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Europe is now the main focus of Huawei‘s global ambitions, Forrester analyst Thomas Husson told Reuters on Tuesday, having explained that the Old Continent provides arguably the largest opportunity for the Chinese company to boost its brand abroad. Doing so will entail directly contesting the dominance of Samsung and Apple, by far the two largest smartphone vendors on the planet and manufacturers whose top-tier devices are still believed to be outperforming Huawei’s own Android flagships even though the Shenzhen-based company has recently been experiencing record growth in all other segments.
The original equipment manufacturer is still understood to be performing well in the high-end sector but not to the point that it’s capable of challenging Apple and Samsung’s premium offerings on a global level, yet that’s what it now intends to do with the newly announced P20 and P20 Pro. The latest devices from the OEM boast what some already claim are the best mobile cameras ever created, with the P20 Pro being particularly unique in that regard as it features a triple-lens imaging system on its rear plate, whereas its Twilight variant also attempts to stand out from the competition by featuring a special coating that shifts colors based on the angle from which it’s viewed. The Chinese phone maker still isn’t bringing either phablet to the United States, nor is its newly announced Porsche Design Mate RS meant to be sold stateside, with that state of affairs being a result of Washington’s recent efforts to stop Huawei from doing business in the country on any significant scale, citing spying concerns due to the tech giant’s ties to the Chinese government.
Huawei repeatedly dismissed such allegations but now appears to be resigned to not making any U.S. advancements for the time being, with its international focus largely shifting to Europe, at least as far as Android flagships are concerned, as noted by its recent activities and Mr. Husson’s latest remarks. The company remains adamant its long-term goal is to overtake Samsung and Apple, thus becoming the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer. According to recent estimates from IDC, Huawei accounted for less than 11-percent of the global handset market in the final quarter of 2017, whereas Samsung and Apple held nearly 19 and 20 percentage points over the same period, respectively.