Chinese company Huawei plans to introduce their smartphone duo, the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, to consumers in the United States in 2018.
Huawei plans to enter the market through a U.S. carrier, according to the Associated Press. “The flagship Mate 10 will be the Chinese handset giant’s first smartphone entry in the US.”
Although the company is not well-recognized, the product has advanced technological traits to appeal to the new market.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei, supports the quality of the products.
“Our strength is in developed markets,” Yu said. “We are not a cheap, low-cost company.”
Yu maintained that the Mate 10 will still be competitively priced.
Product
Huawei’s competitive edge is its product quality.
Described as stunning, “a stunning new 6-inch screen with an 18:9 display ratio, barely-there-bezel and HDR10 technology for intensely vivid and bright colors,” Huawei said in the product description.
Further claiming iconic craftsmanship, “The signature stripe highlights the dual lens cameras, embodying the perfect symmetry of a superior smartphone design. The ergonomically curved glass fits snugly in the palm and feels as good as it looks,” the company said.
Among other significant product traits, the Mate 10 sets itself apart from U.S. competitors with the first Kirin AI processor.
“The Kirin 970 processor boosts speed, responsiveness and efficiency through its AI computing platform with a dedicated NPU (Neural-Network Processing Unit),” according to Huawei. Furthermore:
“Huawei’s AI features and the New Leica Dual Camera deliver exceptional image quality with minimum effort. With the new Leica Dual Lens with f/1.6 aperture, you can easily take beautiful shallow depth of field pictures, crystal clear low-light photographs and blur-free shots of objects on the move. The 20MP monochrome sensor and 12MP RGB sensor with Optical Image Stabilization captures more light to perform at an expert standard.”
The terms for the benefits the Mate 10 offer may be confusing to the unfamiliar, but Huawei claims an easy-to-use experience that will allow users access to the smartphone’s features.
Competition
Because Huawei plans to enter the U.S. market, comparison to domestically established smartphone companies is critical.
“Both Mate 10’s have a 20 percent larger battery than both the Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30,” according to Android Authority.
Its competitive edge in its product quality is a boon, but the Chinese company faces difficult obstacles and challenges.
The Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro are similar to other 2017 flagship models in that they have glass exteriors around aluminum frames.
“There’s very little to dislike about either Mate 10 design, besides natural preferences for front- versus rear-mounted fingerprint scanners, manufacturer branding, and the presence of headphone ports (only the Mate 10 has one),” said Android Authority. “If anything they just look a little unexciting.”
The smartphone has distinguishing characteristics, but without proper marketing, U.S. consumers (who are unfamiliar with the brand) may not differentiate the Mate 10 from more established brands as being a worthy competitor.
“As great as Huawei’s devices have gotten over the years, the company still has a very minimal presence in the United States,” according to Android Central in confirming the phone’s launch. “The Huawei brand just isn’t anywhere close to the recognition of Samsung, LG, or even HTC.”
The lack of established brand presence may be the company’s greatest weakness, but it’s also threatened by political barriers. ABC News reported:
“Huawei’s U.S. business suffered a setback when a congressional panel recommended in October 2013 that phone carriers avoid doing business with it or a smaller Chinese rival, ZTE Corp. Beijing rejected the report as false and an effort to block Chinese companies from the U.S. market.”
Huawei denied being a security threat. The company further dismissed the complaints as “politically motivated” and an attempt to block potential competitors from market entry.
Despite setbacks, the 2018 launch of the Mate 10 is on track for market entry. The brand could become a major competitor for iPhones and Galaxies in the United States.
