I came across a very interesting story today that seems to show that consumer backlash against Huawei might be starting. In Britain, Huawei phones are being traded in at a record pace, and interest in Huawei phones has dropped. This trend apparently started when Trump and the US banned the company from doing business with the US:
Trade-in and price-tracking companies report a surge in U.K. consumers trading in devices from the Shenzhen-based manufacturer, while interest from buyers fizzles. The numbers show that concerns around the company have extended beyond trade talks and corporate procurement and turned into backlash at retail, where Huawei makes most of its sales.
Gadget trade-in website WeBuyTek, which buys and resells about 36,000 handsets a year, has seen a 540% increase in the number of Huawei devices booked this week versus last. That’s the biggest jump it’s ever seen, the company’s director, Paul Walsh, said by email. “‘We have temporarily stopped accepting any new trade-ins, as we expect the value of these devices to plummet,” he said… The website http://www.SellMyMobile.com reported a rise of up to 282% in the number of people assessing the value of their Huawei handsets from May 20 to May 22, compared with previous days, according to a representative…
The rush follows the decision by BT Group and Vodafone Group to pull the Huawei Mate 20 X phone from their launches of fifth-generation wireless products. The British carriers joined others from around the world, citing uncertainty after Huawei was cut off from U.S. companies by new trade restrictions and barred from receiving software support for the Android operating system from Alphabet Inc.’s Google.
So it seems that Huawei’s problems now extend beyond the Trump administration to rank and file consumers who are steering clear of the brand. That’s not good for Huawei because I remember that ZTE phones were very popular before Trump and company dropped the hammer on them. Now they might as well not exist. You have to assume that the same fate exists for Huawei. Which is not good for the troubles smartphone maker.