2022, a tough year for Huawei smartphones but also crucial

We’re about to complete 2022 and it was a tough year for Huawei but it was also an important one for the Chinese smartphone maker in every aspect whatsoever.

This year, Huawei skipped the Huawei P60 series launch event, which used to happen in the first quarter. However, the issues were related to a scrambled supply chain. After the events of the 2019 U.S. blacklisting, Huawei was under tight scrutiny and facing severe challenges in the supply chain.

Hence, components such as smartphone chipsets became hard to organize for new Huawei devices. In 2022, Huawei readjusted around the current business with Qualcomm and used 4G chips in the latest smartphones.

Since Huawei can no longer print HiSilicon chipsets via chipmakers such as TSMC, the company is relying more on Qualcomm and less on Kirin. The beginning was difficult but Huawei later assured sufficient Snapdragon supplies.

GMS:

Google Mobile Services and Play Store have been a big matter of concern for new smartphone buyers. This year, most consumers knew that Huawei phones no longer support Google apps. On the other hand, customers could now easily determine whether to buy a Huawei phone without any confusion.

EMUI and HarmonyOS:

2022 has proven to be a major year in EMUI and HarmonyOS software rollout history and it brings you the latest features. However, the latest version is yet to rollout for old phones.

Smartwatch and wearables:

Other than smartphones, Huawei is focusing on all of the smart consumer platforms such as tablets, smartwatches, and earbuds. The company continues to innovate for a better user experience and launch new products.

Signs of return:

Progress leads toward a positive state and the progress made over the past year is crucial from all angles. To understand, Huawei is gradually returning shipment records in the Chinese market. A place, where Huawei ruled supreme before the U.S. ban.

2022 was a tough year, the move in market share is gradual but the positive numbers for Huawei are encouraging and it laid out a good foundation for 2023.