Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Today’s market is changing. And, today’s consumer is changing. The era of over-indulgence has slowly given way to a time of carefully-considered purchasing. And, we are starting to see this transition in the smartphone industry, as well. While there is an affinity for luxury devices in the premium category, the mid-tier smartphone segment is fast becoming widely popular, with unique innovations and high-quality devices at affordable prices capturing consumer interest.
More and more, smartphone users are looking to the mid-tier device category to find a balance between advanced features and competitive pricing. They are now expecting innovation and invention without the high costs, and are pushing for high-quality technology, performance and a heightened user experience in an affordable package.
Huawei is a prime example. Huawei’s motto is to enrich people’s lives through technology, and aims to cater to the needs of its users. The company prides itself on its commitment to R&D, having spent more than $45 billion in R&D over the last 10 years, and is ranked among the top 10 brands in global R&D investment. As a global, iconic smartphone brand, Huawei has an exceptional range of high-end phones in the premium segment, such as its Mate10 series. However, the brand has recognized the importance of the growing mid-tier category, and has a wide range of devices catering to this sector, such as its nova series.
The Huawei nova series has become known for its exemplary camera features, with professional-level imaging functionality that produce great photographs in less than perfect conditions. With high megapixel sizes in its front and back cameras, low-light optimization, beautification and portrait modes and hand gesture image capture, the series captures a number of advanced features at a reasonable price. The Huawei nova 2 Plus, which launched mid last year, received exceptional demand in the KSA market, further highlighting the demand for mid-tier smartphones.
Given the current demand for mid-tier smartphones, we expect to see more launches from brands in this segment this year. Could the anticipated “HUAWEI nova 3e” device which is now available for pre-order & will be available on shelves in the Saudi market by 29th of March to wow the mid-range category? We’ll have to wait and see.
About HUAWEI Consumer Business Group (CBG):
HUAWEI Consumer Business Group (CBG) is one of HUAWEI’s three business groups, providing a range of products including mobile phones, wearables, tablets and laptops. HUAWEI’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries and are used by a third of the world’s population, ranking third in the world in mobile phone shipments in 2016.
Year on year growth was reflected in HUAWEI’s rise as a globally recognized premium brand. In 2017, HUAWEI was named number 49 on BrandZ’s Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, number 88 in Forbes World’s Most Valuable Brands and number 40 on the Brand Finance Global 500 Most Valuable Brands lists. In this year’s Fortune 500 HUAWEI climbed up the list to the 83rd place from the 129th of last year with a revenue of $78.51 billion, making the top global 100 for the first time.
As a leading technology company, HUAWEI invests a significant amount of its annual sales revenue to research and development efforts, and has established 16 research centers around the world. Among these facilities is he HUAWEI Aesthetics Research Center in Paris. HUAWEI’s newest R&D center is the Max Berek Innovation Lab in Wetzler, Germany, where HUAWEI and Leica are jointly researching technologies to improve mobile device camera and image quality.
