Profit myths shattered, mobile phone chip's "three kingdoms"-mobile phone chips Qualcomm, Spreadtrum, mediatek, three killed-IT information

From 3G to 4G times, Smartphone blowout did not seem to bring boom in mobile phone chips, a good day compared to two years ago, mobile phone chip maker's profit was still "steady decline".

"The price war was fierce, such as our 3G duo 6572 sold seven or eight-dollar mark early last year, quad sold for more than $ 10, but WABC SC7731 out on the selling prices of the dual-core, now the other Quad 6572 and we were playing to less than $ 4. "Mediatek insiders Wang (not his real name), said in an interview, chip manufacturers at present necessary to fight a defensive war, also play blitz warfare, sales may not change, but the price is between the way back is pulled down.

This may be just the beginning.

Recently, market research agency statistics showed StrategyAnalytics global 2015 mobile phone plant in the fourth quarter (including smartphones) total revenue from the previous quarters of contraction of 1%, for the first time in 2.5 years, highlighting the Smartphone market gets saturated. Mobile phone League Secretary General Wang yanhui of China told reporters, the chip maker's profit decline was inevitable, competitive market environment this year will make more commitment to the Chinese market, a chip giant.

"Three kingdoms"

Once in the mobile phone market, Qualcomm for high-end, low-end chips, cottage with homemade chips became the unwritten rules, but today, in a rapidly changing market environment, inherent patterns are being broken, who seem to want to be mobile phone chip leader.

The past, mediatek has the advantage of cost-effective and rapid response to market. 10 years ago it launched the "Turnkey" (turnkey) programme, complex design and manufacturing process is simplified as "number one chip + more boards = no phone" chain, lower cost and faster shipment has spawned a large number of Chinese mobile phone manufacturer. Mediatek in a functional machine era was a big success, but also on the back of a "Cottage" the mixed title. But today, led by Spreadtrum domestic chip manufacturers are learning routines in this market.

"WABC in the India market is strong. "Reporters Wang yanhui, Spreadtrum's dash is mainly to make market share now, while India's market characteristics play, Samsung and Spreadtrum's cooperation has also seen the feasibility of this play. Just a few days ago, Spreadtrum announces its WCDMA/HSPA+ chip SC7727SE was Samsung's latest GalaxyJ1 (SM-J120H) smart phone.

Sun bin, General Manager of Shenzhen wotewode cause India market, for example: "Spreadtrum's SC7731 price to kill is a chain smoker, mainly for the India market, possibly through some of the rebate or shipments on gambling agreements to bargain. In SC7731 5 inch platform, for example, machine minimum can do about $ 35. ”

Mediatek that practice a little too much, you know, in the low end of the market have been mediatek most solid "backing". This mediatek insiders told reporters Wang admitted that low end for defence may make some sacrifices on profit, dropped against products already listed more than half.

In the high-end market, mediatek is not idle. Recently, first by mediatek HelioX20 processors in the high-end smartphone market.

"TV plus, Meizu production will help us in the high-end market, which we still have confidence. "Wang told reporters. In the previous HelioX20 release, mediatek, Executive Deputy General Manager and co-chief operating officer Zhu Shangzu also told reporters, mediatek hoped that through high quality platforms stand in the high-end market, but on the market stereotypes, he said without much thought.

"Mediatek's products are high-end price, also have low prices, but customers (selection) will want to use low prices to impress its customers, which I do not intend to change. "Zhu Shangzu said.

Different from mediatek, Spreadtrum, Qualcomm "case" seems to put down the burden, Guizhou Provincial Government earlier this year, in addition to the joint investment of 1.85 billion yuan to set up a high-end server chip research and development joint venture companies in various industry conferences, can also see high positive figure. "No punches in the market, we offer many Qualcomm models today are cheaper. "Wang told reporters.

Profit myths "bust"?

