Huawei to offer 5G, foldable smartphones
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, poses with the company's latest foldable screen model.
Huawei Technologies sold more than 10 million 5G smartphones in January, after selling 240 million units in 2019, making it the world's second-largest smartphone vendor, the company said on Monday.
It also launched its latest foldable screen Mate Xs as Huawei entered the foldable device segment.
“Huawei Mate Xs is raising the bar further with even more powerful connectivity (on 5G) and integrated user experiences,” Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said at a conference in Barcelona.
The Mate Xs, featuring Kirin 990 5G processor, improved camera and a foldable screen user experience in both smartphone and tablet modes, will start sales in March with prices from 2,499 euros (US$2,712).
Among major vendors, only Huawei and Samsung offer foldable screen smartphones.
In 2019, Huawei’s smartphone sales surpassed 240 million units, securing its position as the world’s second-largest handset manufacturer behind Samsung. The PC and wireless audio product businesses both grew by more than 200 percent and wearables saw growth of 170 percent.
During the conference, Huawei also launched 5G-featured products including a flagship 5G tablet and new laptops and a Huawei Mobile Services-based app marketplace.
“We will continue investing in our edge technologies including chipsets, 5G communications, mobile AI, operating systems, cameras and audio-visual solutions so as to build our long-term competitive advantages. We are also eager to work with developers globally to catalyze the growth of the all-scenario ecosystem,” said Yu.
Also in 2019, Huawei’s total revenue reached 850 billion yuan (US$121.4 billion), 18 percent growth year on year, despite of US sanctions and related uncertainties.
