IT168 Review Looking back at the smartphone market in 2015, the industry’s rapid growth momentum has gradually slowed down. While major mobile phone manufacturers are focusing on high-end products, their competition in the thousand-yuan market has also intensified. When it comes to representatives of smartphones priced under 1,000 yuan, Xiaomi’s Redmi series is the force that cannot be ignored. With its ultra-low price and the complete ecological experience brought by MIUI, this series of models has become the most popular among smartphones priced under 1,000 yuan. The domestic smartphone market can be said to be a turbulent one, and the hot sales of many models have brought about exemplary chain reactions. In order to suppress Redmi from quickly seizing the entry-level market, major mobile phone manufacturers also began to add some cross-level hardware configurations to this level of mobile phones. For a time, mid-to-high-end design elements such as "fingerprint recognition" and "metal body" began to appear in thousands of phones. Among Yuan mobile phones.
In this case, Xiaomi followed the trend and once again set a new standard for thousand-yuan mobile phones through the Redmi Note3 equipped with fingerprint recognition and metal body design. As a result, many entry-level mobile phone users began to look forward to the follow-up model of Redmi 2, and expected that Xiaomi would bring new surprises to users through a super cost-effective Redmi 3. This idea is obviously not groundless. Xiaomi has indeed brought us an "entry phone" that sounds shocking enough, and multiple parameter configurations directly poke the user's pain points. Since Redmi 3 is Xiaomi's first smartphone product since entering 2016, many people in the industry have also speculated whether the release of Redmi 3 will set a new standard for entry-level smartphones in 2016? Before answering this question , we might as well review the hardware parameters of this Redmi 3 first.
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Main parameters of Redmi 3
Operating system
MIUI 7.1 (based on Android 5.1)
Network standard
Full Netcom (TD-LTE, FDD-LTE, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, CDMA 2000, GSM)
Body size
139.3 * ?69.6 * 8.5mm
Weight
143.5g
Screen
5.0-inch 720P display
Camera
5 million pixels front (F2.2 aperture), 13 million pixels rear (supports phase focus, F2.0 aperture) Processor
64-bit Snapdragon 616 octa-core Processor (4x1.5GHz 4x1.2GHz)
Body memory
RAM: 2GB ROM: 16GB (supports up to 128GB expansion)
Battery
4100mAh (not removable)
Body color
Fashionable gold, fashionable silver, fashionable dark gray (with diamond pattern)/classic gold (without diamond pattern) )
Listing price
699 yuan
It is not difficult to find from the above parameter table that the new Redmi 3 not only completely surpasses the Redmi 2 in terms of appearance , its hardware configuration has been greatly improved, especially the Snapdragon 616 processor, 4100mAh capacity battery, 13 million pixel phase focusing main lens, and the addition of full Netcom functions, making the machine look like a 2015 model. The mid-range smartphone of 2018. Considering the ultra-low price of 699 yuan, the emergence of Redmi 3 can be said to have completely refreshed the hardware standards of entry-level mobile phones. However, for the majority of mobile phone users, the powerful configuration of Redmi 3 is not worth it. Is it an entry-level mobile phone worth buying? While it has multiple "cross-level configurations", will it bring us the same amazing user experience? Today's Redmi 3 mobile phone review will give you a detailed The answer.
"Appearance Industrial Design
For a thousand-yuan mobile phone, today's manufacturers have given it too many features that were once exclusive to flagship phones, such as Fingerprint recognition, all-metal body, full Netcom 4G, etc.
However, when the selling price is certain, blind pursuit of hardware improvements will naturally lead to no obvious difference in appearance. For this reason, this year’s mobile phone market is bound to usher in a reversal from focusing on hardware to designing. Redmi 3 mobile phone, as the first domestic mobile phone this year, also proves this sentence.
