Huawei Sells USD70 Million of Mate 30 Phones in Just One Minute

LIAO SHUMIN

(Yicai Global) Sept. 27 — Chinese smartphone maker Huawei sold some CNY500 million (USD70 million) worth of its new Mate 30 handsets in just one minute yesterday, after pricing the local model cheaper than its overseas alternative.

The Shenzhen-based firm began selling the device at 6.08 p.m. in offline stores, at authorized online retailers and on its own e-commerce platform Huawei Mall, the Securities Times reported. The USD70 million worth of sales was from Huawei Mall alone.

The Mate 30 was unveiled in Germany last week with an anticipated European price tag ranging from EUR799 (USD872) to EUR1,099, while the Chinese version sells for between CNY3,999 (USD560) and CNY6,299 — about 60 percent to 70 percent of the international price depending on the model.

Huawei has delayed its Europe release of the Mate 30 due to the US’s ban on supplying to the firm — which several countries have touted as a threat to their national security. This has prevented it from running the Android operating system and offering Google’s mobile apps, such as the Play Store and Google Maps.

Huawei will launch the 5G version of the Mate 30 on Nov. 1, priced from CNY4,999 and upwards. A special edition Porsche Design RS model will also hit shelves on Nov. 10, the day before China’s biggest single-day shopping festival, priced at CNY12,999.

Editor: James Boynton