2018 was supposed to be Huawei’s year where according to reports, the Chinese company was in the process of inking deals with the likes of AT&T and Verizon to bring their phones to the US and be sold officially through the carriers, much like what other brands like Apple and Samsung have been doing.
However their efforts have been hampered by US lawmakers and intelligence agencies who have advised against buying Huawei phones due to alleged national security concerns. Unfortunately it looks like things are only getting worse for Huawei because according to a report from CNET, they have heard from a source that it looks like Best Buy will stop selling Huawei phones in the future.
Prior to this, Huawei handsets could be purchased in the US unlocked at full retail price from the likes of retailers such as Best Buy. However the report claims that Best Buy was the one that decided to end their relationship with Huawei and that they have stopped ordering new phones from the company and will cease sales of Huawei phones over the next few weeks.
In a statement from Best Buy, “We don’t comment on specific contracts with vendors, and we make decisions to change what we sell for a variety of reasons.” Huawei also declined to get into specifics but referred to the retailer as a “valued partner”. It is unclear if the concerns of US intelligence agencies might have been the reason behind this decision, or if it could be something else entirely, but if true this can’t be good news for Huawei who is close to launching their flagship P20 handset.