Now that we take Huawei seriously, what’s next for the Chinese giant?

It’s well past time that Huawei was on your radar. It’s one of the most exciting manufacturers in the Android space today. This year’s well-received highlights so far include the classy Huawei Watch, and the excellent Nexus 6P. Its partnership with Google could be the springboard it needs to crack the US market. If it can continue on its current trajectory, then Samsung and Apple will have to look over their shoulders.

Huawei grabbed an 8.7% share of the worldwide smartphone market in Q2 of this year, up from 6.7% in 2014, and 4.3% in 2013, according to IDC. In its homeland, Huawei has just wrestled the throne from Xiaomi, becoming the top smartphone vendor in China in Q3, according to Canalys. It appears to be riding the crest of a wave. Can it reach new heights, will it maintain its course, or is there danger of a wipeout?

Moving on up

The smartphone market has grown much more competitive in the last couple of years. The impact of falling prices and powerful new players undercutting the old order, can be plainly seen in Samsung’s decline, and the struggle of once-powerful players like Sony, HTC, and Motorola. How has Huawei so consistently managed to swim against the tide, with growing sales in all regions of the world?

It has adopted a shifting strategy, using its growing popularity to climb the ladder from budget, to mid-range, and now up to premium. Huawei’s main line has been branded as Ascend for years, but it dropped the name when it released the impressive Huawei P8. This marks a strategy shift that CEO, Richard Yu, spoke about at the start of the year when he told Bloomberg, “We are giving up the low end of the market. Many vendors are suffering. Only two vendors have had a good life: Apple and Samsung.”

Ten months after making that statement you could make a pretty strong argument that Huawei is selling the best Android Wear smartwatch on the market, and the best Android smartphone. The Huawei Watch and the Nexus 6P are premium devices in terms of design, specs, and features, but they significantly undercut Apple and Samsung on price.

Just because Huawei is reaching for the top, doesn’t mean it’s ignoring the rest of the market. The Honor brand is Huawei’s answer to Xiaomi. It has been selling feature-packed smartphones through direct e-commerce channels, targeting a younger audience, and it’s being run separately from the core company. It has expanded into more than 70 countries already, and offers impressive specs at mid-range prices.

Conquering the States

Huawei is selling smartphones across the globe. It dominates China, it has been doing great in the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Sales have been soaring in Europe after a major marketing campaign. Huawei sells phones everywhere, from Japan to Jamaica, but the next major target is the US.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that it will be an uphill struggle, especially after a U.S. congressional committee suggested Huawei was a security threat because of alleged ties to the Chinese government, back in 2012. But that claim looks rather ridiculous in light of Snowden’s revelations about the NSA hacking into Huawei, as reported by the New York Times.

Smartphone sales stateside started out gently last summer with the Ascend Mate 2, sold unlocked and direct from Huawei’s online store (it also offered the cheap SnapTo). The uninspiring P8 Lite followed in June this year. But Huawei is done sticking its budget toe in the water.

There’s little doubt that the Nexus 6P will be Huawei’s biggest selling smartphone, so far, in the US market. Being formally introduced to many Americans by Google can only be a boost for Huawei’s fortunes. We’ve looked at the potential depths of Google and Huawei’s relationship before, in terms of wireless networking and Google’s desire to re-enter the Chinese market. Which brings us neatly to an important point about Huawei.

A tech giant

We aren’t talking about a small company here, and Huawei certainly isn’t reliant on the smartphone market. It first made the Fortune 500 back in 2010. It rose to prominence making equipment for the telecommunications industry. Huawei’s routers and switches power many of our networks.

A brief scan of recent tech news is revealing. Huawei just demoed the world’s first 1 Gbps mobile network with Hong Kong Telecom, which it called 4.5G. It’s also a major player in enterprise storage, where a partnership with Micron will bring flash storage to European data centers, as reported by The Register. This is a company with reach.

Returning to smartphones, Huawei is well-positioned, in part, because it can manufacture and use its own chipset, courtesy of the HiSilicon division. This enables the kind of integration you see at Samsung, and it could lead to the licensing and sale of Huawei’s Kirin processors to other manufacturers in future. There’s a very broad base here, enabling Huawei to tackle the smartphone market from a position of strength.

What’s next?

The Nexus 6P is an important phone for Huawei, but we’ve never seen Galaxy S and iPhone levels of sales from a Nexus phone and it probably won’t change that. Huawei’s next big release is going to be the Huawei Mate 8, set to be unveiled at the end of the month. It’s expected to have the HiSilicon Kirin 950 SoC, which may feature an octa-core design and Cat 10 LTE support, for fast performance and lightning download speeds. We also expect a premium design, possible Force Touch support (first shown in the Mate S), and a top notch camera.

