Huawei dragged China’s smartphone market down in 2020

Huawei dragged China’s smartphone market down in 2020. Source:: AP

Huawei says Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 disaster is a reminder to focus on quality

SAMSUNG rival Huawei has weighed in on the former’s struggles with the notoriously firey Galaxy Note 7 smartphone – which Samsung laid to rest this week – saying that the debacle was a reminder to all companies to put quality first.

Speaking to the Economic Times, George Zhao, president of Honor business unit – which is a sub-brand of Huawei Corp. – said that the smartphone industry should keep a close eye on details that could make a “big impact” in their products.

Zhao, quoted by ET, said: “Internally, [we and industry] should be very careful because you cannot ignore any small detail, which can have a big impact.”

SEE ALSO: Turn off your Galaxy Note 7 phones immediately, says Samsung as crisis deepens

He went on to say that while Huawei respects Samsung, the failure of the Galaxy Note 7 is a “reminder to be very, very careful to manage our internal quality”, adding that innovation and quality should be the “strategic control point”.

Zhao’s comments come as the Chinese brand, the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, launches the Honor 8, Honor 8 Smart, and Honor Holly 3 smartphones in India. Huawei plans to plow spending into marketing the three new offerings as India enters the Diwali festive season.

In sharp contrast, Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy Note 7 is officially dead two months after its launch, and has sliced off US$2.3 billion off its profit guidance, reports ET.

According to Reuters, the tech company is now mailing fireproof boxes and protective gloves to customers still in possession of the potentially explosive devices. The boxes contain a ceramic fiber paper lining with two smaller boxes inside, as well as a static shielding bag.

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However, many Samsung customers are still choosing other Samsung models rather than migrating towards Apple or other smartphone brands, said Verizon Communications Inc. spokeswoman Kelly Crummey.

She said, quoted by Reuters: “The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are really popular with customers. From what we’ve seen with customers, if they like Android, they like Android – and if they like iOS, they like iOS.”