Huawei tries to win US sales with Honor 8 model

The release of Huawei's new phone, Honor 8, in Shanghai on July 11, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

The latest handset released by Huawei Technologies Co Ltd in the United States highlights the Chinese tech group's determination to attract US consumers, who it must win over to reach its goal of becoming the world's biggest smartphone seller, analysts said on Thursday.

The Shenzhen-based company released the new phone, Honor 8, in San Francisco this week and aimed to use the mid-end handset to take on Apple Inc in the latter's home turf where consumers are picky about consumer electronic products.

Honor 8 will target young consumers, said George Zhao, head of Huawei's Honor operations.

Huawei is the world's third-largest smartphone manufacturer－behind Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Apple－and its products are available in more than 170 countries and regions.

By the end of June, Huawei had clinched a 9.4 percent global smartphone market share, according to online research statistics portal Statista.

But Huawei has less than 1 percent of the US smartphone market and is dwarfed by major players, including its Chinese peer ZTE Corp, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

"We focus on the international market," said Zhao, "but for us the US market is the most important one."

However, Huawei lags behind US competitors in terms of cellphone bundle sales with carriers. Currently, it has not signed any contracts with major carriers in the US market.

Honor 8 comes with two 12-megapixel cameras that can capture two photos simultaneously in color and monochrome and then process the two together.

The system is able to capture three-times more light than a single lens camera.

Xiang Ligang, telecom expert and CEO of the industry website cctime.com, said: "Honor 8 mirrors Huawei's cutting-edge technology. It is quite rare for the company to hold such a big ceremony in the US to launch its products. This is a major push," Xiang said.

Honor 8, priced from $399.99 in the US, is more expensive than the same models sold in China, which starts from $346.

James Yan, research director at Counterpoint Technology Market Research, said, national security concern has prevented Huawei, which is also the world's leading telecom equipment maker, from expanding its US presence.

"It will be a long-term hurdle and Huawei needs to work harder to address it," Yan added.