed markets to developing markets. So, more Chinese brands. More Indian brands. And I think potentially also more African brands in the future as well."

This year's Mobile World Congress has attracted around 21-hundred exhibitors worldwide.

The event runs until this Wednesday.

For CRI, this is Luo Wen.

1 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

2 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

3 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

4 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

5 specifications   

n.规格；载明；详述；（产品等的）说明书；说明书( specification的名词复数 )；详细的计划书；载明；详述

参考例句：

• Our work must answer the specifications laid down. 我们的工作应符合所定的规范。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This sketch does not conform with the specifications. 图文不符。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

7 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

8 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。