Xiaomi then Lenovo left the game one after another, are gaming phones dying?

# **Xiaomi then Lenovo left the game one after another, are gaming phones dying?** **Gaming phones, also known as gaming phones, have become a prominent development trend in the world mobile technology. With the popularity of mobile games increasing, users are looking for devices capable of meeting their gaming needs in the best way. And that’s where gaming phones come in.** Gaming phones are one of the fastest growing technology trends in recent years. With the popularity of graphics-heavy mobile games like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, Genshin Impact… the need to own a phone capable of smooth, stable and beautiful gaming is increasing day by day. higher. To meet this demand, phone companies have constantly researched and developed specialized gaming phone products with outstanding advantages compared to ordinary phones. ## Evolution of gaming phone Nokia N-Gage launched in 2003 was the world’s first gaming phone, it was shaped like the Game Boy handheld game consoles of the time with familiar buttons, large screen and support for gaming via Bluetooth. In 2005, Tiger Telematics’ Gizmondo was also considered a gaming phone with the ability to text, email and take pictures, but failed because of its high price and strong competition with the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. After that, gaming phones fell out of favor until 2017, when the Razer Phone was released with a 120Hz display, stereo speakers, large battery, and simple design. It is the first smartphone designed specifically for users’ gaming needs, with high performance, immersive sound and smooth experience. Razer Phone has opened a new trend in the smartphone market, causing many other companies to also start producing specialized phones for gamers. Since then, many other phone companies have also started to participate in the gaming phone game with models such as Xiaomi Black Shark, ZTE Nubia Red Magic, ASUS ROG Phone, Lenovo Legion Phone, … with outstanding features such as: RGB lights, liquid cooling, aggressive edges and performance optimization software. These phones are specially designed to meet the gaming needs of users. They often have large screens, high refresh rates, powerful processors, and high-capacity RAM, which help provide smooth and engaging gaming experiences. At the same time, features such as RGB lighting and aggressive angles create a typical gaming phone style, bringing youthfulness and personalization to users. In addition, the use of liquid or vapor chamber cooling and performance optimization software helps the phone to maintain stable performance during use, avoiding lag or overheating. All in all, the advent of these gaming phones has responded to the growing needs of mobile gamers and offers a worthy option for mobile gaming enthusiasts. ## **Potential market but…** Contrary to the great effects that gaming phones bring to true gamers, the business results of these brands are not very positive. In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence and rapid disappearance of gaming phone brands in the mobile market. There are a number of important reasons why gaming phone companies were unable to survive and eventually disappeared. One of the main reasons is limited software revenue. Although gaming phones are equipped with powerful hardware configurations and high graphics processing capabilities, software is an important factor to attract users. However, developing and maintaining a software ecosystem for gaming phones requires a large investment and long-term effort. Compared to console manufacturers, gaming phone makers don’t have software revenue like app stores or in-game advertising to offset the high hardware costs. This partly causes financial and revenue difficulties for gaming phone companies. In addition, in the last three years, when the world economy was constantly wobbling because of epidemics and wars, it made the business of technology companies that were already difficult and competitive now even more difficult. With a low market share and not strong distribution in the international market, it is understandable that names like Xiaomi or Lenovo decided to stop their gaming phone business. The game is now only two big names, ASUS and ZTE with two main server lines, ROG Phone and Red Magic, both manufacturers have invested a lot in developing technology and experiences on devices. equipment as well as having a better advantage in international markets. In addition, competition with traditional smartphones also contributed to the disappearance of gaming phone companies. Today, many regular smartphones are also equipped with powerful hardware configurations and gaming capabilities that are almost equivalent to gaming phones (if you don’t take into account heat dissipation and some specialized features), but the price cheaper or on par. This creates an attractive choice for users, because they can get a phone with good gaming capabilities without paying a higher price or sacrificing other essential features like photography or the thinness of the device. This fierce competition has lost the advantage of gaming phone manufacturers and led to a decline in their sales. Another factor that has also played a role in the disappearance of gaming phones is that the target market is too small. Despite the growing number of mobile gamers, not all are interested in gaming on a professional gaming phone. The sales of mid-range smartphones with good enough configuration for gaming to outperform high-end gaming phones is the clearest proof of this. Although the mobile game market is growing strongly, but unlike playing games on computers or consoles, mobile gamers often choose for themselves compact devices with similar configuration to fight games. In contrast, playing games on a computer or console requires a powerful, bunker configuration to have the highest peak experience. Therefore, although the mobile game market has increased, gaming phone sales have not increased as much. In short, the disappearance of gaming phone companies has many reasons, including the lack of revenue from software to offset hardware costs, competition with ordinary smartphones with similar configuration but cheap price. and the small market does not yet have a high demand for mobile gaming. These factors have posed insurmountable challenges for gaming phone makers and led to their decline and disappearance in the market. ## **So gaming phones will disappear?** Not sure if not! Gaming phones haven’t completely disappeared. Although some companies have struggled and withdrew from the market, there are still others that continue to develop and sell gaming phone products. One of the proofs that the gaming phone market is still exploitable is the launch event of ASUS’s new generation gaming phone ROG Phone 7 Series. Even Samsung, the giant in the smartphone industry, has its own technologies for the gaming phone market. Although the gaming phone market is not as popular as the regular phone market, there is still a class of users who are passionate about mobile games and demand better gaming experiences. Gaming phones are still appreciated for performance, quality screens and graphics processing capabilities. This creates a small market, but is still enough to keep the gaming phone companies alive and continue to develop new products. Mobile Esports is growing and becoming an important part of the gaming community. Major tournaments such as PUBG Mobile’s Global Championship, Free Fire World Series, Arena of Valor World Cup and Clash Royale League have attracted the interest and participation of millions of players globally. The growth of Mobile Esports creates a growing demand for gaming phones with high performance and smooth gameplay. To meet this demand, gaming phone companies need to continue to develop and improve their products. Mobile phones optimized for Mobile Esports will feature powerful configurations, high-quality screens with high refresh rates, precise interactivity, and long-lasting battery life. The increased presence of its gaming phone products at tournaments also contributes to bringing its products closer to customers. ASUS has been applying this strategy when becoming a sponsor for SEA Games 32 with the competition device ROG Phone, with this sponsorship ASUS gaming phone products have been loved by fans as well as professional gamers. more widely known. Similarly, Samsung, although not a gaming phone company, has also adopted this strategy in recent years. With the Galaxy A Series 2022, Samsung organizes the program “The first professional e-Sports Academy in Vietnam” with the game PUBG: Mobile. Continuing this year, Samsung brings “the first professional e-sports academy in Vietnam” with the game Lien Quan Mobile and professional players such as: Lai Bang, Red, NoFear,… ## **Temporary Conclusion** Although gaming phones are struggling, there are no clear signs that it will completely disappear. There are still gaming phone companies like ASUS, ZTE and others that continue to develop and sell new products. Besides, this market is smaller in scope than regular smartphones, but there is still a class of users who are passionate about mobile games and continue to create demand for these products. Also, the growth of gaming phones and the growth of the Mobile Esports market does not mean that the challenges are gone. Firms still face competition from conventional smartphones and need to continuously improve to meet the increasing demands of players. However, with the growth of Mobile Esports, the demand for high-quality gaming phones continues to exist, leading to the growth of the gaming smartphone industry.