During the meeting, Sergey Shabanov, Regional Director of M3 Mobile for Russia and the CIS, spoke in detail about the company, available solutions and new products, their competitive advantages and areas of application.
M3 Mobile is a private company. It was founded in 2000.
It has been operating quite successfully in the Russian market since, perhaps, 2008. I will primarily talk about new products.
Everything presented here are products that have appeared on sale directly this year. We have the SL20K, which looks more like the ED50K. The PC-10 press checker, the WR-10 is handheld, the SL-25 is a development of the existing SL-20 terminal, just with a new chipset. The US-30 is also effectively a development of the quite popular US-20 device, also with a new chipset.
Simply put, if we change the chipset, that is, update the platform, we don't have the right to call the model by the same number. Accordingly, the number also changes to a newer one, although physically it is the same device, the same case, the same accessories, the same batteries, everything from the old one can fit the new one.
SL30. Here, the case is slightly different in that it has a 6-inch screen, not 5.5. But the SM30 is effectively a development of the SM20, only with updated chips again. Now in more detail.
Model SL20K
The device appeared in January 2024. We are now actively trying to communicate with large customers. And, if all goes well, it will go on general sale. Because we have noticed that the devices that have already participated in large projects sell best. And since the SL20K model is very new, we can already show it to customers in 2024. It is difficult to compare it with anything at all now, because the number of competitors operating in the Russian market is simply enormous.
For comparison, the slide shows similar models from our competitors. All chipsets, both there and here. The amount of memory we have is at the top, that is, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB ROM, but we made a light version so that we can make inexpensive offers if necessary, and for this, a 3 GB RAM and 32 GB ROM configuration was created. It is also available. If someone needs to participate in large projects (several thousand devices), then these lightweight versions can be used for them. And in all other projects, the standard model is 4 GB RAM and 64 GB ROM. There is a SIM card option, there is a Wi-Fi only option. There is an option with two types of scanners. We use either the Chinese E4 scanner, which is very good, or the traditional Zebra 4710.
Model SL20
In Russia alone, we have sold more than 100,000 SL20 devices in the last 2-3 years. Therefore, it is a reliable, well-established device that is actively used in X5 networks, such as Perekrestok, Pyaterochka, Lenta, Krasnoe i Beloe, Russian Post, and many others. Therefore, further development of this device will now take place. The case remains the same, only the internals are being changed to more modern ones. Because it is almost 3 years old. It's time to update it.
Model WR10
The WR10 ring finally appeared this year. Not without flaws, there were certain mechanical problems.
This is the frame around the button. At the beginning of the year, it was made very thin, and during drop tests at Samokat, this cover simply opened and fell off. Because of this, we unfortunately lost this project. Now everything has been fixed. The advantage of this ring is that it does not have a mechanical battery latch. The battery is changed quickly, in one click. And the battery is on a magnetic latch. There is a plastic retainer, but without buttons, and a magnetic latch that prevents this battery from falling off. The beauty is that, in fact, there is nothing to break. The ring is not bad. It does not currently support the old SPP mode. Some old customers still use the old SPP mode. What is its disadvantage? This is the Serial Port Protocol mode. It feels like you have connected the ring to the device as if through a modem connection, only in this case you do not have a modem, but Bluetooth. The problem is that if you have established an SPP connection, it is constantly active. And in this case, the ring's battery is used very actively. And the ring in this mode does not last longer than two, three, a maximum of four hours. Moreover, four hours is already considered fantasy. Modern protocols, such as Bluetooth Low Energy, the same SPP, only over BLE, are more difficult for programmers, programmers do not want to work with them. It is easier for them to establish old SPP connections. And in this case, the programmer's work is simplified, and the problems for the operators who work with this ring on the sites are just beginning, because the battery does not last long.
So, when we launched this ring, we didn't even think about the old SPP mode at all. We thought that no one would want to work with it anymore. The reality, unfortunately, turned out to be different. None of the major customers want to switch to BLE modes. They prefer to work with old methods. WR10, as I said, supports HIT modes and Bluetooth Low Energy mode. Now, going to meet our major Russian customers, we are making a new ring, which will be called WR15, and it will support, among other things, the old SPP protocols. Therefore, I say that the ring is generally not bad. But the customer is always right. And if the customer says that he did not receive the old SPP mode, we are obliged to refine it, which we did.
