Technological changes not only affect users, but also brands that in one way or another are forced to reinvent themselves or disappear in an industry where evolution does not stop for a second. This time we are going to take a tour of those great mobile brands that triumphed in Spain , as well as countless countries around the world, but which sooner or later have ceased to be relevant or have disappeared completely.
Some came to fight to be the best-selling brands in the world, achieving stratospheric figures and being a very important part so that today we can have mobiles that can do practically the same as computers. Surely more than one brand is familiar to you and you remember some of the mobiles we mentioned.
Ericsson, after the divorce came the reinvention
The Swedish mobile brand Ericsson had its beginnings many years ago, when mobile phones did not even exist, but it was not until the 90s when the brand decided to adapt its possibilities to create mobile phones. Years later and together with the growth of mobile phones, we could see it at the top, getting the “mobile bricks” to lead the market . However, advances in technology and bad luck due to a fire in their manufacturing, caused him to end up joining Sony to know what many more will remember as the Sony Ericsson.
This caused sales to skyrocket, achieving a great reception in the market from 2004 to 2010. Between these years we could see the mythical Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, a mobile phone that with its folding keyboard anticipated tomorrow’s technologies. But then the divorce occurred and Sony took Ericsson’s share of the mobile section and went on its own way. To which Ericcson focused on investment in telecommunications until today, where it is a key piece to promote 5G technology in all the main operators.
BQ, brand made in Spain with a sad ending
Who was going to say to us that we would have a flagship mobile phone brand in Spain, a dream that we must admit did not last long. The BQ firm came to manufacture emblematic mobiles such as the BQ Aquaris 4.5 or other more powerful ones like the one with which it said goodbye, the BQ Aquaris X. However, its growth coincided with the arrival of Xiaomi or the overwhelming Huawei, which made them not have the expected growth outside the borders of Spain.
Little by little the losses were exceeding the benefits and although the investment continued to increase, there was no way to draw accounts. Defaults became an increasingly common reality and finally Vingroup, a Vietnam holding company, took over most of the brand. The idea was to continue supporting the company, at least in Spain under the Vsmart brand, but none of that came true and many users are without support. Curiously today we continue to see models of the brand for sale in stores like Amazon, but of course we do not recommend their purchase.
HTC, a benchmark brand that has come to nothing
It is practically impossible to think of Android without remembering the HTC brand, a union that has led us to what we currently have in our hands. The firm managed to make Android make more sense with its HTC Sense customization layer and with phones like the HTC Wildfire or the HTC One in its most glorious years which were from 2009 to 2013.
But after this and with the arrival of competitors with lower prices and more interesting options, little by little HTC stopped being relevant . The firm has not disappeared and in Spain we can buy new models like the HTC Desire 20+, although the low advertising presence and again the fierce competition make it relegated to second place. Now it is more focused on virtual reality, but we do not know for now if the accounts continue to come out with sales in other countries, since in Spain we do not find almost anyone with an HTC mobile.
Siemens, from all to nothing
Along with Nokia Siemens, it was one of the leading brands in mobile telephony. The brand of German origin was important until 2005 with the introduction of the Siemenes, when users disenchanted and admired by other Nokia models gave it “the kick”. A year later the big announced sale arrived, where BenQ bought the Siemens Mobile division , a company that many will remember for its sponsorship on the Real Madrid shirt, with players of the stature of Raúl or Casillas.
But this will not allow the slowdown to continue and eventually BenQ ended up going bankrupt and for the manufacture of mobiles. Today Siemens is still alive with consumer appliances but for now it seems that the idea of entering the mobile market does not seem attractive.
Maxon, the relic of origins
Back when keys dominated screens, the Korean-born Maxon brand had a strong presence more than 20 years ago. A brand that came to collaborate with Movistar to present some models that many will remember. However, its developments end up heading in another direction and now it is a manufacturer of electronic components dedicated to music. An alternative path that may be better than ending up in bankruptcy.
Zopo, a brand that did not last long
Many will remember the Zopo brand for some models such as the Zopo Speed X or the Zopo 950. In a few years it went from being founded in China, coinciding in time and space with Xiaomi, until it reached Spain and opened its own stores with after-sales service and sales. terminal, a journey that occurred from 2012 to 2018. It seemed that everything was going smoothly at full sail but the terrible results of their smartphones made them plummet . To this day its online store is still open but without devices in stock and having been stagnant in 2018.
