In China, more and more manufacturers are entering the 5G smartphone market. Major manufacturers are already announcing new products on a monthly basis. On the other hand, in recent years, overwhelmed by the rush of new products from major manufacturers, manufacturers that have lost their presence in the market have also begun to release 5G smartphones. Konka, which I will introduce this time, is a major home appliance manufacturer in China. Recently, we have been releasing feature phones and other products, but in the winter of 2020, we released the company's first 5G smartphone "X10".
Konka's 5G smartphone "X10"The specifications of the X10 are equipped with a 6.52-inch (720 x 1560 pixel) display, and the camera is 16 million pixels + 2 million pixels (macro) + 2 million pixels (depth measurement), and the in-camera is 8 million pixels. The price in China is 1299 yuan (about 21,900 yen) for the 4GB memory + 64GB storage model. As you can see from the memory configuration and price, the target is the entry level. Currently, it is aimed at the layer using Xiaomi and Huawei's low-priced 4G smartphones and even older 3G smartphones.
The area around the camera has a modern designThe back is treated like resin, so if you don't put a case on it, it's likely to get scratched quickly. I added a faint line to change the appearance depending on how the light hits it, but it doesn't stand out with this material. It feels a little wasteful.
Although there are no particular features, the camera has a "FaceCute" mode that allows you to decorate people with glasses and cat ears in real time. And there are 36 preset watermark modes for photos, and it seems to be targeting younger demographics. Selfie using the in-camera can also be set quite finely in the beautiful face mode.
FaceCute (left). Watermark mode (medium). In-camera beauty mode setting (right)The processor adopts UNISOC T7510. Like Doov's 5G smartphone "K10 Pro" introduced earlier, small and medium-sized Chinese manufacturers are all promoting the introduction of 5G smartphones that use this processor.
I thought the Konka X10 and Doov K10 Pro were similar in size, so I compared them. Then the position of the camera fingerprint authentication sensor on the back is quite similar. It may be a product of the same ODM manufacturer.
Back side comparison. Comparison of Konka X10 (left) and Doov K10 Pro right side. Konka X10 (left) and Doov K10 ProWhy would Konka release a 5G smartphone? Like Doov, the number of 5G users in the Chinese market is increasing by 10 million units every month, so it may be that "if you put it out, it will sell." On the other hand, Konka is developing 5G TVs, which is its main business. We are also developing an "8K + 5G" platform for smart TVs equipped with Qualcomm's 5G modem "X55".
A platform for smart TVs that combines Konka's 8K chip with Qualcomm's 5G modemKonka is also developing content for smart TVs, and in the future, the content will be viewed on smartphones and other devices. Maybe they're trying to extend it to tablets. To that end, it will be necessary to introduce 5G smartphones from an early stage and receive user feedback. 5G will change the way we use smartphones, focusing on video. From smartphones to large-screen smart TVs, future TV manufacturers will be required to provide a seamless 5G environment.
[Correction: 10:00 on May 5, 2021 At the time of first appearance, some images and captions did not match. I apologize and correct it. ]