Our ring has successfully passed the impact resistance test. We threw it from a height of 1.8 meters many times, about 50 times. Its water resistance is high. There is an NFC tag here to simplify connecting the ring to the wrist device. The battery is 1000 mA*h. The ring lasts a long time, it lasts 10-15 hours, depending on the intensity of its use. There is an SE5500 scanner, which is considered a medium-range scanner. It can read barcodes from a distance of 8-10 meters. The Zebra specification says that large barcodes can be read up to 12-15 meters. But this is more of an exception to the rule. It works very well at 7-8 meters. This is more than enough in the warehouse to be able to read barcodes directly from the aisle to the second or third tier on the shelves.
Currently, the Meferi MS300R is probably the closest in functionality to the WR10.
Everything is actually the same here, only the battery mounting button is mechanical here. But otherwise, the characteristics are very similar.
Model PC10
Price Checker. For a long time, we sorted through the options of what Price Checker to make? 5 inches, 10 inches, 8 inches, 7 inches. There were a lot of options. As a result, we turned like a weather vane, watching what our potential customers wanted. These are Magnit, X5, Dixy, and many others. As a result, we settled on a 10-inch tablet. A PC tablet that is well protected. In principle, it is not thrown, it is nailed to the wall. To drop it, you need to tear it off the mount. But, nevertheless, it is made well enough, it has an impact-resistant case. The scanner that we use here is the Zebra SE4710 scanner. In principle, there are options with other scanners. We considered scanners from NewWorld and scanners from the Chinese. But we settled on the Zebra, because the customers who are testing this price checker impose quite strict requirements in their technical specifications, technical regulations for the price checker. The Zebra SE4710 fully satisfies us, despite the fact that it is a rather old scanner, but it works very well in a wide range of distances and in a wide range of any barcodes. That is, it reads everything, the smallest, the largest, the medium, and even the damaged barcode. Therefore, we left the SE4710 as one of the main configuration options. Well, there are also cheaper SM30s.
Model WD10
The WD10 wearable device, it is attached to the arm.
In terms of dimensions, it is something similar to the U2, only here the battery has a larger capacity, the camera is 12 megapixels, and the impact resistance is better. A number of our customers have tested these devices for resistance to impacts and drops. One of the requirements is that the battery does not pop out when dropped. This requirement is from Perekrestok and Pyaterochka. Magnit is less demanding on this, well, the battery fell out - it's not scary. But Perekrestok is worried that the battery falling out of the device during a fall can create an emergency situation in the warehouse where the forklift is driving. So, the WD10, according to them, performed better than all the competitors they are currently testing during drop tests. The competitors are Urovo U2 and Meferi ME10, they are shown in the photo.
Here is the 13th Android, the 2000 series chipset. It's not the most top-end. But this device turned out to be cheap. In principle, it is no worse than the same Urovo U2, only more modern. It has modern high-speed memory with a cache. And, despite the fact that there are 4 instead of 8 cores, as, for example, in the same Meferi, due to this, the speed of the device is almost the same, and the price of this device is much more profitable.
Model SL25
Model SL25. What is its difference from the previous version of SL20?
Some customers are asking for a newer Android. Because the previous SL20 model has Android 11, and customers are asking when new versions 13, 14, etc. will appear. For this, we made the same SL20 device, only changed the chipset to a more modern one. And there is also a difference in that, in addition to Android 13, there is Wi-Fi 6E. This is not yet a full-fledged Wi-Fi 6, but still the 6th version. You can argue about why this is needed. No one even understands what Wi-Fi 6 is. But it's fashionable, it sounds modern, and it's now constantly appearing in technical specifications. We are forced to react, so the SL25 device supports Wi-Fi 6E. This is 4G LTE, this is not 5G and Wi-Fi 6E. This combination allows you to stay in the old inexpensive price range. Because the new chipset used in this device is cheaper than the previous one. And secondly, since we use the same case, the same batteries, and the same accessories, we can save on the fact that we do not need to re-develop all these accessories. That is, the price of the product decreases for us. That is, the SL25 turns out to be the same price as the SL20, and in some cases even cheaper. This is its huge advantage.
What to compare it with? Here, you probably need to take it wider. Zebra is no longer there. Now, in addition to Urovo, many others have appeared.
