For several years, there has been a tight competition in the US when it comes to the Android phone market. It has been a norm for mobile companies to sell their smartphones through mobile carrier partnerships. But Huawei is now stealing the show.
The China-based mobile company has earned the reputation for having a big chunks of sales across the globe. The company, according to mobile analysts, has never competed in the US market before.
For instance, Samsung is the only company that sells expensive Android smartphones in the US. Other mobile companies like HTC, Sony, LG, and Google are struggling to keep afloat.
Huawei’s Mate 10 deal with AT&T cancelled?
In fact, a report late last year indicated that Huawei had entered a partnership agreement with US’ AT&T, of which it would sell Huawei’s latest flagship smartphone, the Mate 10. The move apparently disturbed Samsung’s confidence as the consumers’ top choice for Android smartphone.
Also, the company’s Mate 10 has innovative features like a headphone jack, a fingerprint sensor. The Mate 10 has a Leica-branded dual lens camera-all are good selling points against Samsung’s Galaxy 9.
“The U.S. market presents unique challenges for Huawei, and while the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro will not be sold by U.S. carriers, we remain committed to this market now and in the future,” the company said in a statement.
This means that Huawei is expected to sell the Mate 10 through “open channels” and not via any wireless carrier. Unfortunately, a political pressure prompted the cancellation of the deal, recent news reports said.
“Whatever they have spent on US marketing is a waste now, and the letdown this time may also deter other potential carrier-partners in the future,” Canalys analyst Mo Jia as quoted saying in a Reuters report.
