The Huawei P20 Lite could be the best-selling smartphone in South Africa
Huawei recently launched its P20 smartphone lineup in South Africa, which includes the P20, P20 Pro, and P20 Lite.
The P20 and P20 Pro boast flagship-grade specifications and are aimed at the high-end smartphone market, while the P20 Lite is a mid-range device which offers modern features at an attractive price.
Huawei’s P20 Lite retains the notched FullView display of its flagship siblings and sports a dual-lens camera – along with support for face unlock biometric security.
Huawei South Africa Marketing Director Akhram Mohamed told MyBroadband that its previous Lite smartphones have seen impressive sales in South Africa, and dominate the mid-range market.
“The Lite series has always done well in South Africa,” said Mohamed.
“We have very high volumes in the mid-range segment and have completely taken over that market with our products.”
Mohamed said the mid-range market is much bigger than the flagship smartphone market in South Africa, and that the P10 Lite was one of the most popular devices in South Africa last year.
“The Huawei P10 Lite was not the most successful smartphone overall, but it was the most popular device in the postpaid segment,” he said.
“One of our biggest considerations is whether we can meet the massive demand for these devices in South Africa.”
The company has sold so many smartphones in South Africa that it is building a dedicated warehouse to meet local demand, he added.
The warehouse will be the first dedicated Huawei product distribution centre built outside of China.
Big potential
Following the success of the P10 Lite, Mohamed is confident the P20 Lite will perform exceptionally in South Africa.
Pre-orders for the Huawei P20 Lite showed a great interest in the device from local consumers, and Huawei has managed to ship higher volumes of its smartphones thanks to improved operator confidence.
“I think the P20 Lite will really dominate in South Africa,” said Mohamed.
The price of the P20 Lite is R5,999, however – R1,000 higher than that of the P10 Lite launch price.
Mohamed said customers would not be deterred by the small price increase, though.
“The device shares many features with the flagship P20 lineup, and this will make it even more popular among consumers,” he said.
If the Huawei P20 Lite sells better than the P10 Lite did in 2017, it could become the best-performing smartphone in South Africa.
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