Model US 30
In fact, the same device as the SL20, only its chipset has been updated. We used an eight-core processor with 2.4 GHz. Unlike competitors, we do not make different chipset options in this class of devices in terms of memory and processor speed. If you take, for example, the same Zebra, then they used to have options of 1.8 GHz, 2 GHz, 2.2 GHz in some configurations, well, and their memory was 3 or 4, 32 or 64 gigabytes. We usually choose the top configuration. We take the maximum speed and the maximum memory right away. Because we do not spread different configurations across the main range, but immediately try to get into the top version of the same Zebra and repeat it on our base, but we try to make the price cheaper than Zebra by at least 25%. Thus, here, in the new device, we use the same approach. We use the most top-end configuration, which is 2.4 GHz and 4x64 memory.
As I said, we took the top configuration of 4 by 64. I understand that it may be more than 4 by 128 and so on. But, as a rule, in industrial applications, "Warehouse" 128 GB and 64 GB is more than enough. Wi-Fi 6 is already used here in full. That is, not Wi-Fi 6E, but Wi-Fi 6. 13th Android with development somewhere up to 15. And here, due to the fact that all the accessories remained old, we can save on the production of this device. The price is quite pleasant.
We suffered in our time with the US20 model in situations where users, when removing the battery, broke one of the plastic latches. The battery is attached to the back with two mechanical plastic latches, and in order to remove the battery, you need to press two side mechanical buttons. One latch on the left, the other latch on the right. What do our users do in the warehouse? Instead of two buttons, they press one button, and then sharply hit the back of the device on the palm of their hand in order to knock out the battery with a power strike. As a result, the battery flies out, but the battery at the moment of ejection, due to the fact that the latch is plastic, crushes the second, unpressed, latch, and under the latch there is a spring that sometimes gets dented during such hard battery removal options. That is, in fact, you tear out the battery through the lock by force. And in order to prevent this from happening, in the US 30 model, we replaced this latch with a metal one. That is, the case is the same, the shape is the same, the button is the same, only the button is now not plastic, but metal. And we hope that our customers will not have such problems with the US 30 model.
We have customers who are currently testing the WD-10. They integrate the WD-10 with their software, with the processes that they use in their warehouse. And they ask, guys, make us this, make us that, there is a constant update of these applications literally every week. Therefore, if you have live projects, you can take a ready-made device and use it in some simple modes. In principle, we can do everything you want. It is clear that this will take some time, but it is not six months.
We're done with the US 30. Iron button, now the battery mount, which clearly removes all these problems with curved springs. The same accessories, modern internals on the motherboard and memory. And, of course, Android from 13 to 15.
About scanners. We are now actually betting on the 58 series. Let's talk about the long-range scanner. This is all Zebra 58-00 and 55-00. 55-00 is medium range, 7-8 m, maybe 10 m with some codes. We measured the 58th at the Transport and Logistics exhibition - 43 steps. I was reading a barcode, a QR code from the stand of one of the customers, just they had a QR code drawn on the wall of the stand right away. Well, we and our partners walked and counted the steps. That is, 43 steps, this is somewhere around 40 meters.
Model SL 30
I don't know who needs it in Russia. As I said, SL20 is Android 13, regular Wi-Fi and 4G. SL25 is Wi-Fi 6E and 4G. And SL30 is full Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. The differences are in the price. Because there is practically no 5G in Russia. Well, maybe it is somewhere, in some test zones, but it is still not so widely represented. Therefore, if there is such a customer, then theoretically we can offer to sell this thing to him. But this is more for Europe, where the requirements for 5G are also seeping through.
The main difference is three devices SL20, SL25 and SL30. This is Wi-Fi regular 4G, Wi-Fi 6 4G and Wi-Fi 6 5G. These three combinations of Wi-Fi and LTE give us three model options. SL30 differs from the previous ones in that it has a larger screen, 6 inches instead of 5.5.
Model SM 30
SM30 is a more sophisticated device.
This is more for Europe than for Russia. We have one, maybe two or three of those who use the SM series in our country. These are usually some large factories that do not chase cheapness. They need to have an industrial device, well-protected, so that it has some of its own tricky options, etc. And what are the tricky options? Well, for example, they need to have a touch screen, a small light device, but so that it has a long-range SE5500 scanner. And due to this combination, several customers in Russia buy this device. They take the SM20 with the SE5500 scanner so that it can be read at long distances. In mass, retail will not take such things. That is, no one will work with shelves on a device of this class. Well, if you look at the specification, here is such a specification of 8 GB per 128, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, an eight-core processor of 2.7 GHz. That is, this can already be compared with such commercial flagships that cost around a thousand dollars plus or minus, a 7500 mA*h battery, that is, this is a top device with huge capabilities, potential built into it, microSD there up to 2 terabytes, etc.
Illustrations provided by the press service of M3 Mobile.