Huawei plans to deliver a flagship phone in the U.S. later this year

Richard Yu, Huawei's consumer products chief, says that the company is going to be producing a flagship phone for the U.S. market. There is speculation that the Huawei P9 will be that phone, competing with the Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5, HTC 10 and the Apple iPhone 6s. Huawei will be unveiling the phone in a few hours, and at this stage the dual 12MP cameras on back (which will use Leica optics) are a feature that neither Samsung or Apple have at the moment. The Apple iPhone 7 Plus, expected to be unveiled this September, is rumored to include a dual camera setup on the back.

Yu has high hopes for Huawei. Back in February, he predicted that Huawei will have the largest market share in the global smartphone market in five years. That would require the company to top current leader Samsung, and runner-up Apple. According to IDC, during the fourth quarter of last year Samsung held 21% of the market with Apple not far behind at 19%. Huawei's share was 8.1%.

Last year, Huawei produced its first Nexus device, the Nexus 6P. The stock Android phone was well received in the U.S., perhaps paving the way for Huawei's decision to invade the U.S. smartphone market. In Europe, Huawei started putting its branded phones inside carrier's stores by paying for in-store promotion. As a result, Huawei's shipments in Western Europe rose 51% last year, beating Apple's 15% growth and Samsung's 2%. This might be a strategy Huawei employs in the states.

source: WSJ