As a mobile phone priced at 699 yuan, there is already very little space left for designers in terms of product ID. So what if you use a lower cost to create a model that is unique and memorable? Redmi 3 can be said to accomplish this to a certain extent. Under the premise of ensuring that the basic appearance design is similar to that of Redmi Note3, it is embellished with a star grid pattern on the back of the fuselage. This approach is indeed refreshing, especially when illuminated by light or viewed from the side, it can give people a different visual perception. But the main reason why Redmi 3 has only accomplished this to a certain extent is that there are many types of patterns and consumers’ aesthetics are also different. As a mobile phone that caters to all age groups, this approach may become a fatal flaw for users who find the pattern unsightly, causing unnecessary user losses. In order to solve this contradiction, Redmi 3 also provides a fashionable gold original color without pattern version, but it seems to be a drop in the bucket.
Redmi 3 has been launched in 3 colors, namely silver, gray and gold. The one we got for this review is the silver version. We can see that on the front of the fuselage, the Redmi 3 looks like it has broken away from the low-end and cheap feel of the Redmi series, and looks more like a Xiaomi series phone. The biggest reason for this is the introduction of a white panel.
It is rare for thousand-yuan machines to use white front panel color matching. The reason is that white color matching is prone to variegation during the color mixing process, which affects the appearance of the entire machine and leads to a decrease in the yield rate. However, since Redmi Note3, Xiaomi has already had a mature supply chain and quality control, so it has also brought pure white panels into the Redmi series of mobile phones.
Another point is that Redmi 3 also cancels the signature design of red physical buttons, so it looks more like Xiaomi 4 from the front. However, the control of the black edges of the screen shows that the Redmi series has a cheap feel, and its width is almost twice that of the Xiaomi Mi 4. However, black edges on the screen are also a common problem with thousand-dollar phones. For such a product priced at only 699 yuan, there is actually no reason or need to ask for too much.
On the side of the fuselage, we can see that in addition to using a metal body, Redmi 3 does not use the common metal edge CNC cutting and chamfering technology, but uses a metal body. The screen design is covered with a layer of polycarbonate edge protection. The screen is slightly higher than the frame, and the polycarbonate buffer isolation strip is also painted with metal-like paint. It’s not entirely because CNC metal cutting edges cost more. The more reason is that such a design can visually make the body appear thinner, increase the thickness of the battery compartment, increase battery capacity, and can also play a role. The role of screen protection.
On the top and bottom of the fuselage, Redmi 3 is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB charging and data interface (using 5V/2A standard charging head), noise reduction microphone and infrared remote control sensor. Starting from Xiaomi 4, infrared remote control sensors have become a standard feature of every mobile phone produced by Xiaomi. This is also closely related to the Xiaomi smart home ecological chain layout advocated by Xiaomi.
This time Redmi 3 has added a starry plaid design element. As we mentioned before, this pattern may not look good on everyone. However, according to our understanding, the designers of Redmi 3 tried a variety of patterns for comparison, and selected this pattern with dots of stars patched together into a grid. And in order not to affect the feel of use, Xiaomi specially uses mirror polishing and exposure and development processes (the same process as the text on the back of iPhone5), so the pattern texture cannot be felt by hand.
In terms of camera, Redmi 3 uses a 13-megapixel main camera and supports F/2.0 large aperture and 0.1-second ultra-fast PDAF phase focusing technology. Although it is not equipped with dual-color temperature flash and OIS optical image stabilization technology.
But its camera specifications have been qualitatively improved compared to Redmi 2, especially the performance of night scenes and the background blur effect in close-up. As for the specific imaging effect, please refer to the sample evaluation later.
In addition to the 4100mAh battery capacity, Redmi 3 also brings us 4G full network features. In other words, consumers do not need to consider whether their operators support their mobile phones. Redmi 3 can It is compatible with all 4G/3G/2G networks of China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. Such features are hard to find at the same price point. In addition, the phone uses a single card slot and three card slots design. Users can choose a Micro SIM card and a Nano SIM card to realize the dual-SIM dual standby function, or choose a Micro SIM card and a TF card for expansion, with a maximum expansion capacity of 128GB. Of course, this approach also makes it impossible for Redmi 3 to achieve dual-SIM dual-standby TF card expansion function.
