Despite US ban and no Google support, Singaporeans still seem to love this brand

By Gani Mohamed Waseem
December 2, 2019 11:38 +08

Huawei is a brand that's definitely not new to controversy. The Chinese technology giant is currently in the middle of a ban in the US with the US federal government asking vendors and carriers to halt the sale of Huawei smartphones because the Trump administration "strongly believes" that the company may be snooping US information to China.

Despite the US ban Huawei fans elsewhere, especially in Asian countries seem to be queueing outside retail stores whenever a new Huawei product launches. Could this mean that people in Asia seem to be less concerned about their privacy? Or could it just be that Huawei, which is the world's second largest smartphone manufacturer, has established itself as a reliable brand with a fan following that counts in the millions?

It isn't surprising to see long lines of fans and buyers quequing up outside stores in Huawei's home country China, but Huawei seems to have a similar fan following and mass appeal in Singapore as well. Hundreds of Singaporeans lined up outside popular retailers last month when the Huawei Mate 30 series was launched in the Lion City.

And now, following the successful launch of the Mate 30 series, with more than 200 handsets sold on the very first day of sale, Huawei seems to be continuing to attract customers in Singapore by widening its range of products. And the crowds continue to swell, signalling Huawei's growing popularity in the country.

Building a hollistic product ecosystem

As we inch closer and closer to welcoming the new year, Huawei seems to be striving hard to provide a hollistic product ecosystem (like Apple) for its customers in Singapore in order for them to experience seamless interconnectivity between their smartphones and other devices. The latest launches from Huawei include the new Huawei Watch GT 2, Gentle Monster Huawei Eyewear and most recently the Huawei Freebuds 3.

The Freebuds 3 which were launched on November 30, are a pair of true wireless stereo Bluetooth earphones from Huawei that feature the world's first open-fit design with active noise cancellation. Huawei's alternative to the Apple AirPods Pro drew more than 150 customers in line before the doors opened at 11 AM in SITEX 2019. The Freebuds 3 are available to buy at S$238 and come in two colours, Carbon Black and Ceramic White.

Huawei's latest

The Huawei FreeBuds 3 was first unveiled in September during IFA 2019 in Berlin and comes with features such as active noise cancellation, studio quality audio, dual modes Bluetooth 5.1, intuitive controls, aerodynamic mic duct, and up to four hours of nonstop playback. The earphones are available at all local telecom operators, major consumer electronics stores and at all Huawei Concept Stores in Singapore and at Huawei's Flagship Store in Lazada.

By launching ecosystem products such as the Freebuds 3 and Huawei Watch GT 2, Huawei seems to be Apple's approach, and it seems like a logical solution now more than ever since newer Huawei smartphones won't come with many Google services including the Google Play Store and YouTube.

Next comes competition with Android OS

Huawei has already released its Harmony OS aka Hongmeng OS which has its own app store and alternatives to Google apps such as YouTube, but it remains to be seen whether the OS has the potential to compete with Android, or will it be just another trial and error effort like Samsung's BADA and Tizen OSes. But with Huawei's resources and growing user base it seems like it can survive without Google's support.