Huawei: We will be Europe’s number one

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Huawei has doubled down on its intentions to become the world’s top smartphone maker.

The company revealed its latest P30 and P30 Pro handsets in Paris this week as it looks to continue its quest to mobile supremacy, taking the wraps off its most powerful devices to date.

According to recent figures, the Chinese giant recently overtook Apple to become the second-largest manufacturer behind Samsung, but Huawei now has plans on becoming number one.

Next level

“The Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro helped bring smartphones to the next level,” Walter Ji, CEO of Huawei’s Western Euopean consumer business, said at a briefing attended by TechRadar Pro at the P30 and P30 Pro launch event.

“The P30 and P30 Pro...bring better user experience in battery life and camera power that we think can help us push to become number one.” 

Ji notes that Huawei shipped more than 206 million units globally in 2018, bringing it to the cusp of the top spot, and hopes the new devices can push the company that little bit further.

The company famously invests heavily in R&D for new releases, with a Huawei executive telling TechRadar Pro recently that the company has no plans to slow down its spending as it looks to be a world leader in 5G and other technologies.

This continued innovation and progress is what Ji hopes will keep customers returning to the company to snap up its new devices and push it to the number one spot.

“It's hard to call something innovation when the technology is progressing not by year, but by month,” he notes. “It’s important to take advantage of what we have done.”

Ji also revealed that Huawei is planning to open a host of new “experience stores” where customers can get to grips with the company’s products and services up close. Plans for “one or two” flagship stores in top European countries are already well underway, with openings set for later this year.

“When we talk about being number one, it’s more about our experience - we always challenge ourselves to how we can invest and develop the best products,” he adds.

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.