Report: AT&T Expected to Carry a Huawei Flagship in Q1 2018

Chinese OEMs have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, mainly due to the value offerings they provided when compared to some of the other competition. This value proposition is extending on towards the flagship end as well, as even flagship devices from Chinese OEMs now make for competitive choices against top-tier flagship on many fronts.

But despite all of their value and specs, very few Chinese OEMs have managed to make a name for themselves outside of Asia. Particularly in the US, companies like Huawei have to compete against the likes of Apple and Samsung, both of which occupy dominant positions in the market. The situation is complicated by the presence of the Big 4 carriers, who insist on having part of their own identity imprinted on the devices sold through them. And as far as consumer trends go, contracts through the Big 4 are an important piece of business for any prudent OEM.

According to a report from The Information, Huawei appears to have made considerable headway in its quest to become a big player in the US market. The Chinese OEM seems to have successfully negotiated a deal with AT&T, wherein AT&T will carry a Huawei flagship in the first half of 2018. The report does not mention which flagship exactly will be the one, but keeping in mind Huawei’s release timetable for past years, it could either be the Mate 10 or the P11. Or it could be an entirely new flagship for the US, we do not know just yet.

This carrier partnership will be a big milestone for Huawei as this will be the first time the OEM will make one of its top tier flagships available for purchase through a US carrier. AT&T and Huawei were in talks early this year to begin testing Huawei’s Kirin SoC on AT&T’s network, and we are beginning to taste the fruits of this experiment. Huawei falls behind Samsung and Apple in terms of global market share, and a strong foothold in the US market might just help it unhorse the current leaders.

What are your thoughts on Huawei partnering with AT&T? Which device from the Chinese OEM’s current lineup would you like to see available through your preferred network? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: The Information (paywall) Story Via: Droid Life

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