China’s smartphone makers head upmarket in European push
中国智能手机制造商在欧洲市场向高端市场进军

Chinese smartphone manufacturers are intensifying efforts to gain a stronger foothold in Europe and sell higher-margin premium devices, with one of the world’s fastest-growing brands aiming to more than double its market share on the continent in the next three years.
中国智能手机制造商正加大力度在欧洲市场占据更强的立足点，并销售更高利润的高端设备，其中一家全球增长最快的品牌计划在未来三年内将其在欧洲的市场份额增加一倍以上。

Shenzhen-based Realme, which has increased European sales by 275 per cent from 2020 to last year, according to analysts, says it is targeting a market share of more than 10 per cent in the next three to five years, up from 4 per cent.
总部位于深圳的 Realme，根据分析师的说法，从 2020 年到去年，其欧洲销售额增长了 275%，表示其目标是在未来三到五年内将市场份额提高到超过 10%，而目前为 4%。

Currently the continent’s fourth biggest supplier, the handset maker became the fastest ever to reach 100mn global phone shipments in 2021 and the fifth fastest to reach 200mn last year, despite a slowdown in the smartphone market, according to research from Tech Insights and Counterpoint Research.
目前该大陆第四大供应商，这家手机制造商在 2021 年成为全球手机出货量最快达到 1 亿部的公司，并在去年成为第五快达到 2 亿部的公司，尽管智能手机市场出现放缓，依据 Tech Insights 和 Counterpoint Research 的研究。

“If Realme can achieve success in the European market then our whole brand will be massively elevated and it will help our sales globally,” said Francis Wong, head of product marketing at the company. “Our whole strategy is to start from the low end and work our way up.”
“如果 Realme 能够在欧洲市场取得成功，那么我们整个品牌将会大幅提升，这将有助于我们在全球的销售，”该公司的产品营销负责人 Francis Wong 表示。“我们的整体战略是从低端开始，逐步向上发展。”

However, he cautioned that marketing costs involved in selling to European customers loyal to Apple and Samsung were more than 10 times higher than in India, the company‘s first major market when it became an independent entity in 2018.
然而，他警告说，向忠于苹果和三星的欧洲客户销售所涉及的营销成本比印度高出 10 倍以上，印度是该公司在 2018 年成为独立实体时的第一个主要市场。

European consumers are less aware of Chinese brands and less concerned about value for money, meaning the company’s growth had so far been slower on the continent than in other markets, where it has doubled, tripled or quadrupled sales in just a few years, he added.
欧洲消费者对中国品牌的认知度较低，对性价比的关注也较少，这意味着该公司的增长在欧洲大陆迄今为止比在其他市场要慢，在其他市场上，其销售额在短短几年内翻了一番、三番或四番，他补充道。

“We are used to that kind of rapid growth. So after coming to Europe, we found that this market is not as easy as we imagined,” said Wong.
“我们习惯了那种快速增长。因此，在来到欧洲后，我们发现这个市场并不像我们想象的那么简单，”黄说。

Apple and Samsung still dominate in Europe, especially at the premium end, according to figures from Counterpoint. They accounted for 94 per cent of phones sold over $700 in the second quarter of this year. The last external challenger to claim close to 10 per cent of the European premium market was Huawei, which grew its share of sales rapidly until it was gradually pushed out by US sanctions and bans in some countries on the use of the company’s equipment in 5G networks from 2020.
根据 Counterpoint 的数据，苹果和三星在欧洲仍然占据主导地位，尤其是在高端市场。他们在今年第二季度占据了售价超过 700 美元的手机销售的 94%。最后一个外部挑战者在欧洲高端市场接近 10%份额的是华为，华为的销售份额迅速增长，直到 2020 年因美国制裁和一些国家对该公司在 5G 网络中使用设备的禁令而逐渐被挤出市场。

Realme began life as an offshoot of Oppo, which itself was a brand owned by electronics group BKK. The Dongguan-based conglomerate also spawned phonemakers Vivo and Oneplus. Oppo, the world’s fourth-largest manufacturer by sales, saw its growth stunted by a legal battle with Nokia over patent rights in 2021, which forced it into a multiyear retreat from the continent.
Realme 最初是 Oppo 的一个分支，而 Oppo 本身是电子集团 BKK 拥有的品牌。这家总部位于东莞的综合企业还孕育了手机制造商 Vivo 和 Oneplus。Oppo 是全球第四大手机制造商，按销售额计算，其增长在 2021 年因与诺基亚的专利权法律纠纷而受到阻碍，这迫使其在该大陆进行多年撤退。

