ProMax sweeps smartphones while AI model names go mythic — why the two industries diverged
APPSO · wechat · 2026-09-08
Leakers say Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO and Honor may all adopt "ProMax" for next-gen flagships, sparking a trending debate — while AI labs drift into mythic names like OpenAI's Sol/Terra/Luna/Astra and Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5.
Apple didn't invent ProMax (HTC One Max, 2013) but embedded it in consumer minds. With hardware costs soaring (TrendForce sees LPDDR prices up 70%+ QoQ in Q2 2026; 12GB+256GB modules may jump from 500 to 2200 yuan), ProMax serves as a ticket to premium pricing and a price anchor. Leaks point to iPhone 18 Pro Max with TSMC 2nm A20 Pro and a mechanical variable aperture.
AI naming resists standardization because model choice is a lattice, not a ladder: Haiku/Mini-class models run concurrently with reasoning models in one system, so small isn't "low-end." And with no Apple-like rule-maker, each lab treats naming as a fight for industry definition — Altman himself admits OpenAI is better at research than naming.
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