Compared with Redmi 2, Redmi 3 has a very big change in appearance. It uses a larger 5-inch screen, a metal integrated body (non-removable battery), a starry grid pattern design, and a pure white color scheme. Overall, although the price of Redmi 3 is still very cheap, it has gradually lost the cheap feeling of plastic body and black panel. Moreover, the 4100mAh large battery, dual SIM card dual standby, full Netcom, and 128GB storage space TF card attributes also greatly improve its practicality, and it is indeed very outstanding in terms of cost performance.
" MIUI 7.1 System Interpretation
Since its release in 2010, MIUI has gone through iterations and has become the leader in domestic customized ROMs and has become Xiaomi's core competitiveness. Where. MIUI 7, which was released in August, quickly covered all models and was well received. Recently, MIUI 7 has received a small upgrade, integrating all-round improvements in performance and functions, and has become MIUI 7.1. , and this Redmi 3 has also become the first mobile phone to be launched with MIUI 7.1 pre-installed. In this part of the article, we will use Redmi 3 to explain some of the new features of MIUI 7.1.
"Added official monthly themes, more designed for you
When MIUI 7 was released, Lei Jun said that the original intention of MIUI 7 was to "reject monotony and design for you", so four new themes were added to the system. Set system UI to cater to the aesthetic tastes of different people. This time MIUI 7.1 takes a step further in terms of personalization. In addition to retaining the original five sets of system UI, Xiaomi officially updates a monthly theme that is very suitable for the occasion. Since November, as of now, the official has released " There are three monthly themes: "Warm Autumn Time", "Ice and Snow Elf", and "2016 Acceleration". While taking into account both beauty and smoothness, it also adds many interesting animation details, such as snowflakes floating on the lock screen when you shake it, and the color of the lock screen interface automatically changes in the morning, noon and evening, giving you little surprises.
"Six fonts can be changed at will, taking into account both beauty and practicality
In order to facilitate people like our parents’ generation to use mobile phones, MIUI 7 specially adds Big Mac fonts, which are not limited to fonts. The fonts have been enlarged and the layout of the operation interface has also been redesigned to ensure the beauty and ease of use of the interface. On this basis, MIUI 7.1 has added small fonts, making the system natively support switching of 6 fonts at will. , the interface of each font has been redesigned to adapt to various scenarios and users with different preferences, and to meet the same demanding aesthetic pursuits of designers
"Highly efficient file management and safer private files<. /p>
File management on mobile phones has always been a headache, especially when looking for files saved through WeChat, QQ and other software. We often have to go through multiple folders with complicated names and finally find them. MIUI has previously tried to make smart notes on folders in mobile phones, which improved the efficiency of file management. MIUI, which values ??user experience, is obviously not satisfied with this. In MIUI 7.1, file management has been completely upgraded.
The top part shows the general search by category, and the classification is very clear. The bottom part has newly added the ability to view files by source. You can easily find files saved through WeChat, QQ or other software by source. In addition, it also supports viewing files by time. The files will be presented in the form of a timeline. For the files just saved, they will be displayed directly at the top of the timeline for easy and quick finding. Taken together, the new file management integrates three file management methods: by category, by source, and by time, adapting to different situations, making it clear to find files at a glance.
In addition to taking into account the high efficiency of cultural and educational management, MIUI pays more attention to the protection of personal privacy and supports the creation of private folders. The entrance to the private folder is triggered by gestures. Pull down to a certain level in file management and enter the set password to enter. It is both hidden and safe. Of course, private files support any file format. After successfully adding a private file, the private file will not only encrypt the file itself, making it invisible on the phone, but also modify the file name. Even if it is connected to a computer to read, it will not be read. Secrets will be leaked easily.
"Quick transfer is faster and magnet link downloading is more convenient
In the absence of Wi-Fi, the usual choice for file sharing between two mobile phones is Bluetooth, but the pairing process is complicated Coupled with the limitation of transmission speed, the experience is very poor. MIUI 7.1 has launched the Xiaomi Quick Transfer function for this scenario. In principle, the sender's mobile phone builds a Wifi hotspot so that the two mobile phones can connect without consuming any data. It supports any file format. According to the author's test, the transfer speed can be maintained at about 5MB/s. It only takes less than a minute to share a 200MB video, which is a good experience. However, this function is only limited to two devices running MIUI. 7.1 mobile phones do not support other systems and have certain limitations.