There’s a chance that the Huawei Mate 8 will be the most advanced smartphone on the market for the next few months, at least. Beyond the specs, it’s going to be interesting to see what Huawei plans in terms of release. Will it be available worldwide? Could it be the first Huawei flagship to sell in the US?

Samsung and Apple have been untouchable for a long time (in tech industry terms), but Huawei does seem to be breaking away from the rest of the pack. If it keeps making the right moves, this could be a serious, sustained challenge to the dominance of the top two.

Carphone Warehouse announces the Huawei Y3, the UK’s lowest priced smartphone

UK dwellers in the market for an affordable, no-nonsense handset might be interested in the country’s lowest priced smartphone; the Huawei Y3 which is available from Carphone Warehouse. The handset is available on CPW’s iD network from just £5 per month with no upfront charge on a 2-year contract or £59 SIM-free. While for many it won’t be suitable as their main handset, the Huawei Y3 could do a job as a secondary, backup device. The Huawei Y3 sports the following specifications:

• Android 4.4 KitKat with Huawei’s Emotion UI 3.0 Lite
• 4-Inch LCD with 480 x 800 resolution and 223ppi
• Spreadtrum 7731 quad-core processor @ 1.2GHz
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB Internal storage
• MicroSD card support (up to 32GB)
• 5MP rear camera with dual LED flash
• 2MP front camera
• 3G connectivity
• Standard SIM
• Battery: 1,730mAh
• Dimensions: 122.6 x 63.8 x 10.9mm
• Weight: 120 grams
• Available in black or white

The 24-month contract option gets you 5,000 texts, 150 minutes and 250MB data for £5 each month. It isn’t going to go head to head with the Nexus 6P or the upcoming Mate 8, but then it costs a fraction of the price. You can grab the Huawei Y3 here.

Press Release:

LONDON, 3rd November 2015: From today, Carphone Warehouse is offering the UK’s lowest ever priced smartphone deal.

Customers can get the Huawei Y3 on the iD network with no upfront cost for only £5 a month – the equivalent of a ready meal, a cheap bottle of wine or a coffee and cake on the go. The amazing contract includes 250Mb data, 150 mins and 5000 texts*.

Good looking, easy to use and great value, the Huawei Y3 is everything you want in an affordable smartphone. The Huawei Y3 powered by android 4.4 KitKat, is perfect for customers wanting a simple and easy to use handset, with the features of a higher end model but at a fraction of the price.

Jeremy Fennell, Managing Director at Carphone Warehouse, says: “The Huawei Y3 is a fantastic smartphone and £5 a month for Android , a 5MP camera and a 4” screen to enjoy YouTube and iPlayer on makes it absolutely amazing value – and the ideal gift this Christmas for friends and family.  At Carphone Warehouse we are always looking to deliver the best deals whatever smartphone you’re after across the most networks. Anyone can upgrade with us and this brilliant package makes our offer even stronger for customers.”

Visit www.carphonewarehouse.com for more information.

*based on a 24 month contract on iD, the exciting new, great value, 4G as standard network from Carphone Warehouse

Come comment on this article: Carphone Warehouse announces the Huawei Y3, the UK’s lowest priced smartphone

Snapdeal.com will now start selling Honor devices

To celebrate selling 1 million smartphones in India over the last 12 months, Honor will now be teaming up with Snapdeal.com to sell devices. With this new partnership, Honor plans on furthering their online presence.

Mr. P. Sanjeev, Vice-President Sales, Huawei India Consumer Business Group, said:

“Our e-brand, Honor, has received an overwhelming response from Indian customers, and we are thankful to all our fans for their support. Our aim has been to provide best-in-class smart phones and at exciting price points and so far we have been successful in doing so. We are confident that this partnership with Snapdeal.com will help us reach out to larger group of Honor smartphone fans.”

Honor’s new flagship smartphone, Honor 7, and their last flagship, Honor 6 Plus, will still be sold exclusively from Flipkart.com. However, to say thanks for selling 1 million phones in India and celebrating the new Snapdeal.com partnership, Honor will be having some discounts on other smartphones.

