Huawei is a competitor that Apple cannot afford to ignore

Apple released its new series of products on Tuesday, with the focus being on iPhone11. Interestingly, during the presentation, an Apple employee compared iPhone11 with Huawei smartphones.

In the 12 years of iPhone, from the first generation to the current model, this is the first time Apple has compared its product with that of Huawei. It means two things.

First, Huawei is a competitor that Apple can no longer ignore. With sales of 59 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2019, Huawei is indeed a big player in the global smartphone market. And the reference to Huawei products by a pioneering company such as Apple should be seen as an acknowledgement of Huawei’s prowess.

Second, Huawei should expect tougher competition from Apple. Since iPhone sales dropped 30 percent to 36.4 million in the first quarter of 2019, Apple may adopt a more aggressive marketing strategy to boost sales. For example, the cheapest model Apple released on Tuesday costs $699, less than last year’s iPhoneXR.

Also, Apple is adding more value to iPhones, as the new iPhones have A13 bionic processors, said to be the fastest of its kind, and the new super retina XDR display in iPhone11 is a pro display, the brightest display ever.

Yet no new iPhone11 model is compatible with 5G networks. Apple is reported to have paid billions of dollars to settle a dispute with chipmaker Qualcomm in April to get the technology needed to make 5G iPhones, but 5G iPhones won’t appear until next year.

By contrast, Huawei released Mate20X, which fits 5G networks, in February. Which means Huawei is leading the global 5G market. Also, Mate20X is a foldable smartphone, a breakthrough in high-tech.

Apple is clinging on to the principle of faster, bigger clearer, while Huawei is embracing the 5G technology. Nobody knows which company will dominate the market in the future, but one thing is certain — the future needs breakthroughs.