Huawei can’t stop taking shots at Apple. After the iPhone XS was unveiled with little new, Huawei tweeted “ Thank you for letting us be the real hero of the year ,” a tease for their upcoming Mate 20 Pro unveiling next month. (As an aside, “real hero of the year” is a really weird thing to say, right? It’s a smartphone, not Iron Man.) Now Huawei’s taking another shot -- by handing out battery packs to people waiting in line for the iPhone XS and XS Max in Singapore. The packaging says “You’ll need it”, which is actually a valid boast: Anandtech found that Huawei’s P20 and P20 Pro had better battery life than the iPhone 8 and X. From a certain point of view, you could say that Huawei has just rewarded some of Apple’s most loyal customers by giving them a free gift. Because, let’s be real: Anyone lining up for hours for an iPhone is unlikely to suddenly be tempted by a free battery pack to switch to Android and Huawei. But while it’s clearly a marketing stunt, it’s also a very good one! It’s Apple’s big day, but Huawei managed to steal some of the limelight, which is impressive. Huawei isn’t the first company to poke fun at Apple fans waiting in line. Samsung has been doing it for years, all the way back to 2011 . Now with all this build-up, Huawei has to deliver with the Mate 20 next month. And so far the leaks are… underwhelming . Huawei’s Mate 20 leaks, along with their own AirPods For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters , subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast , and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report . Also roam China Tech City , an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus .
