Huawei seeks to ship 200 million smartphones in 2018

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is aiming to ship 200 million smartphones globally this year, its top executive said recently, which will be roughly the same number as Apple's annual shipment of 200 to 210 million units.

Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, said in a group interview that the overall shipment of Huawei’s smartphones is likely to exceed 200 million this year. It shipped 153 million units in 2017.

“We are not pursing to rank first in the market scale. For us, to be the first in user experience and the ability to innovate are most important,” said he.

He also disclosed that the company is stepping up developing folding smartphones, which will be launched in 2019.

“Bigger smartphones are needed as the digitalized development poses a higher requirement of handsets, but meanwhile, they don’t fit pockets. To this end, smartphones that can be folded will be a future trend,” he added.

Yu made the remarks after Huawei finally introduced its latest Mate 20 series smartphone with a tantalizing price in China on Friday.

The new series includes the Huawei Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 RS Porsche design and Mate 20X in its lineup, which is said to be its biggest push to rival Apple Inc.

The newly-unveiled Huawei Mate 20 Pro, designed to compete with the iPhone XS Max and Samsung Technology Co's Galaxy Note 9, was priced lower in the country, starting at 5,399 yuan ($777).

The handset comes with a plus, an on-screen fingerprint sensor, which allows users to unlock their handsets either way.

With three rear-facing cameras, the Mate 20 Pro also has an artificial intelligence engine that can scan real-life objects and turn scans into an animated emoji.

Different from other smartphones, the latest gadget also can charge other phones wirelessly by using its back.

According to market research company International Data Corp, the company had a record high share of 15.8 percent of the global smartphone market and more than Apple in the second quarter of this year.