Huawei And Xiaomi: Chinese Tigers On The Prowl

Are you in the market for a new phone?

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

APPLE IS BEING GIVEN SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Are you in the market for a new phone? Even if you have long been entrenched in Apple’s ecosystem, you could be easily excused for casting envious eyes in the direction of friends wielding devices from up-and-coming Chinese brands. Handsets from Chinese companies including Huawei and Xiaomi have, over recent years, improved significantly in their feature set, value for money and, dare we say it, market share.

All of this has paradoxically been happening on the backdrop of a well-publicized and intensifying trade war between the U.S. and China. However, it speaks volumes about the appeal of Huawei’s devices that, despite the Trump administration essentially blacklisting Huawei phones from sale in the U.S., the brand has still knocked Apple out of the second position in the global smartphone market. Only Samsung is currently stood in the way of Huawei reaching the market’s summit.

In next week’s issue, we’ll be looking closely at the political side of Huawei’s recent rise and tussles in the tech sphere, as well as how other Chinese brands have fared in comparison to Apple. Right now, though, our attention will be on whether you should seriously contemplate buying a Chinese-branded device, perhaps as an iPhone replacement – even if you are U.S.based and for this reason, unable to consider Huawei as a practical option. Should you believe the hype?

WHAT YOU WILL – AND WON’T – GET WITH A HUAWEI PHONE