Dubai:
Huawei expects more than 30 per cent growth in smartphone value and volume this year from its UAE operations with the launch of new devices.
“We recorded 30 per cent growth in value and volume last year despite stiff competition. Our average selling price is going up every year,” David Wang, UAE country manager for Huawei Consumer Business Group, told Gulf News after unveiling its Huawei nova 3e on Thursday evening.
“We have invested in people and infrastructure in the first half of last year and it showed in the results in the second half. Our intention is to boost value more than volume. The volume will come automatically if we have the brand value and innovative products,” he said.
The 5.84-inch device with a bezel-less display is powered by home-grown 2.36GHz Kirin 659 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage capacity. It sports a small notch, similar to iPhone X, and houses a 16MP camera at the back and a 2MP depth-sensor. The front-facing camera is 24MP. It comes out of the box with latest Android 8.0 Oreo with Huawei’s own skin — EMUI 8.0. It is priced at Dh1,199.
“Our first allotment of Huawei nova 3e is completely pre-booked and the second allotment is expected to be shipped from Hong Kong directly. Nova is also our flagship in the mid-tier segment apart from the P and Mate series,” he said.
Moreover, he said that the pre-booking and first day sales have beaten previous records of nova series launches in the UAE.
The third largest smartphone manufacturer sold 153 million devices globally compared to 139 million in 2016.
The Chinese firm, which opened its first experience store in the UAE last year after Apple and Samsung, is looking for more opportunities to engage with its customers.
“We have one experience store and two service centres in the UAE. This year, we are planning to open three more stores, one each in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Our aim is to cover all the cities in the UAE,” Wang said.
He said that Huawei has benefited from the store opening, enabling them to communicate with their customers.
In line with Huawei’s global consumer-centric strategy, he said the company’s goal is to provide a better choice and a more comprehensive experience for its regional consumers.
“We are not opening the shop to boost the sales but for users to get a first-hand experience of our devices at a more personal level,” he said.
Talking about wearables segment, Wang said that the company is investing heavily in research and development.
“We are very serious about the wearables market. Our revenue is growing year-on-year as we have smartwatches and smart bands,” he said.
