Xperia Ace II, released by DOCOMO, received reasonable prices and contributed to Sony's expansion.
Looking back, 2021 was a year when smartphones were polarized.While the winding of feature phones and the terminal of the 20,000 yen range targeting young people are growing rapidly, a terminal of 200,000 yen or more, which can be called the "super high -end model", appears one after another.We have differentiated with unique functions that are not found in smartphones.The Fol Double Smartphone, represented by the "Galaxy Z" series, is one of the terminals that made the latter trend.In terms of folding smartphone functions less than 140,000 yen, the camera improved, and a new approach was taken for video shooting.As represented by Google's "Pixel 6/6 Pro", the use of machine learning has been advanced, and application examples other than shooting are being born.The model was equipped with "Tensor", which is a proprietary SOC, but has also differentiated at the semiconductor level.Here, looking back on the trends of smartphones released in 2021, we will see the 2022 terminal market.
The entry model is expanded and the number of variations is increasing, the 20,000 yen smartphone
The first thing I want to list as a symbol of 2021 is the expansion of the entry model.Above all, the terminal with a price of around 20,000 yen has increased, and the number of sellers has increased.Xiaomi's "Redmi Note 9t", which SoftBank started exclusively in February 2021, is a pioneer model.Sony also grew significantly with DOCOMO's "Xperia Ace II" and returned to the top share in the first half of 2021 as an Android smartphone manufacturer.The Xperia Ace II was released as a 4G model, but the entry model has also expanded 5G.The above Redmi Note 9t is one of them.Similarly, Xiaomi has a tag with KDDI and has introduced "Redmi Note 10 JE" from au and UQ Mobile, but this is an entry model that supports 5g in the 20,000 yen level.In the entry model, the case where you work with a specific carrier is noticeable because you have to satisfy the price while keeping the price low.This can be considered to give a certain size.As mentioned in the previous series, the background of these terminals is "terminal discount regulation" and "3G stop".The former is a discount regulation revised by the Telecommunications Business Law in October 2019, and the discount when contracts are currently accompanied up to 21,000 yen.If it is a terminal of the 20,000 yen range, if the discount is applied to the upper limit, it will be as close as possible to 0 yen.KDDI's 3G stops are approaching in March, and the number of users who are conscious of replacing the feature phone to smartphones is increasing because the entry model is expanding.The limit on the discount has not changed, and the 3G stop of SoftBank and DOCOMO is ahead of the KDDI, so the movement of entry models should continue after 2022.The evidence is that au and UQ Mobile will release the Sharp entry model "AQUOS WISH" on January 15.The price is in the late 20,000 yen range.Sharp, who has expanded its share in the "AQUOS SENSE" series, is, as described above, has been lost by Sony in the first half of FY2021.It is a point to pay attention to whether the introduction of AQUOS WISH can stop this flow.However, the costs that can be invested are limited, so the specifications tend to be lined up for entry models.The specifications for the Japanese market, such as Osaifu -Keitai and waterproofing, are also being reached, making it harder to differentiate.It seems that it is necessary to change the plan itself, such as AQUOS WISH, which uses a playback plastic for the body and has launched SDGs to the entire surface.In gaining brand power, it is also necessary to clarify the characteristics of the manufacturer in a high -end model.
