New Huawei phones set to take on bigger rivals

CHINA’S Huawei has unveiled a new line of smartphones that match or even improve on key features offered by Apple or Samsung while undercutting their rivals on price.

Huawei aims to distinguish itself through technological advances that will put it on a level playing field with the most coveted premium-priced devices.

This will help it boost profitability that has been undermined by heavy discounting in the chase for market share.

Yesterday’s product launch in Munich introduced Huawei’s new Mate 10 series, touting high-end cameras, screens and batteries but at prices 15-30% below more or less comparable Apple and Samsung smartphones.

Huawei was the world’s number three smartphone maker by shipments last year, temporarily overtaking Apple as number two in June as consumers awaited the new iPhone 8 and iPhone X line-up.

With Apple’s latest models now on the market, Huawei has weighed in with the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro that have fast-charging batteries that sustain two days of heavy use.

“The Mate 10 line ticks all the boxes in terms of screen size, high-quality camera, powerful processor and slick design – competing with rival products from Samsung and to some extent, Apple,” CCS Insight mobile analyst Ben Wood said.

Perhaps the most distinctive features of the Mate 10 series is its image recognition capability – an artificial intelligence feature that can tell the difference between people, flowers or other objects. – Reuters