MIUI 7.1’s efforts in file transfer go beyond this. The download management directly supports magnet links and BT seed downloads without the need for third parties. With the assistance of downloading software, you can own everything with one mobile phone, so that downloading is not limited to existing resources. With the system's built-in Thunder download engine, downloading convenience and speed are guaranteed.
" Further integrate resources and improve experience
MIUI has grown to this point. It is no longer enough to describe it as a "good-looking and easy-to-use system". On the one hand, MIUI runs on mobile phones. To serve us, on the other hand, MIUI is also integrating various resources, including finance, video, information, music, etc., becoming an important presentation platform for Internet resources. The global search of MIUI 7.1 has become the most direct entrance for MIUI to connect to Internet resources. By swiping on the desktop to directly call out the search, you can not only search for local files, contacts, applications, settings, etc., but also search for various online contents: Popular Movies and TV dramas, popular music, e-books, and current affairs hot topics present more diverse and rich information, covering users' concerns to a greater extent.
The integration of MIUI 7.1 with Internet resources goes beyond that. The music APP has also been upgraded, and the online music library has been expanded to 1 million songs, integrating playlist push, MV promotion, exclusive music copyright payment, etc. The service is closer to the model of Xiami and NetEase Cloud Music. In terms of cloud services, MIUI 7.1 supports up to 12 types of data synchronization and backup. In addition to necessary important data such as contacts, text messages, and photos, it also includes desktop icon layout, Wifi passwords, calendars, notes, and other data. It is the most complete nowadays. cloud services.
On the whole, although MIUI 7.1 is a phased cumulative update of MIUI 7 and there are no earth-shaking changes across versions, the changes can be clearly felt in our use, and even more Beautiful, more practical and more convenient. Today, many manufacturers are also competing for cost performance. Although Xiaomi still plays the role of price butcher, the gap in hardware with competing products is actually very small. The only thing Xiaomi relies on to successfully break through is the MIUI system. It constantly builds improved MIUI, which is a bonus on every Xiaomi phone and gives the phone new vitality.
"Interpretation of photo samples
In terms of hardware, Redmi 3 is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera with an aperture of F2.0, and a 5-megapixel front camera with an aperture of F2.2 Among the cameras, the main camera supports PDAF phase focusing. The hardware parameters of the camera are greatly improved compared to Redmi 2. At the same time, in terms of software, Redmi 3 also adds functions such as level meter, scene mode, and manual mode, which improves the performance. The playability of the camera part.
First, let’s take a look at the newly added scene mode in the software. The scene mode provides eleven scenes to choose from, including portrait, landscape, sports, night scene, and night scene portrait. Ordinary consumers are provided with a fool-proof choice. Even if they don’t know about shutter speed, white balance, etc., they can easily take photos that meet their needs. Let’s take a look at the photo performance of Redmi 3 through the sample photos. For cropping operations, you can click to view the original image.
▲Outdoor proof during the daytime
▲Outdoor proof during the daytime
▲Outdoor proof during the daytime
▲Indoor proofs
▲Indoor proofs
▲Indoor proofs
▲Night scene proofs
▲Night scene proofs
The rear camera of Redmi 3 supports PDAF phase focusing, and the focusing speed is greatly improved. In daily photography experience, Redmi 3 performs better than phones of the same price range. However, white balance errors occasionally occur, which needs to be optimized in the later software. In the night scene photography experience, Redmi 3 chose to increase the brightness of the picture by lengthening the shutter speed, so it needs to be stabilized when shooting night scenes. Although there is a night scene anti-shake option in the mode selection, the effect is compared to hand shaking. The effect of software adjustment is minimal. In high light ratio environments such as backlighting, the HDR effect of Redmi 3 is relatively good, and the details in the dark areas are intact. At the same time, there is no obvious overexposure in the highlight areas. The focus area is rich in detail, and thanks to the large F2.0 aperture, the background blur effect is obvious. Overall, the camera experience of Redmi 3 can be said to be relatively good among phones of the same price range.
