Behind the rise of China’s smartphone brands lies growing unease over country’s tech gains
- Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are helping change people’s perception about the quality of Chinese Android phones
- China is now home to some of the most successful smartphone brands, rivalling the likes of Samsung Electronics, Apple and LG Electronics
Like many urban Chinese consumers, Shenzhen civil servant Gao Jian has had a long-held belief that the quality of domestic smartphone brands paled in comparison with foreign brands, especially Apple.
But in December, Gao joined the growing number of mainland consumers who have made the switch from Apple’s iPhone to a premium Android smartphone from a major Chinese brand. He bought a Mate 20 Pro, the flagship model from the country’s largest smartphone supplier Huawei Technologies.
“Its design and cameras are better than what I expected,” Gao said. “Also, iPhones have become increasingly unaffordable.”
His experience reflects the broader success of the Chinese mobile phone industry in smashing people’s perception that domestic suppliers are only good for inexpensive, low-quality products.
That stereotype has beset many Chinese brands in the home appliances, consumer electronics, personal computer, car and mobile phone markets, where products from more established brands in the US, Japan or Europe were preferred by mainland consumers for many years.