Huawei store for Hong Kong

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies will open its first retail store in Hong Kong by the end of July.

Just a week after unveiling its flagship P20 Series smartphones in Hong Kong, the Shenzhen-based company has revealed its plans for a 2000sqft store in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Huawei has a market share of around 10 per cent in Hong Kong, behind Apple and Samsung, but says it is working hard to achieve 15 per cent by the end of the year.

Its latest products at the new store will have prices starting from HK$4980 (US$635), and include the P20 Pro, which has a three-camera system that takes photos with a far higher resolution than the iPhone, reports EJInsight. Huawei senior executive Richard Yu has described it as “the iPhone killer”.

Huawei aims to boost its public exposure in Hong Kong with its own retail store, rather than relying on third-party channels. Already Apple has five stores in the territory since arriving in 2011, while Samsung has its Galaxy Studio. Beijing-based Xiaomi is set to open its third store in Mong Kok next year.

With its store, Huawei will be able to showcase its technological advancements, such as its 5G development and its Kirin mobile processor. Its P20 Pro and Mate 10 have hardware specifications that surpass those of Apple.

Worldwide, Huawei is growing faster than most of its rivals and is in a neck-and-neck race with Apple, says EJInsight. In fact, at one point last year it surpassed Apple in shipping volumes, but then the iPhone X and iPhone 8 series were released.