BUT CHINESE ALTERNATIVES TO HUAWEI
MAY BE AVAILABLE
If Huawei doesn’t tempt you or, in the case of
the U.S. market, isn’t even practically palatable,
should you rule out switching to a Chinese
device? Not quite. According to research by
Counterpoint, while Huawei’s share of the
smartphone market globally was 15.8% during
2019’s second quarter, Xiaomi also performed
impressively, reaching a 9% share. That put it
in fourth position, nipping at the heels of none
other than Apple, which clocked up a share of
10.1% during the same period.
Strategy Analytics has made similar
findings; according to the firm, major Chinese
smartphone brands have collectively scooped
up 42% of the market, their peak share.
That’s no small achievement, considering the
lingering trade tensions, and can perhaps be
attributed largely to Xiamo’s down-market
image. That image could be set to change with
the recent unveiling of the MIX 3, which
houses Qualcomm processors behind a bezel-
free, 6.4-inch display and ceramic casing.
Whether that device will help Xiaomi to finally
carve out a respectable chunk of the premium
market remains to be seen – but in any case,
if you want a great-value phone rather than
simply a great one, a Xiaomi handset may prove
to be an excellent choice. Just check out this
rundown of the brand’s best four phones
on offer in 2019 – and you could be delighted
by just how much the Xiaomi Redmi 7 offers
for its price tag of $130. However, what new
devices are still on the way from China?