"Competition in the mobile phone chip market now showing high-throughput, mediatek, Spreadtrum's three-pillar structure, Qualcomm leads in technology and high-end customers; mediatek in Turnkey lead and midrange customers; Spreadtrum though slightly late, but has a fine land advantage, three companies is not a simple competition to a scorched earth policy of separating it out. "Wang yanhui, told reporters, the variables for the chip market this year is not small, but from a profit perspective, really isn't as high as it once was.

Previously, mediatek posted quarter of 2015 results. Reported NT mediatek's revenue for the quarter of 61.713 billion yuan (12.14 billion yuan), increased 8.3% per cent, operating profit was NT $ 3.748 billion yuan, reducing 50.8% per cent, while due to fierce price competition in the smart phone market, gross margin for the quarter was only 38.5% over the previous quarter and the same period decreased by 4.2% and 9.4%.

Qualcomm's 2016 a quarter, net profit was 1.5 billion dollars, falling more than $ 2 billion in the same period last year to 24%; sales of $ 5.8 billion, more than $ 7.1 billion in the same period last year fell 19%

"The pressure on the industry chain are not small, transfer to chip manufacturers, and will also feel the pinch, these years our profit is really stable, steady slide. "He half-jokingly told reporters. For earlier news that three carriers 4G subsidy policy will slow industry price competition, Wang said she did not agree.

"Carrier subsidies to firms, manufacturers will not put the profits on products, but direct discount prices now, pulling down prices. "Wang told reporters.

But Wang yanhui said operators speed up subsidy programs to some extent and promote the rise in mobile phone sales, seen from the results of the chip firm's profit increase is good.

"However, we cannot only look at the eyes. "Zhu Shangzu said the Smartphone market than hardware, specific parameters of growth, gradually into the rational adjustment period, the industry needed to lead a new normal, either product form, or business forms. Based on this, starting in 2016, smartphones than experience, than the content of industry will enter a new phase, which is the market opportunity.

It can be predicted that not only mobile-phone market in 2016, mobile phone chip market will usher in more competition.

利润神话破灭，手机芯片间的“三国杀” - 手机芯片,高通,展讯,联发科,三国杀 - IT资讯

从3G到4G时代，智能手机的井喷似乎并没有带来手机芯片行业的繁荣，相比于两年前的好日子，手机芯片厂商的利润依然在“稳定下滑”。

“市场价格战非常激烈，比如我们3G双核6572去年年初的时候卖到七八美元，四核要卖到10美元以上，但展讯SC7731出来就卖到了我们双核价格以下，现在对方四核和我们的6572都被打到了4美元以内。”联发科一内部人士王凯(化名)在接受采访时表示，目前芯片厂商既要打防守战，也要打突击战，可能销量没有什么变化，但价格就在一来一回之间被拉下来了。

这可能仅仅只是开始。

近日，市调机构StrategyAnalytics公布的统计数据显示，全球2015年第四季手机厂(含智能手机)合计营收较前季萎缩1个百分点，为两年半来首次，凸显智能手机市场趋于饱和。手机中国联盟秘书长王艳辉则对记者表示，芯片厂商的利润下降是必然现象，今年激烈的市场竞争环境将会让更多的芯片巨头看重中国市场。

“三国杀”

在曾经的手机市场，高端用高通，中低端用联发科，山寨用国产芯片一度成为行业不成文的规定，但在今天，在这个迅速变化的市场环境中，固有的格局正在被打破，似乎谁都想成为手机芯片的霸主。

过去，联发科的优势在于性价比和对市场的快速反应。它在10年前推出的“Turnkey”(交钥匙)方案，让复杂的手机设计和制造过程简化为“一块芯片+几块主板=无数款手机”的链条，更低的成本和更快的出货速度催生了大批中国手机厂商。联发科由此在功能机时代大获成功，但同时也背上了“山寨”这个毁誉参半的名号。但如今，以展讯为首的国产芯片厂商正在学习这一市场套路。

