Huawei Vs Trump — round two begins.
When President Trump first took on Huawei during his initial term, the vanquishing of Google apps from the Chinese giant’s phones was the killer theme. Alongside the chip ban, it was this that prompted Huawei to go it alone and craft a third smartphone OS to run alongside Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.
But now, as reported by Nikkei, “owners of Huawei phones sold outside China are once again enjoying Google apps on their devices thanks to third-party tools, proving U.S. sanctions on the Chinese technology company ineffective.”
That third-party tools are required is mitigated by retailers doing the work for buyers. “In late February, a smartphone store in Bangkok was touting that Google apps could be used on Huawei handsets with ‘no problem.’ All four Huawei models, including the popular foldable Mate X6, came with the Chrome browser and Gmail app installed.”
And this isn’t confined to Asia. Nikkei reports that today “Huawei phones are sold with Google apps in many parts of the world.” You may recall that when the ban was first applied, a raft of tools and workarounds turned up but were fairly quickly disabled or removed. But all these years later, with Huawei operating (kind of) independently of any U.S. tech and with its own OS rolling out, we live in very different times.
Pre Trump’s ban, Huawei was on course to overtake Samsung to lead global smartphone sales. It had crafted an unbeatable strategy, to match the functionality of high-end Samsung and even Apple devices at a much lower price point. The sanctions saw sales nosedive, but as I commented at the time, Huawei was always going to play the long game, and its independence from U.S. tech could prove painful. Huawei’s latest set of results certainly show the company has fought its way back.
Fresh from last week’s global telco show in Barcelona, Huawei is better set for what the U.S. does next than it was six years ago. Its bullish announcements around MWC and its show presence were a return to the old days. What happens next is critical.
