Wie kann es sein, dass das am ehrlichsten angebotene Einsteigerhandy von den Nutzern so scharf kritisiert wird, dass es sogar "sich entschuldigen" muss?

As is well known, in today's smartphone market, there has never been a shortage of "affordable products." However, when looking at those cheap and high - volume models, it's not hard to find that they often share some rather uninteresting and highly common characteristics in terms of "design."

For example, these "entry - level phones" usually have a rather "familiar" look. They generally directly imitate the best - selling flagship phones but extremely simplify the details, workmanship, and material quality. Meanwhile, the performance of these products is often quite average, but they offer a large battery capacity and usually a relatively large screen size.

In terms of the result, it can't be said that such products are "useless" because they can indeed meet the needs of some target users who "pursue simplicity, durability, and affordability." But from another perspective, such "entry - level phones" really have no "emotional value."

Fortunately, finally, some manufacturers have noticed this problem

To put it more bluntly, the lack of effort in the styling design and appearance materials of most entry - level models at this stage is even directly hurting the self - esteem of their target users. It's like telling them (and those around them) that "I'm a cheap phone" or "My user can't afford to pursue aesthetic design."

From a purely commercial perspective, this may not necessarily be wrong because this "discrimination" in design may also stimulate some consumers to buy more expensive and better products. But from another perspective, this situation naturally gives some "innovative" brands an opportunity to break the deadlock.

Not long ago, Nothing launched their first smartphone product targeting the entry - level market, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite. This is an entry - level phone based on the Dimensity 7300 Pro, equipped with a 50 - megapixel main camera with a small sensor + an 8 - megapixel "filler secondary camera," and features a 6.77 - inch 120Hz refresh rate AMOLED screen.

Just looking at the "main components" such as the main controller and the camera, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is actually not better than other entry - level phones on the market at the same time. But what makes it eye - catching is its original appearance design far superior to other models in the same class and good body materials.

Different from other entry - level phones, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite uses its signature glass body and Glyph elements. This means it has an excellent hand - feel and a very practical (and also very cool) back - light system. Most importantly, when others see the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite, they won't think it's "a poor imitation of a flagship phone," but will immediately recognize it as "a new Nothing phone."

In this way, the greatest significance of the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is that it takes into account the "emotional value" for consumers with limited budgets for the first time, or more bluntly, the "face needs."

Has the "conscientious phone" been scolded so badly that the manufacturer had to apologize?

So, here comes the question. Has the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite, which can be regarded as a "disruptive innovation," achieved corresponding market performance?

To be honest, since the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has only been officially launched overseas for a few days, it's still too early to tell if this "breakthrough" entry - level phone has seen an explosive increase in sales. But what we do know is that it has been severely criticized by the first batch of users.

So, what's going on? Actually, it's very simple. The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has been criticized for having "too many ads and pre - installed software." Seeing this, do friends in China feel that it's "familiar"? Don't worry. Let's first take a look at what ads and pre - installed software the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite actually has.

According to an "apology" message recently published on the official forum, the ads on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite are mainly concentrated in two parts. One is the "sponsored app recommendations" during the initial setup process when the phone is first turned on. The other is that after the "lock - screen preview" function of the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is enabled, some ad content will be pushed on the lock screen.

Meanwhile, its "pre - installed software" mainly refers to three social apps, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as three Meta - related service components, Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services. The first three apps can be freely uninstalled, while the latter three service components could only be disabled and not completely removed in the initial system version when it was launched.

Do you still think the ads and pre - installed software on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite are "too many"? To be honest, compared with most models in the same class in the domestic market, and even many flagship phones worth seven or eight thousand yuan or more, the built - in ads and pre - installed apps on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite can be considered "conscientious."

A seemingly absurd story reveals the consequences of "purification"

If so, why are its users still dissatisfied, and why has it even reached the point where the official had to step in and apologize and promise to "make changes"? The reason is actually not hard to understand. Because the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is not only the first entry - level model of the Nothing brand but also their first smartphone product with ads and pre - installed software.

The "spokesperson" selected by the Nothing official website for the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite also shows its target group

In other words, although the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite may still objectively be considered "conscientious" compared with other products with the same positioning on the market. Due to the fact that Nothing has never made such a low - end phone before, it's easy for the first batch of customers of this "entry - level phone" to not be the typical group that usually buys "entry - level phones."

On the contrary, they are more likely to be some geek users with limited budgets at present or those simply interested in "the cheapest Nothing phone." But these people have probably been used to the high - end models of the same brand without ads and any pre - installed apps. So, it's not surprising that they "lost their temper" after getting the new phone and even forced the official to step in and apologize.

Of course, it's not entirely the "users' fault" because nowadays, brands and users often have a "mutual - attraction" relationship. To put it simply, the reason why most of Nothing's users are geeks is essentially because the brand's products have always adhered to a rather original design. Moreover, in the promotion of their previous (high - end) products, Nothing not only strongly advocated "design sense" but also directly mocked other brands for having too many ads and pre - installed apps in their ads many times.

To put it bluntly, this is a bit like a "boomerang." A brand that adheres to "personalization" and a "clean system" wants to expand its product line and seize more market share. But to create a sense of quality in an entry - level phone, it may not make much profit without built - in ads and pre - installed apps. However, once ads are added, the previously "spoiled" users won't accept it.

So, how to solve this problem now? In the short - term, at present, Nothing stepped in to apologize and announced that it would "solve the problem" through a system update. But in this way, the expected revenue that this new product line can bring will inevitably decrease. From a longer - term perspective, this move by Nothing is more like blocking its own way for further introducing software value - added revenue and launching more low - priced models in the future.

[The pictures in this article are from the Internet]

This article is from the WeChat official account "3eLife" (ID: IT - 3eLife), author: 3eLife Jun. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.