"Performance Benchmarks
In terms of hardware, Redmi 3 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 chipset paired with 2GB of memory. Snapdragon 616 is a mid-range SOC officially released by Qualcomm in August last year. It is a slight upgrade of the previous Snapdragon 615. It uses a 28nm process technology, a 64-bit A53 architecture, and four A53 cores clocked at 1.7GHz (the highest). The quad-core A53 core is clocked at 1.2GHz; the GPU is still Adreno 405, which is basically the same as the Snapdragon 615 in terms of maximum performance, but performs better than the Snapdragon 615 in daily use, which greatly reduces the power consumption of the previous Snapdragon 615 The consumption is too high and the core is locked. At this stage of the article, we will use regular benchmarking software to test the performance of Redmi?
Geekbench 3 is a comprehensive testing tool compatible with multiple platforms. It tests hardware devices through benchmarking. Related tests mainly examine the computing capabilities of the CPU and memory system. The Geekbench score of Redmi 3 is 675 for single-core and 2735 for multi-core, which is within the normal score range among Snapdragon 616 models and is sufficient for daily use.
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Redmi 3 runs Asphalt 8
In addition, in terms of graphics processing, from the actual game performance test, Redmi 3 runs like crazy Large-scale 3D games like Asphalt 8 are also quite smooth, with no frame drops or freezes that affect the gaming experience. Moreover, there is no obvious heating phenomenon during the game, and the overall heating control is still very good. However, it is a mid-range chip after all, so it cannot compare with flagship phones in terms of game loading speed. After all, the price is only 699 yuan.
Generally speaking, Redmi 3 can meet most daily application scenarios in terms of CPU and GPU computing performance, and is at a higher level than currently popular models of the same price range.
In addition, the Snapdragon 616 processor selected by Redmi 3 this time has a built-in X5 LTE baseband module, which supports all current 2G/3G/4G networks. It is precisely because of its existence that Redmi 3 has gained the strength of all Netcom, consumers When buying Redmi 3, you don’t have to worry about which operator’s version to buy.
"Endurance test
This time Redmi 3 is equipped with a 4100mAh large-capacity battery, and the battery energy density has been increased to 685Wh/L. Xiaomi officially claims that it can meet the needs of general study and office work for nearly three days. It requires enough power for a day, and even for short vacations, we no longer need to carry a mobile power supply. During the test, we inserted a SIM card into the phone, turned off mobile data, and used it. WIFI network, the screen brightness is adjusted to the highest level, and the screen is always on and never locks when playing music.
Through testing, we found that the battery life of Redmi 3 is indeed relatively good, because it consumes a lot of energy during calls. The screen of the power user is turned off, so in the 15-minute call test, the Redmi 3 consumes almost no power. However, after running the 3D game "Asphalt 8" for 30 minutes, the Redmi 3 consumes almost no power. The power consumption is only reduced by 7.
In addition to using a large-capacity battery, Redmi 3 also ensures long battery life in other hardware configurations, such as choosing a mid-range power consumption for thousand-yuan smartphones. The relatively lower new eight-core A53 architecture Snapdragon 616 processor with a main frequency of 1.5GHz also uses a 720P resolution screen on the screen with the highest power consumption among smartphone hardware, and also has built-in power saving in the software. The battery optimization function can ensure longer battery life, so in general, Redmi 3 can last for two days under moderate use.
Except for the above evaluation. Apart from this part, I believe you still have many questions about Redmi 3. We are here to answer them one by one.
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Redmi. Is there a corresponding operator-customized version of Mobile Phone 3?
A: Redmi Mobile 3 is a fully Netcom mobile phone, so the official said that there will not be a corresponding operator-customized version, only a fully-connected version. The Netcom version supports all network standards of China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, so you don’t have to worry about choosing the right network. In addition, this phone supports dual-SIM dual-standby, using AND or SIM card slots, and supports memory card expansion up to 128GB.
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Will the pattern on the back of Redmi 3 be easily worn?
A: The back of Redmi 3 The pattern is created using mirror polishing and exposure development processes. This process was previously used to print the logo on the back of the iPhone 5, which can achieve a clear visual distinction between mirror and frosted surfaces. When your fingers brush over the back of the fuselage, It is very smooth, and you can hardly feel the difference caused by different textures. It also has good wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and the pattern remains intact after being used for a period of time.
