3rd: Huawei - Q1 2018 market share = 10.5 per cent. Christof Stache / AFP
3rd: Huawei - Q1 2018 market share = 10.5 per cent. Christof Stache / AFP

New Huawei phones a direct challenge to Apple and Samsung



China's Huawei on Monday unveiled a new line of smartphones that match or even improve on key features offered by Apple or Samsung while undercutting their rivals on price.

Huawei aims to distinguish itself through technological advances that will put it on a level playing field with the most coveted premium-priced devices, helping to boost profitability that has been undermined by heavy discounting in the chase for market share.

Monday's product launch in Munich introduced Huawei's new Mate 10 series, touting high-end cameras, screens and batteries but at prices 15 to 30 per cent below more or less comparable Apple and Samsung smartphones.

Huawei was the world’s third-largest smartphone maker by shipments last year, temporarily overtaking Apple as as the second-largest in June as consumers awaited the new iPhone 8 and iPhone X line-up, data from Counterpoint Research show.

With Apple's latest models now on the market, Huawei has weighed in with the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, featuring, respectively, 5.9-inch and 6-inch edge-to-edge displays, as well as fast-charging batteries that sustain two days of heavy use.

"The Mate 10 line ticks all the boxes in terms of screen size, high-quality camera, powerful processor and slick design - competing with rival products from Samsung and to some extent, Apple," said the CCS Insight mobile analyst Ben Wood.

Perhaps the most distinctive features of the Mate 10 series is its image recognition capability - an artificial intelligence feature that can tell the difference between people, flowers or other objects in different light or weather conditions. The Mate 10 also boasts cameras with high-grade Leica f1.6 aperture lenses.

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"We have the ability to start helping the novice become a professional-grade photographer," said Peter Gauden, a senior Huawei product marketing manager. "[It] is not only a smartphone, it is an intelligent machine."

In March Huawei vowed to focus on profit margins and reduce spending this year after posting its slowest profit growth in five years in 2016.

Although it has become more focused on mid-tier and premium phones and reduced its appetite for market share at any cost, it still has a long way to go.

Apple captures nearly two thirds of the smartphone industry's profits and Samsung accounts for almost a quarter while Huawei and Chinese rivals operate on meagre margins of about 4 per cent, Counterpoint Research estimates.

Those modest margins put a cap on how far Huawei can go with further discounting.

China’s largest smartphone maker is looking to sustain its momentum in international markets such as Europe while also differentiating itself from fast-growing domestic rivals through technical advances.

"Today our product is getting better and better, but the challenge for us is our branding," said the Huawei consumer business group chief Richard Yu. "Our brand, many people don’t know that, they don’t know Huawei."

Huawei's European growth exceeded 50 per cent in the first half of 2017, outpacing other regions, Mr Yu said, adding that European sales had helped to compensate for sluggish growth in emerging markets.

The Mate 10, priced at €699 (Dh3,031), will go on sale in 15 countries this month, ranging from Spain to the Arabian Gulf, Australia and South East Asia, Huawei said.

The slightly more feature-rich Mate 10 Pro will be priced at €799 and start to ship in mid-November to 20-plus countries, including Germany, France, Italy, as well as Asian and Middle East nations. The company also said it will offer a luxury Porsche Design edition at €1,395.

Samsung's comparable top-of-the-line phone, the Galaxy Note 8, is priced at €999 in Germany. Apple's smaller-screened iPhone 8 starts at €799  while the iPhone 8 Plus is €909 and the iPhone X starts at €1,149 euros on the company's German website.

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ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
 

The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight

Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.

Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.

Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.

“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.

Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.

Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.

However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.

With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.

In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.

The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.  

The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.

Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

Gully Boy

Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi​​​​​​​
Rating: 4/5 stars

SPECS
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The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
​​​​​​​Bloomsbury Academic

Company Profile

Company name: Fine Diner

Started: March, 2020

Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka

Based: Dubai

Industry: Technology and food delivery

Initial investment: Dh75,000

Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp

Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000

Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months