https://arab.news/g3w95
Huawei has showcased a promising return to the Middle East and Africa region with back-to-back launches of flagships, including the Huawei Mate 50 Pro last year and the Huawei P60 Pro and Huawei Mate X3 at this year’s product launch event on May 10.
Not surprisingly, we see a slew of innovations on Huawei’s latest flagship devices, like the ultra lighting telephoto camera, one-of-a-kind Rococo Pearl colorway, and the industry’s first quad-curve foldable design. Features and experiences as innovative as these are rarely seen on other phonemakers’ flagship devices.
These launch events signal a strong message to the markets that Huawei is confidently introducing industry-leading high-end flagship devices to MEA customers, just as in the past. This gives local customers access to an alternative that is innovative and offers an intelligently-connected user experience compared to other players in the market.
“Even though our road ahead is still full of challenges, our investment in innovation will not change, nor will our determination to continue developing the Middle East and African markets. Huawei will stick to its presence in overseas markets and remain committed to developing a high-end global brand. With these flagship devices available locally, Huawei is keen to provide the industry-leading and intelligent user experience to our customers,” said Pablo Ning, president of Huawei Consumer BG, Middle East and Africa.
Survival in a quality way — The new normal
In Huawei’s latest 2022 annual report, it is noted that “We have also gone to great lengths to grow the harvest — generating a steady stream of revenue to sustain our survival and lay the groundwork for future development.” Huawei has successfully pulled out of crisis mode, forged ahead and risen above challenges to ensure sustainable survival.
Huawei maintains its pursuit of nurturing a high-end consumer brand and sticks to its strategy of long-term presence in overseas markets. The return of frequent flagship device launches in 2023 is an obvious manifestation of Huawei’s persistence in maintaining competitiveness through research and innovations rather than being an industry follower.
Huawei’s high-end Mate and P series have returned to the market as usual. The launch of the Mate 50 series created a market hit and has been widely welcomed by consumers in China, MEA and other overseas markets, sending a strong message of market confidence. For instance, in the foldable phone sector, Huawei is pioneering both the technology and market share. Huawei is the only industry player that has commercialized three types of foldable form factors — inward, outward and vertical folding forms. In the Chinese market, Huawei accounts for more than 50 percent of the market share in 2022, meaning that one out of every two foldable phones is from Huawei.
The latest global mobile phone shipment statistics in Q1 of 2023 demonstrate that only Huawei and Apple recorded growth. The statistics report from analysis entity Omdia shows Huawei has seen a 14.3 percent increase in global mobile phone shipments in Q1 of 2023. Innovation has been the driving force of Huawei’s development. The introduction of the HUAWEI P60 Series and Mate X3 in the first half of this year to the Chinese market was met with an unexpected sales success, and Huawei is geared up to increase their production.
The MEA region is ranked as No. 1 in terms of consumers’ consideration rate of Huawei mobile and other all-scenario products among all overseas regions. In the first quarter of 2023, the MEA achieved a steady 50 percent increase in mobile and high-end wearable product sales, compared to the same period in 2022. The year 2022 has also seen an increase in premium PC product sales by 73 percent compared to 2021.
All these recent developments underline the fact that HUWAEI’s consumer business sector is recovering steadily.
Bringing the latest innovations to local customers
Huawei’s Mate and P series are high-end flagship devices that showcase the latest innovative features and experiences to global users. The P series is touted as an exquisite combination of art and technology. The essence of the P series is aesthetics, the beauty of photography and design. The Mate series is the symbol of ultimate innovations and experience, with each generation bringing a premium experience with the most advanced technology.
Unlike other industry players who only concentrate on specs, Huawei is dedicated to future-oriented research and innovation. Every launch of a flagship device has showcased Huawei’s breakthrough in meaningful innovations that improve users’ everyday lives. This time is no exception. Together, the lineup of P60 Pro, Mate X3 and Watch Ultimate introduces more than 20 industry-first innovative features.
The P60 Pro boasts the industry’s largest light intake periscope telephoto camera, allowing you to capture the super moon scene and see the unseen. For the P60 Pro Rococo Pearl, Huawei used environmentally friendly materials to create a never-repeatable texture for the first time. As a result, each piece of the P60 Pro Rococo Pearl is one of a kind. Furthermore, the quad-curved Kunlun glass boosts the drop resistance of the glass to 10 times. These innovations allow consumers to have a better and more reliable experience.
