Huawei's latest model expected to help in battle against Apple and Samsung

Huawei plans to sell 15 to 20 million just-released flagship P20 products globally, thanks to an AI-featured chip, powerful low-light photography features and a relatively attractive price point, Shanghai Daily learned today.

It’s the latest move for Huawei, now the world’s No.3 smartphone brand, in its attempt to challenge Apple and Samsung in the 5,000 yuan (US$794) and above segment, analysts said.

Huawei's P20, which offers what media and research firm DxOMark described as “industry-best low light camera performance and battery life,” debuted on the China market yesterday in Shanghai. 

“The sales will start from 15 million units, 20 million hopefully, thanks to investment in photography and chip research,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer business group.

Huawei's best-selling products are the P9 and P10, with global sales of about 15 million units and 10 million units respectively, analysts said.

“The target is a little aggressive but it’s not impossible at all,” said Jia Mo, an analyst of Canalys.

In China, the world’s biggest smartphone market, iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy products don’t sell as well as other markets. This brings market opportunities to domestic vendors like Huawei and Xiaomi, who just released flagship model Mix 2s with an enhanced camera, Jia said.

But Huawei needs to strengthen its foothold in Europe, its second biggest market.

In China, Huawei’s P20 products cost between 3,788 yuan and 6,288 yuan, with the most popular model selling at 5,488 yuan. 

The prices of Huawei's P20 line in China are 100 to 200 euros cheaper than Europe, industry insiders said.