Toutiao Releases White Paper on Chinese Public Opinion of Top Smartphone Brands

Toutiao, China’s leading news and information content platform, recently released a white paper on online public opinion and user reputation of mobile phone brands in the Chinese market in the first half of 2018. The paper is based on data collected from satisfaction surveys of over 60,000 real users of 44 phone models from 9 brands.

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According to the report, OnePlus ranked the highest in user satisfaction, followed by Samsung and Xiaomi. Analysis show that OnePlus’s high user satisfaction was a result of their strategy to focus on high-end Android phones, providing consistent and high standard user experience.

OnePlus 6, the latest flagship model, also achieved high scores in many of the rankings published in the white paper. It was ranked the highest in the categories of models priced above 3000 yuan ($434), device smoothness and gaming performance. Oneplus 6 was unveiled on May 16, 2018 and on sale for less than a quarter. Despite the short time span, it managed to achieve massive success and overshadowing the sales of other phones including the iPhones.

In terms of online public opinion, nine out of the ten brands studied received more positive reviews than negative, leaving Samsung as the only brand that received more than 50% of negative reviews. Honor received over 70% of positive reviews, the highest proportion among the nine.

Exaggerated marketing rhetoric was a main cause of negative reviews as it raised consumers’ expectation that couldn’t be matched by the actual product. For example, marketing campaigns of Smartisan TNT and Mi 8 that used eye-catching slogans received mostly bad reviews. In contrast, vivo NEX and OPPO Find X were widely recognized for their beautifully designed all-screen display.

Affected by the patriotic sentiment, Huawei benefited from its recognition as a “national pride”. On the other hand, Samsung experienced a rising number of negative reviews plus a decrease in sales volume, putting its prospect in the Chinese market under dim light.