The story has been told many times about how U.S. restrictions placed on Huawei took it off a path that would have made the firm the largest smartphone company in the world. In 2019, the company was placed on the U.S. Entity List for national security reasons preventing it from accessing its U.S.-based supply chain. That meant that the Google Mobile Services (GMS) version of Android was off-limits and resulted in Huawei developing its own HarmonyOS (now in its third version).
U.S. restrictions have not completely derailed Huawei as the company continues to work on returning to past glory
Next up for the Mate 50 series is the September 6 unveiling
Only one flagship this year for Huawei? Ah yes. We didn’t get around to mentioning yet that due to the actions taken by the U.S., Huawei is no longer in the position where it can offer two flagship models a year like it did in years past. Now, it alternates each year between the photography-focused (no pun intended, no animals harmed) P series phones and the technology-focused Mate line.
Why getting one million reservations for the Mate 50 line is so important for Huawei
Huawei has started taking reservations for the Mate 50 line on its website and through the sites belonging to its e-commerce partners. Over 1 million reservations have been made. That is a strong sign that Huawei has a loyal following and that someday it could regain its leadership position in China at the least.
Of course, making a reservation doesn’t require the consumer to spend any money so the more important data will be the number of pre-orders Huawei receives for the Mate 50 phones. With that information, we will have a better idea about the number of Chinese phone buyers willing to put their money where their mouth is.
Interestingly, some inside Huawei were pretty certain that when the new U.S. administration was voted into power in 2020, the restrictions would be removed. But this has not been the case and now Huawei has to deal with the possibility that, at least for the foreseeable future, they will have to continue to work around them. That the company has managed to continue designing and building smartphones is a credit to the firm, but the truth is that Huawei is no longer as relevant as it once was. That is true not only worldwide, but also inside China.