“展讯在印度市场的风头还是强劲的。”王艳辉对记者表示，现在展讯的突进主要是为了冲市场份额，而印度的市场特点正好发挥，三星和展讯的合作也看出这种打法的可行性。就在前几天，展讯宣布其WCDMA/HSPA+芯片SC7727SE被三星最新发布的GalaxyJ1(SM-J120H)智能手机采用。

深圳沃特沃德事业部总经理孙斌拿印度市场举例：“展讯的SC7731价格杀得很凶，主要针对印度市场，可能通过一些返利或者出货量对赌的协议来杀价。以5英寸SC7731平台为例，整机最低可以做到35美元左右。”

这种做法开始让联发科有些吃不消，要知道，中低端市场一直是联发科最坚实的“后盾”。上述联发科内部人士王凯对记者坦言，低端为了防守，可能会在利润上做些牺牲，对垒的产品价格已经比上市时降了一半。

而在中高端市场，联发科也没有闲着。近期，首批采用联发科高端的HelioX20处理器的智能机陆续上市。

“乐视、魅族的量产会对我们中高端市场有帮助，这个我们还是有信心的。”王凯对记者说。而在此前HelioX20发布时，联发科技执行副总经理暨联席首席运营官朱尚祖也对记者表示，联发科仍希望通过一些优质平台站稳中高端市场，但对于市场上的固有印象，他表示没有太多想法。

“联发科的产品有高端价位，也有低端价位，但客户(在选择时)会希望用低价位打动它的客户，这点我没有打算改变。”朱尚祖说。

与联发科和展讯不同，高通自“垄断案”后似乎放下了包袱，除了在年初联合贵州省政府投资18.5亿元成立高端服务器芯片研发合资公司外，在各种行业会议上，也能看到高通积极的身影。“在市场上也没有手软，现在很多高通型号的芯片比我们报的还便宜。”王凯对记者说。

利润神话“破灭”？

“现在手机芯片市场竞争基本呈现高通、联发科、展讯三足鼎立格局，高通在技术及高端客户方面处于领先地位;联发科则在Turnkey和中端客户方面领先;展讯虽然产品成熟稍晚，却有地利人和优势，三家公司竞争绝不是简单以焦土政策可以分出高下。”王艳辉对记者表示，今年的芯片市场存在的变数并不小，但从利润角度看，确实不会像过去那么高了。

此前，联发科发布了2015年四季度财报。财报显示，该季度联发科营收新台币617.13亿元(121.4亿元人民币)，环比增加8.3%，营业利润为新台币37.48亿元，环比减少50.8%;同时，由于智能型手机市场价格竞争激烈，该季度毛利率仅为38.5%，较前季与上年同期分别减少4.2个百分点和9.4个百分点。

而高通的2016年一季度财报中，净利润为15亿美元，比去年同期的20亿美元下滑24%;营收为58亿美元，比去年同期的71亿美元下滑19%

“产业链上的压力都不小，传导到芯片厂商身上，也会感受到这种压力，这几年我们的利润确实很稳定，稳定下滑。”王凯半开玩笑地对记者说。而对于此前有消息称，三大运营商推出的4G补贴政策将会减缓产业链价格竞争压力，王凯表示并不认同。

“运营商的补贴给厂商，厂商不会把这个作为利润加在产品上，而是直接折现在价格上，把价格拉下来。”王凯对记者说。

但王艳辉表示，运营商加快补贴方案的力度在一定程度上也推动了手机销量的上涨，从结果上看，对芯片厂商利润的提高还是有好处的。

“不过我们不能只看眼前。”朱尚祖表示，智能手机市场经历了比硬件、比参数的高速增长，正逐渐进入理性调整期，整个行业急需一种新的常态来引领，无论是产品形态，还是商业形态。基于此，从2016年起，智能手机行业将进入比体验、比内容的全新阶段，这才是市场的机会。

可以预见，不仅仅是手机市场，2016年手机芯片市场也将迎来更加激烈的竞争。