At MWC 2023, Huawei was an unexpected highlight, proving that it is still very much alive and well
This year’s Mobile World Congress felt incredibly underwhelming with Samsung’s presence. It’s clear that the event is no longer a priority for the company. Meanwhile, Huawei was the biggest surprise of the show. It appears that Samsung is looking to shift focus to other areas, while Huawei made a big impact at MWC 2023.
In the past few years, Huawei has faced a lot of criticism and has had difficulty entering the US market with its smartphones. This was due to the Trump administration’s ban, which kept Huawei out of the lucrative market and even influenced other countries to stop using Huawei’s network equipment, resulting in large financial losses for the company.
The US government’s sanctions on Huawei effectively cut them off from US technology, meaning that they could no longer use the Android operating system to propel their growth in the smartphone market. In response, Huawei had to be agile and create their own operating system, all while dealing with the endless issues caused by the sanctions when trying to acquire components, parts, chipsets, and other necessary technologies. Although this was a great setback for Huawei, it ended up being a blessing in disguise for Samsung.
The events of the past have had a tremendous effect on Huawei’s operations. Its founder has declared that the business is in a “survival mode” for the next three years, but instead of resigning itself to defeat, the company chose to take the stage at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona with something to prove. Incredibly, Huawei managed to prove its mettle and make a powerful statement.
Huawei’s booth was gargantuan, taking up nearly half the hall and dwarfing Samsung’s booth by three to five times. Their display featured the full range of their products, from phones and foldables to smartwatches, smart home devices, accessories, network equipment, and more. They also had a section dedicated to their own operating system, highlighting how it has grown their app ecosystem to bridge the app gap for customers.
Huawei made it known that it is far from finished. Recent news might have led many to think that the tech giant is on its last legs, but the company is making sure that the public knows they will not go down without a fight. Despite the many difficulties Huawei still faces, they remain determined to prove that they are here to stay.
Huawei’s booth was so big that it needed to be placed in a separate hall than the one Samsung was in. Despite the ongoing issues the company is facing, visitors were still eager to see what Huawei is doing to tackle those challenges. The booth was filled with activity and Huawei was determined to put on a strong front.
With Huawei facing political restraints, Samsung has become the unintended beneficiary. Even though Samsung had expected Huawei to make a big splash at MWC 2023, the company has still gone ahead with its plans, despite not being prone to size envy. As such, there is no reason for Samsung to worry. The political element behind Huawei’s struggles has further deepened, making it less likely they will be able to compete with Samsung on a global scale.
Source: Sammobile
