We want to set up in the U.S. despite ban: Huawei

China’s largest smartphone maker, Huawei, joined Google Inc. and other technology companies in supporting Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook in the privacy case against US courts.

The Chinese electronics company grabbed the No. 3 spot in smartphone shipments at the end of 2015, posting 44.3 percent annual growth. For instance, the average price for Huawei smartphones in China was $213 past year, up 21 percent from 2014, according to IDC. The launch of Huawei’s first ever laptop with a detachable screen and Microsoft Windows 10 is another giant step by the Chinese smartphone market leader. The company has had a hard time breaking into the US market because the USA government effectively banned its products due to concerns about cyber-security.

Unlike in the U.S., where at its launch Apple Pay was innovative and new, Australian banks like the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) have offered contactless payments (to Android users) for two years. In China, the whole market is saturated and there is a little bit of a slowdown, but our market share, Huaweis market share, we are increasing. He also said that his company are investing in VR products because “virtual reality changes people’s lives”.

Worldwide sales of smartphones have grown by 9.7 per cent from the year previous, totalling 403 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to Gartner. Samsung led the way with 320.2 million phones sold a year ago. Although Oh has the iPhone 6, he said he would buy Huawei’s flagship smartphone if the company starts selling it in South Korea. While Huawei shipped 108 million smartphones in 2015, Apple shipped over 231.5 million and Samsung more than 317.2 million.

Even if downplaying Huawei’s prospects may still sound reasonable to ordinary consumers – or Korean competitors – there is a crucial factor that should be closely monitored in the coming months and years.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi released its new smartphone Mi5 on Wednesday, after a year of attempting to maintain its dominance in the world’s largest smartphone market with budget devices.

“Maybe I am not humble”, Yu said at a meeting in Barcelona.