Multinational ICT company Huawei intends to become the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, and its sub-brand Honor aims to become the second largest smartphone manufacturer in China and fourth globally.
In a statement released to the media, Richard Yu, executive director and CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said Huawei will support Honor in the development of cutting-edge products.
He noted Huawei will continue its investments in technology innovation, channel distribution and retail strategies while maintaining a firm dual-brand strategy between Honor and Huawei.
"Huawei Consumer Business Group has arrived at a brand new stage, and Huawei and Honor are likely to become the world's largest smartphone manufacturer this year," said Yu.
Speaking on the sidelines of Huawei Eco Connect 2019 in Johannesburg yesterday, Edwin Diender, vice-leader, MKT and solution sales department, Huawei Enterprise Group, said Honor is a brand Huawei uses for devices it is able to bring to market without legally infringing the partnerships with its original equipment manufacturer partners.
ITWeb previously reported that Honor first made its debut in 2013 as an independent sub-brand of the Chinese electronics giant, and was available through online platforms, mainly motivated by China's uptake of the e-commerce market. Later, the Honor brand started to slowly add offline options in certain territories where it operates.
Since its debut six years ago, the brand has sold over 66 million devices worldwide, and climbed to the number seven spot in terms of smartphone rankings, according to GfK estimates.
The company confirmed its new Honor 10 Lite will be available in SA from today at Vodacom stores for purchase at a retail price of R4 599, with contract packages starting from R249 per month over 24 months.
The Honor 10 Lite enters the South African market via an expanded channel network, with the option to purchase the device both offline and online.
For the first time, financial results show Huawei's consumer business division leads the company's revenue with an increase of 48.4%, outperforming Huawei's carrier network business.
The company said Honor achieved a year-on-year increase of over 170% in international sales in 2018 and ranked number two in global online sales volume with a 29.4% increase year-on-year, based on IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker 2018.
According to IDC, the global smartphone market recorded a 3.1% year-over-year decline in shipments in the first three quarters of 2018.
"Honor bucked that trend and achieved a 27.1% increase," Yu noted.
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