Smartphones5.06.2020

Huawei expects great P40 Lite sales in South Africa

Huawei P40 Lite 1

Huawei anticipates that its new P40 Lite mid-range smartphone will perform exceptionally well in the South African market.

The Huawei P40 Lite was recently launched locally and is priced at R6,499 – making it an attractive option for mid-range smartphone buyers.

In addition to its attractive price, the P40 Lite offers a range of flagship features and a modern design.

The device sports a quad-lens rear camera system, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage, as well as a powerful HiSilicon Kirin 810 chipset.

One of the biggest differences between the P40 Lite and the previous-generation P30 Lite is the use of Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) on Android 10 instead of Google Mobile Services (GMS).

This means that Google services will not run natively on the smartphone. Instead, the device will sport integration with Huawei’s ecosystem – including its AppGallery app store and cloud services.

Huawei has stated it will support customers who purchase HMS-powered smartphones with migrating to the new ecosystem, and it has partnered with a number of local companies to include support for their applications on its app store.

Huawei’s previous P30 Lite mid-range smartphone performed exceptionally well locally, becoming one of the most popular smartphones in the country.

Speaking in an interview with MyBroadband, Huawei CBG South Africa general manager Likun Zhao said that the company expects its new mid-range smartphone to continue this trend.

He acknowledged the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the migration to an HMS-powered Android operating system, but said the company had seen good performance in its sales so far.

Local strategy and challenges

“Huawei had to overcome two challenges, the first being the introduction of a new ecosystem in the form of HMS and the second being the impact of the national lockdown,” Zhao said.

“Due to the national lockdown, our smartphone sales encountered great difficulty during the month of April, as have many other companies.”

“However, between the 1st to the end of May, our sales had completely recovered to pre-lockdown levels.”

Zhao said that this growth was driven by sales of its Y7p and P40 Lite devices, which exceeded the company’s expectations.

“For this, we thank our local consumers and partners for the trust and support they have offered us,” Zhao said.

He added that when Huawei first introduced HMS devices to South Africa, this came with a lot of uncertainty.

However, the company succeeded in collaborating with South African developers and partners to produce an ecosystem which provides users with a range of versatile services.

“App Gallery now features applications from almost all local financial institutions, streaming and content services, travel and leisure, ecommerce and connectivity partners,” Zhao said.

Cover all segments

Zhao said that Huawei’s strategy for its new smartphones is to penetrate all smartphone sectors in South Africa.

“Huawei’s strategy for HMS phones in South Africa is to cover all segments, from mid-range, flagship and entry-level,” Zhao said.

“From the feedback of consumers after the sale of Y7p and P40 Lite, the confidence in the mid-range HMS phones are at an all-time high.”

Huawei already has a large P Lite series user base in South Africa, which it said is the largest potential user base for HMS locally.

“The P40 Lite will inherit the high-spec, class-leading photography, and well-designed premium build of the previous-generation products,” Zhao said.

“We expect the P40 Lite to become a bestselling star in 2020 and for Huawei to exit these challenges stronger.”

Huawei Mr Zhao + logo

Huawei South Africa CBG general manager Likun Zhao

Now read: Huawei P40 launched in South Africa – Pricing and details

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