It’s just that the pattern is beautiful. Sex has received mixed reviews from everyone, and some people even used the term "sexy" to make fun of it. We also learned that Xiaomi actually tried many patterns internally, and after a lot of struggle, it finally settled on the star pattern plan. It also shows a certain beauty under the light, so you can experience it yourself. Of course, if you like a simple design, this time the Redmi 3 is also available in a gold pattern-free version at the same price.
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Does Redmi 3 support fast charging?
A: For a 4100mAh mobile phone, can it Supporting fast charging has become the first issue that needs to be discussed. First of all, in terms of adapter specifications, Redmi 3 uses the standard 5V/2A format, which is the most common among the mobile phones launched this year. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 chip it uses also supports Quick Charge2.0 technology. According to Xiaomi’s official data, Redmi 3 can increase the battery capacity to 48% in an hour.
In this way, it takes about 2 hours to fully charge. This charging speed is not ideal, but considering its large battery capacity of 4100mAh, it is not bad.
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What are the main improvements of Redmi 3 compared to Redmi 2?
A: Redmi Mi Phone 2 is a product launched by Xiaomi a year ago. There is no comparison. The parameters of Redmi 3 are definitely better than those of Redmi 2, including the Snapdragon 616 CPU directly replacing the Snapdragon 410, and the battery capacity being expanded to 4100mAh. Due to the use of a metal body, the removable battery design is abandoned. The screen is increased from the original 4.7 inches to 5 inches. The resolution is maintained at 720P. The camera is upgraded to 13 million pixels. PDAF phase focusing function is added to support all aspects of the phone. Netcom has not launched various operator-customized versions, and it is easier to choose. It is definitely a very cost-effective product at this price.
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How to choose between Redmi 3 and Redmi Note3?
A: Each generation of Redmi mobile phones has always had two product lines. Another model, Redmi Note3, was also released last year, which makes Redmi now have two models in the thousand-yuan phone market. The main models - Redmi 3 and Redmi Note3. In terms of price, the Redmi 3 mobile phone is 699 yuan, while the Redmi Note3 is slightly more expensive at 899 yuan. There is a price difference of 200 yuan between the two. How to choose? In appearance, the two have the same design, but the screen size of Redmi 3 is smaller, which makes it more comfortable to hold with one hand. The functions of the two are slightly different. Redmi Note3 is more comprehensive and equipped with back fingerprint recognition and infrared remote control. Redmi 3 supports all Netcom, so telecom users can buy it without worries. Therefore, we recommend that users who value fingerprint recognition and a large screen should choose Redmi Note3, while users who prefer one-handed operation and have requirements for network standards should choose Redmi 3.
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How many units will be shipped in the first batch? How long will it take to purchase it in stock?
A: Redmi 3 It will be available from stock on January 12, with gold, silver, and gray colors to choose from, priced at 699 yuan. Xiaomi has not disclosed the first batch of supply, but according to our understanding, Xiaomi's stocking work is already in progress. Generally, users who want to buy can basically wait on Xiaomi's official website at 10 o'clock on January 12 to grab it. The rush buying cycle is generally once a week. As for when to get rid of the rush buying, if you want to buy it in stock at the original price, you usually have to wait for 1 day.
Click to enter the rush purchase page
"Summary and purchase suggestions
I believe that after reading our review of Redmi 3, you will already know this. I have a relatively complete understanding of the new machine. The new metal body design meets the user's requirements for body material, and various super configurations not only stimulate the user's adrenal glands, but also bring a smoother and more efficient performance in terms of user experience. In addition, the MIUI 7.1 system Auxiliary, the 699 yuan Redmi 3 has become an entry-level mobile phone that is both value-for-money and considerate enough. For users, the addition of a 5-inch screen and dual-SIM dual-standby with full Netcom also maximizes the audience of this phone. This phone has become the first choice for many children to honor their parents. For other mobile phone manufacturers, the launch of Redmi 3 means that they must launch new competing products to cope with it. Even if there is not much room for new product competition, many old models will fight back by cutting prices. From this perspective, if you don’t like the appearance of the phone, you can wait a little longer.