The Huawei Mate 9 U.S. launch is going to take place soon. The Chinese manufacturer is bringing its flagship smartphone to the United States but it may not be all smooth sailing for the company. There are concerns that the company might face a hard time in getting customers to actually spend their money on its handset. One unnamed Huawei U.S. manager quoted in a new report saying that the Mate 9 U.S. launch is going to be “very challenging.”
One of the biggest issues that Huawei faces in the United States is low brand recognition. It might be a household name across Europe and Asia but it’s unlikely that the average consumer in the United States has heard about Huawei smartphones.
Moreover, Huawei has often been linked to China’s government in the past and many believe that its products could potentially be a national security threat to the United States, though Huawei maintains that the allegations are not true.
Huawei is also going to have to ensure that its handsets meet technical demands of cellular networks in the United States and that’s going to cost quite a bit of money. “We haven’t figured out how to remove those obstacles,” says the unnamed manager quoted in this report by The Wall Street Journal.
The company has only confirmed so far that the Mate 9 is going to be released in the United States but it’s yet to provide a confirmed release date. It’s possible that Huawei might choose to sell the device online only as carriers may have little incentive in launching it on their networks.
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