Huawei aims to double local market share

Designed for ‘power’ users, the Mate 9’s features includes long battery life, low power consumption design, a second generation Leica dual-lens camera and the new Kirin 960 chipset.

Launched at the “CONNECT @ bmobile Tech Expo” at Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, on January 18, the Mate 9 is expected to be available in stores this month.

Asked what makes it ideal for “power users”, Huawei TT’s Sales and Marketing manager, Jason Ifill, said the Mate 9 targets ‘power’ users “who seek the best in technology with a focus on business functionality and productivity.” Namely, “corporate customers and entrepreneurs who frequently use their handsets as a business tool, would appreciate the 5.9” FHD display screen, two plus days (of) battery life, split screen function, speed of processor and exceptional camera quality.” Regarding the cost, Ifill said that is to be determined by the carrier (bmobile), “based on their plans” but that the “open market pricing” for an unlocked, pre-paid, phone is approximately TT $4,500.

Knowing that “power” users often travel for work, Huawei said the Mate 9 was “built to support faster data communications and better network signals. It offers global connectivity with dual-SIM support; the secondary SIM supports 7 WCDMA bands and 4 GSM bands.” Having reported a favourable response in TT to the P9, the latest version of Huawei’s other premium model series, Business Day asked what were Huawei’s expectations for the Mate 9.

“Huawei TT is confident the Mate 9 would double the sales of the Mate 8,” Ifill said, “now that the Huawei brand awareness is growing and local customers are becoming more aware of the quality of the devices. The Mate 9 would provide...great value for money (to) business users and consumers seeking extended battery life, large screen size and great photography.” Being relatively new to the TT market, accessories for Huawei devices are not readily available. Business Day asked Ifill how soon customers would be able to walk into a store and buy items for their devices.

“Huawei original accessories would be available through select after-sales retail outlet within this quarter. All original accessories would be available for sale. We do have a few retail dealer stores offering third party accessories and are working to increase the availability of accessories for the Huawei handsets.” Regarding partnerships with local phone carriers, Ifill told Business Day the company “offers its handsets to both Digicel and bmobile. Each carrier determines based on their strategy what handsets they offer to their customers.” He added that “Open market retailers are also showing increased interest and demand for Huawei handsets and customers are able to purchase unlocked devices with full one-year warranty.” Huawei currently holds approximately 11 percent of the local market. Ifill said the company expects to almost double that by year’s end. “Local market share should reach 20 percent by the end of 2017.” Regionally, Huawei also has a presence in Barbados, The Bahamas, Jamaica and Suriname.