But this year, Chinese smartphone makers say they are making renewed efforts to boost European sales, spotting an opportunity to win market share with new technologies such as foldable devices, advanced cameras and superfast chargers.
但今年，中国智能手机制造商表示，他们正在加大力度提升欧洲销售，发现了通过可折叠设备、先进相机和超快速充电器等新技术赢得市场份额的机会。

“We’ve seen Europe show a very open attitude towards embracing both foldables and flips . . . this is really a game-changer,” said Tony Ran, Europe president for Shenzhen-based Honor, adding that the continent was the company’s most important market outside China.
“我们看到欧洲对折叠屏和翻盖手机持非常开放的态度……这真是一个游戏规则的改变者，”深圳荣耀的欧洲总裁 Tony Ran 表示，并补充说，该大陆是公司在中国以外最重要的市场。

In the second quarter, Honor overtook Samsung to become the number one seller of foldable smartphones in western Europe, having entered the top five sellers in terms of overall European market share the previous quarter.
在第二季度，荣耀超越三星，成为西欧可折叠智能手机的第一卖家，此前在整体欧洲市场份额方面已进入前五名。

Ran said that 60 per cent of European buyers of foldable phones on the company’s online store had swapped over from “the duopoly” of Samsung or Apple devices. Honor’s flagship foldable Magic V3 phone is pitched at a premium price of around €2,000, comparable with the €1,979 price tag of the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1TB storage.
Ran 表示，60%的在公司在线商店购买折叠手机的欧洲买家已从“双寡头”三星或苹果设备转向。荣耀的旗舰折叠手机 Magic V3 的定价约为€2,000， comparable 于 iPhone 16 Pro Max 1TB 存储的€1,979 价格标签。

Meanwhile, Oppo said last month it would launch its flagship Find X8 series in Europe, marking a high-profile return for its premium brand.
与此同时，Oppo 上个月表示将会在欧洲推出其旗舰 Find X8 系列，标志着其高端品牌的高调回归。

Billy Zhang, president for overseas marketing, sales and services said Oppo was “determined” to invest in the European market over the long term. Despite the challenges, he hoped consumers would slowly get used to the Oppo brand. “The first step is always painful,” he said.
比利·张，海外市场、销售和服务总裁表示，Oppo“决心”在欧洲市场进行长期投资。尽管面临挑战，他希望消费者能慢慢适应 Oppo 品牌。“第一步总是痛苦的，”他说。

Xiaomi, long the continent’s best-selling phonemaker behind Apple and Samsung, also increased its share of the premium market to 4.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2024, up from 2.7 per cent in the same period last year, according to figures from IDC.
小米在 2024 年第三季度的高端市场份额增加至 4.3%，相比去年同期的 2.7%有所上升，成为仅次于苹果和三星的大陆最佳手机制造商，数据来源于 IDC。

In eastern Europe, previously lower-end challengers, such as Transsion, a Chinese manufacturer that dominates in Africa, have also increased their mid-end sales significantly.
在东欧，之前的低端挑战者，如在非洲占主导地位的中国制造商 Transsion，也显著增加了其中端销售。

Analysts caution that Chinese manufacturers have struggled to push their European market shares above about 4 per cent in recent years, while running up immense bills with aggressive marketing campaigns that include sponsorship of major sporting events such as the Champions League or French Open.
分析师警告称，中国制造商近年来在将其欧洲市场份额提升到约 4%以上方面面临困难，同时通过赞助诸如欧洲冠军联赛或法国公开赛等重大体育赛事，产生了巨额的营销费用。

Realme’s market share growth, they added, was buoyed by sales in Russia, following Samsung and Apple’s exit after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
他们补充说，Realme 的市场份额增长得益于俄罗斯的销售，此前三星和苹果在乌克兰全面入侵后退出了市场。

“For western Europe, they . . . invest a lot of money to build that brand awareness . . . but they don’t see a lot of positive returns,” said Will Wong, an analyst at IDC.
“对于西欧，他们……投入大量资金来建立品牌认知……但他们并没有看到很多积极的回报，”IDC 的分析师 Will Wong 说道。

Smartphone makers argue that the prestige of making it in a developed market like Europe could help them in other high-end markets such as Japan, Australia and the US, potentially convincing operators to sell Chinese phones in those regions.
智能手机制造商认为，在像欧洲这样的发达市场取得成功的声望可以帮助他们在其他高端市场，如日本、澳大利亚和美国，可能说服运营商在这些地区销售中国手机。

“We really have to think about it from a long-term perspective,” said Ran from Honor. “Once we can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”
“我们真的必须从长远的角度考虑这个问题，”荣誉的 Ran 说。“一旦我们能在这里成功，你就可以在任何地方成功。”