PARIS/LONDON: Huawei the world’s No.3 smartphone maker, will use the launch of a new flagship phone in Paris on Tuesday to make fresh gains in Europe, a region where it has made strides against rivals Samsung Electronics and Apple.
With camera-rich features and starting prices that analysts expect to be aggressive, the P20 series represent Huawei’s fresh attempt to compete head-to-head with Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and the iPhone X in the increasingly look-alike market for smartphones.
The P20 premium version, P20 Pro, comes with a triple camera and sensors that offer top-notch image definition among existing smartphones, Huawei said, in a clear response to camera upgrades for the Galaxy S9 unveiled in Barcelona last month.
The region is a lynchpin of the Chinese company’s ambition eventually to become the world’s No.2 phone supplier. Europe has been insulated from some of the intense competitive pressures Huawei faces from domestic rivals in its home market.
“The challenge for Huawei is to strengthen its brand personality and to steal more market share in Europe, given its absence from the US market,” said Thomas Husson, a consumer devices analyst at research firm Forrester.
“In this regard, the choice of Paris to launch a new flagship smartphone is quite new and interesting.”
Shipments to Europe grew more than 50 percent in the first half of 2017, Huawei has said. In two big smartphone markets – Italy and Spain – Huawei now ships more phones than Samsung or Apple, according to market research firm Counterpoint.
Huawei commanded 23 percent of the Italian market in the fourth quarter, for example.
Across Western Europe Huawei’s market share has risen in recent years to 12 percent, Counterpoint Research estimates.
Huawei’s weakest European markets are Britain, with 5 percent share and France, where it ships 6 percent of the smartphones sold here, but it is seeking to build its presence.
Still, it has begun to face more competition in Europe from a resurgent Nokia phones, run by HMD Global, and Chinese rival Xiaomi (IPO-XMGP.HK), Counterpoint analyst Peter Richardson said.
The market share gains on the continent have helped Huawei offset the company’s exclusion from the world’s most profitable market for phone sellers, the United States.
Targeting Huawei, the chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission said last week it planned to take “proactive steps” to ensure the integrity of the country’s communications supply chain.
China’s Huawei see Europe as stepping stone in Samsung/Apple rivalry
China’s Huawei see Europe as stepping stone in Samsung/Apple rivalry
Apple to update EU browser options, make more apps deletable
- iPhone maker came under pressure from regulators to make changes after the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act took effect on March 7
- Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options
STOCKHOLM: Apple will change how users choose browser options in the European Union, add a dedicated section for changing default apps, and make more apps deletable, the company said on Thursday.
The iPhone maker came under pressure from regulators to make changes after the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act took effect on March 7, forcing big tech companies to offer mobile users the ability to select from a list of available web browsers on a “choice screen.”
The new rules require mobile software makers to show the choice screen where users can select a browser, search engine and virtual assistant as they set up their phones, which earlier came with preferred options from Apple and Google.
In an update later this year, Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options.
A randomly ordered list of 12 browsers per EU country will be shown to the user with short descriptions, and the chosen one will be automatically downloaded, Apple said. The choice screen will also be available on iPads through an update later this year.
Apple released a previous update in response to the new rules in March, but browser companies criticized the design of its choice screen, and the Commission opened an investigation on March 25 saying it suspected that the measures fell short of effective compliance.
The company said it has been in dialogue with the European Commission and believes the new changes will address regulators’ concerns.
It also plans to introduce a dedicated area for default apps where a user will be able to set defaults for messaging, phone calls, spam filters, password managers and keyboards.
Users will also be able to delete certain Apple-made apps such as App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos and Safari. Only Settings and Phone apps would not be deletable.