• Honor 4X available at Rs. 8999 (Rs.1000 off)
• Honor 4X (gold) available at Rs. 9499 (Rs.1000 off)
• Honor 4C available at Rs. 7999 (Rs.1000 off)
• Honor Bee available at Rs. 3999 (Rs. 500 off)
• HDFC (debit and credit cards) – Flat 10% off, up to a maximum of Rs. 2000

The phones listed above will be sold for these prices at Snapdeal.com, but hurry, they only last from Nov 2 – 4, 2015. After that the sale will be over and prices will return to normal.

Press Release:

NEW DELHI, November 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ —

– Honor Devices to be Available Also on Snapdeal.com, Starting 2nd November, 2015

– Exciting Diwali Offers for Honor Customers

Honor, an independent Internet smartphone brand under Huawei, today announced its new partnership with Snapdeal.com, to further expand its presence in the online retail market. This announcement follows the sale of 1 million Honor smartphones inIndia over the last 12 months.

Commenting on the new partnership, Mr. P. Sanjeev, Vice-President Sales, Huawei India Consumer Business Group, said,”Our e-brand, Honor, has received an overwhelming response from Indian customers, and we are thankful to all our fans for their support. Our aim has been to provide best-in-class smart phones and at exciting price points and so far we have been successful in doing so. We are confident that this partnership with Snapdeal.com will help us reach out to larger group of Honor smartphone fans.”

Honor recently launched its flagship Smartphone Honor 7, which received an overwhelming response from customers like its predecessor, Honor 6 Plus. Both these premium smartphones are still available exclusively with Flipkart.com.

Commenting on this alliance, Mr. Tony Navin, Senior Vice President- Strategic Partnership and Initiatives at Snapdeal, added, “We are excited about this alliance with Honor and about offering the Honor products to our consumer base. We are hopeful and positive of a mutually rewarding and a longstanding relationship with Honor.”

In a way of saying thanks to the 1 million customers in India for their response to Honor, the brand would be rolling out an inaugural offer on Snapdeal.com as below:

• Honor 4X available at Rs. 8999 (Rs.1000 off) 
• Honor 4X (gold) available at Rs. 9499 (Rs.1000 off) 
• Honor 4C available at Rs. 7999 (Rs.1000 off) 
• Honor Bee available at Rs. 3999 (Rs. 500 off) 
• HDFC (debit and credit cards) – Flat 10% off, up to a maximum of Rs. 2000 

Celebrating the festive season in conjunction with this special offer, Honor customers will be able to avail these discounts for a period of three days, from Nov 2 – 4, 2015 on Snapdeal.com.

About Honor: 

Honor is Huawei’s smartphone e-brand. Honor is the world’s leading smartphone e-brand. Honor has been expanding aggressively in global markets, and has successfully launched its products in 57 global markets within 6 months in 2014, entering the bestselling charts in most of the European countries where it was launched. Accordingly, Honor obtains a huge user base which has yielded powerful mouth-spreading asset. Honor products also enjoy global aesthetics, super processing technology and massive patent support. The three basic characteristics of Honor product are – best camera, long battery life and remarkable craftsmanship. Honor is born for ultimate tech innovation. Huawei is the world’s 3rd largest smartphone brand in the world with a global market share of 7.5% clocked in Q3 of 2015. It is also china’s largest smartphone brand. For more information, visit http://hihonor.in

 

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Huawei’s Mate 8 flagship will launch on November 26

Huawei recently announced its schedule for updating its Honor brand of smartphones to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and now it’s revealed via its Weibo account when it will launch its latest flagship handset, the Mate 8. 

From the image above, it would appear that the Mate 8 will launch on November 8. The handset is believed to carry Huawei’s latest processor, the Kirin 950, which is expected to be revealed in the next couple of days on November 5. The Kirin 950 is an Octa-core (4 x A53 + 4 x A72) processor clocked at 2.4GHz with 64-bit compatibility. A Mali-T880 GPU and an i7 co-processor are also present. Not to be confused with Intel’s Core-i7 processors, the Mate 8’s i7 co-processor will take care of the less intensive tasks such as sensory, connectivity and security functions.

The Mate 8 is believed to feature a 2.5D Force Touch display thought to be either 5.7 or 6-inches in size. The standard version is said to sport a 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage, while the high-end variant could have 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. 20MP rear cameras and 8MP selfie snappers will feature on both variants, along with a large capacity battery. There isn’t too much longer to wait until the big reveal, what would you like to see featured in Huawei’s Mate 8?

Source: Huawei (Weibo)
Via: GizmoChina

Come comment on this article: Huawei’s Mate 8 flagship will launch on November 26