Huawei Mate X3 is the world’s slimmest large-screen foldable phone. For the first time ever, the large-screen foldable phone is lighter and thinner than a standard flagship phone. Thanks to material science and innovations in structural design, the vegan leather version Mate X3 weighs only 239 grams — all the while without sacrificing durability. The Mate X3 is rated IP X8 for water resistance, making it suitable for all-weather use. It features ultra-reliable inner and outer screens. It is the first time that non-Newtonian fluid materials have been used on mobile screens. And a composite of multi-layer screens has been applied to the screen. As a result, the impact resistance of the inner screen is improved by four times. The outer screen of the phone uses Kunlun glass. Combined with durable vegan leather at the phone’s rear, these take the foldable phone’s reliability to new heights.
Continuous R&D investment to improve user experience
Scientific exploration and technological innovation lie at the core of Huawei’s strategic thinking and operations. Huawei persistently explores the frontiers of science and technology, pushing innovation forward and creating value for consumers.
In 2022, Huawei invested $23.8 billion, a quarter of its yearly sales revenue, into R and D. Years of continuous investment in R and D have given rise to valuable innovative features and experiences for consumers, like the XMAGE imaging technology, durable Kunlun glass and intelligent Super Device feature. For six consecutive years, Huawei ranked No. 1 in the number of international patent applications, 1.8 times higher than the runner-up. In 2022, the number of Huawei PCT patent applications reached over 7,000. Huawei maintained its momentum as a technology leader by collaborating with its global R and D centers in Finland, Germany, Japan, the UK and other countries.
Huawei has been constantly optimizing the user experience of local customers. AppGallery has served more than 170 countries and regions worldwide, with 580 million monthly active users and a growing community of 6 million developers. In the MEA region, Huawei has dozens of successful local partnership stories, such as HIPA, Gulfnews, VIU, AlinmaPay, Haraj, and Standard Bank, among others.
At the same time, HMS has been deeply engaged in enhancing user experience and providing quality services for local users and partners. For instance, Huawei collaborated with Mahmood Al-Abadi, designer of the prince’s office of the UAE, to launch the Arabic theme “Art Meets Tech.” It has received nearly 440,000 downloads. Al-Abadi also designed customized themes for the latest Huawei P60 Pro and Mate X3. Petal Maps has also upgraded its voice broadcast service in the UAE to include speeding radar and snap alerts, further optimizing the local user experience.
Committed engagement with local customers
The MEA has been one of the most important high-end device markets of Huawei for many years. Huawei’s premium flagship devices have been first launched and introduced to MEA, like the Mate 50 Series of last year and this year’s P60 Pro and Mate X3.
Besides these, Huawei values every chance to engage with local customers through the opening of a growing number of onsite retail stores. Around 100 Huawei Experience Stores have been opened until now. In January 2022, the largest flagship retail store of Huawei overseas was inaugurated in Riyadh. In December 2022 and January 2023, the company launched two HES stores with an operating area of over 400 square meters in Dubai DCC and Riyadh Park. Six Huawei HES stores have been successfully put into operation in the three largest cities of South Africa. All these milestones pave the way for Huawei’s thriving development in the future.
Huawei announced an amazing Huawei Battery Replacement campaign to reward its smartphone and tablet users in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This special campaign offers customers the chance to obtain a genuine battery replacement tailored to their specific device model at a remarkably low price (starting from SR39 in Saudi Arabia). Users can enjoy the benefits of a new and genuine battery that promises optimal performance and longevity along with a 90-day warranty.
Huawei continues to hold mobile photography competitions. Over the past four years, Huawei has received over 10,000 entries from the local region. In 2022, seven out of the 54 global winning entries were from the MEA. Also, the XMAGE Award 2023 has been officially launched for open entry. Huawei encourages everyone to capture memorable moments with Huawei mobile phones and explore more possibilities of XMAGE.
Visionary prospect enabled by innovations for consumers
Huawei has bounced back thanks to its ability to survive. The company will do everything in their power to serve their customers. Huawei’s focus on fundamental research and innovation will accelerate the digital and intelligent transformation of industries and people’s daily lives.
“This year sees a bounce back of high-end flagship devices market share in Huawei’s home market China after the HUAWEI P60 series and Huawei Mate X3’s delivery, indicating our strong brand influence in the competitive premium devices market. We will witness a steady increase in the rollout of flagship devices in the MEA this year as well, with more devices launches in sight,” added Ning.
A steady introduction of new products with the latest innovations is what Huawei can offer to local consumers. The company is committed to accelerating ecosystem-based development and enhancing the presence of Huawei consumer devices, continually delivering seamless, intelligent experiences to local consumers.