FiiO 2023 New Product Schedule
(1) HiFi new portable players preview and existing product information
At the request of the users, we would like to share our new product plan for 2023 here with you, so that you can choose the appropriate products based on your needs.
Before getting to the topic, we would like to briefly explain the general strategy of our portable player product line. From 2020 onwards, FiiO has been shrinking its portable product line. The core reason is that the market has shifted to streaming media, and the market for low-end pure audio players has been greatly affected by USB dongles. Besides, the hardware cost of Android players is increasing. Therefore, shrinkage is inevitable. We still hope that you will support and choose our portable players as usual. After all, portable players have been our stars in the past ten years, which have made a great contribution to the development and growth of the company.
1. M15S, expected to be available in March
Actually, M15S is the model that should be available in the fall of 2022. Due to several changes in the solution for supply chain reasons, the closure of suppliers and our staff for COVID-19, our chase for product excellence, solving RF interference, etc. This led to the completion of trial production until December, so it was late to be available before the Spring Festival. But now, everything is ready. When our suppliers come back to work, production will start. Therefore, it is expected to be released in March.
The M15S is basically a minor revision model of the M15. The main difference is that the processor is changed from Samsung 7872 to Qualcomm 660, the best processor for current Android players, and the DAC is changed from AK4499 to ESS9038PRO due to discontinuation. In addition, the M17 also delegates some technologies to the M15S.
In short, the M15S will be very competitive within 1600 USD.
2. M23, expected to be available in the fall.
Following the latest naming rules, M23 is the replacement model for the M11 Plus.
The M11 Plus was launched in May 2021, and it was revised in January 2022 since the AK4497 DAC was discontinued. If the M23 can be released on schedule in the fall, the replacement cycle will be 2 and a half years. That’s quite a long time.
Of course, the M11 Plus is still relatively competitive, and we will also try to improve on the current design, and achieve more new features and new designs. Frankly speaking, the development of portable players in the past two years is a bit stagnant, especially the core audio technology. But just like what we did for the M15S, we will try our best to popularize the technology of some high-end models down to the lower-end ones.
3. M11S
There is no upgrade plan for the M11S in 2023. It should be the only model within 500 USD that features excellent Android core configuration (SoC + RAM + FLASH), and audio configuration (DAC chip, DAC/Amp output power, etc.). That’s also a result of us sacrificing some profits.
As for the future, unless the chip price is significantly reduced, which is unlikely currently, we will be less likely to upgrade the M11S. After all, it costs a lot to develop an Android player.
4. M17
There is no upgrade plan for the M17 for the time being. The M17 or the future upgraded M27 will be our flagship portable players. We can’t be 100% sure about the future, but one thing we are sure of is that we won’t release a more expensive portable player in at least 2 years. So, if you need it, you can buy it early and enjoy it.
The M17 as the Android portable player coming with the highest output power, the most complete connectors and the most powerful functions, has been warmly welcomed among users since it has been released, and the sales also exceeded our expectations. It is a very successful product that is designed with many interesting and practical functions, such as the enhanced over-ear headphone mode and desktop mode. The M17 has excellent adaptability and can meet consumers’ listening needs in various scenarios. Especially when working with over-ear headphones, it has an overwhelming advantage over competing
Source: FiiO 2023 New Product Schedule | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