Wolder, from Cantabria to where they resisted
Spain has had another important brand in mobile technology beyond BQ, the Wolder company that managed to gain a foothold with its tablets and smartphones . A company that invested a lot in television to appear on television programs such as MasterChef or together with the Jazztel company, manufacturing its terminals. The firm sold more than 400,000 devices, but like others, the arrival of the great Chinese ship manned by Xiaomi took away the toast.
Its mid-range called Wiam was the one that had the best acceptance, but later defaults, financing problems and an endless number of situations that could not be addressed in time arrived. Although the company did not disappear and continued with other adventures, they no longer talk about tablets and mobiles, but only think about awnings, skateboards and other products that have nothing or little to do with electronics.
Elephone, the Chinese manufacturer that disappeared from the map
In other cases, it seems more evident that bad investments or bad devices led some brands to disappear, but in the case of Elephone it is a somewhat stranger case. With a wide range of mobiles and an important evolution, the firm managed to reach Spain and Portugal with a physical presence in several stores and especially in online stores. However, little by little the investment in advertising was falling, the devices stopped being sold and we could say that he threw in the towel very soon against Xiaomi and other manufacturers.
To this day we can continue to find some of their entry-level mobiles in stores like Amazon, but none have managed to be as striking as for example the Elephone P6000 or Elephone P7000. Who knows if at some point the firm will decide to visit Spain again, because browsing its website we come across models presented 1 year ago that are not far from what other manufacturers offer us, we share the image of the Elephone P2.
Cubot, a shadow of what was
Originally from Shenzhen like so many others, the (former giant) Cubot continues to survive today after its boom years. It currently offers rugged terminals and other more classic ones where we find several models with a design without practically frames and minimal features. Its current value is low prices, but just 4 years ago the Cubot Cheetah was presented before all the flashes at the MWC in Barcelona .
However, little by little it ceased to be relevant and to this day, although it is still “alive”, few or no one remember them. Perhaps with a twist, focusing on Android Stock and better technical service, it could carve out a niche given that it is what many other Chinese brands have lacked as well.
Zetta, the brand that never came into being
In this review of the mobile brands that marked a moment in history , Zetta could not be missing, the brand that was unmasked. It was 2006 when Xiaomi was not yet officially in Spain and their mobiles began to arrive through export stores, a moment that two young people with certain knowledge of ROMs took the opportunity to give life to their own brand called Zetta, located in Extremadura and identified in a logo with an acorn that will go down in history after strolling through the television sets.
However, some ForoCoches users realized that there were things that did not fit this brand and with a simple disassembly it was possible to verify that the battery belonged to Xiaomi, as well as the components. It was then that everything was uncovered and the brand due to the serious fraud had to return the money to all those who had bought one of the models, closing forever. The fraud took them to court and that’s when they stopped being heard from.
Other brands that have not disappeared, but have less presence
Nokia, from being the queen to being relegated
With its beginnings many years ago, even beyond the 20th century, the Nokia company began manufacturing mobile phones in 1982 with its first “bricks”. It achieved milestones as important as being the first manufacturer to have a mobile phone with a GSM connection and to send or receive SMS. With the birth of Symbian he made a difference to other manufacturers, but could not sustain the pressure with his Nokia Lumia against Android and iPhone.
Microsoft bought it with ideas to save it, but it was impossible and ended up letting it “die.” Later in 2017, it began to sign agreements with Xiaomi in order to have its patents and with Alcatel to try to reinvent itself, launching some devices on the market this time with the Android operating system. Originated with HMD and manufactured in China by Foxconn like so many others, they are trying to raise their heads.
Since then we have seen several launches that focus on the entry and mid-range range , but none that have really managed to catch the attention of users and become worth remembering. Taking into account what this company did, we think that it could achieve something more, either with a low-cost smartphone or with differential innovation. For now, the most innovative is to include 5G in the Nokia 8.3, but another problem appears since this model is practically impossible to buy in Spain.
ZTE has a problem called USA
The telecommunications giant ZTE has never become a prominent brand in Spain, but at least it has had its audience, something that in recent times it has lost in favor of Realme, among other brands that are flourishing. Its biggest milestone is in 2010 when it managed to become the fourth mobile manufacturer in the world , but especially in the large Asian market.
As has happened with Huawei, ZTE has been affected by the veto imposed in the United States. Unlike Huawei, ZTE has been hit much harder and its scant presence outside of China is putting it on the ropes. For now, it continues to present mid-range models and some high-end models in the Chinese market, but nothing is further from the truth, not having Google apps takes its toll and we will have to wait to find out what it holds. Perhaps its only way out is the union with Huawei, taking advantage of Harmony OS to make it possible for something new to be reborn from the ashes.