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Motorola Razr: 6 burning questions we still have about this foldable phone
Motorola Razr: 6 burning questions we still have about this foldable phone
The 2004 Motorola Razr is back for 2019, this time with a sexy foldable 6.2-inch screen that bends in half and a 16-megapixel camera for all your shots. After playing with it at Motorola's Chicago headquarters, I called it, "Streamlined. Utterly pocketable. Nostalgic, with a sharp futuristic edge." You might call it a flip phone for the modern age -- it even has a secret retro keyboard for nostalgia-seekers.
Motorola's Razr is the third major foldable phone on the market, after the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X, which currently only sells in China. The Razr is also the first design of its kind, a tall, narrow vertically flipping device rather than a tablet replacement that opens up like a book. Motorola's success or stumbles with the Razr could help set the direction of foldable phones to come -- maybe even Samsung's future foldable clamshell, which the company teased at a developer conference last month.
We know a lot about the foldable Razr phone. How much it costs (a princely $1,500) and when it goes on sale (Jan. 9). How its specs stack up against the Samsung Galaxy Fold's and why Motorola wanted to make this foldable flip Razr in the first place. But there are some things we don't know, all of which will be critical to the phone's success. And since preorders in the US don't begin until Dec. 26, it will be a while before we find out.
Read: CNET's in-depth review of the Motorola Razr
How durable the foldable screen really is
The Razr uses a plastic OLED (P-OLED) display with a hard plastic coating on top. Plastic isn't as rigid as glass, which makes today's foldable phone screens more susceptible to damage. Early Galaxy Fold review units suffered from screen damage before Samsung was able to redesign the flaws.
Although Motorola claims its early work on a plastic hard coat for the screen puts it in a better place than Samsung, it isn't clear how well the Razr's screen will be able to sustain the stress of repeated opening and closing throughout its lifetime, and how well it can rebuff normal wear and tear by items coming into contact with the screen, even an accidental fingernail scratch.
If the battery life will truly last all day
Motorola claims that the foldable Razr's 2,510mAh battery will last you all day, but we obviously need to test it to find out, both in our lab and through day to day observation.
But even without testing, a 2,510mAh battery is quite small to power two screens, the camera and all the rest. As one comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S10E has a 5.8-inch screen and a 3,100mAh battery. As another, the (much larger) Galaxy Fold has a 4,380mAh battery.
Part of the problem is that the Razr's total battery capacity is divided into two parts. This design helps keep the phone balanced so one half isn't heavier than the other, but using two batteries is typically less efficient than one larger battery of the same capacity. This was the case with the Galaxy Fold, which ran for less time than expected for its battery capacity -- so we'll keep a sharp eye on the Razr's total battery life per charge.
How splash-proof the screen and body are in daily life
The Motorola Razr has a 6.2-inch plastic OLED display.
James Martin/CNET
The Razr isn't rated for waterproofing, but Motorola says it's splash-proof nonetheless. The foldable phone has been coated inside and out with nanocoating, which helps protect internal electronic components from water damage.
I'll want to see whether ordinary splashes and raindrops affect the screen and camera. The Galaxy Fold came with a long list of care instructions that highlight its fragility, including limited exposure to liquids, so this will be a real test of the Razr's mettle.
If and when Motorola will sell it in colors other than black
Right now the Razr comes in one color, "noir black". If demand is high enough, Motorola may work up a new tone. The first Razr came in a rainbow of eye-popping shades beyond its original silver. I'd love to see this foldable Razr similarly branch out.
How many times the Razr was folded during testing
Motorola isn't saying how many times its Razr was folded and unfolded as part of a stress test. Since in our tests the Galaxy Fold broke after about half the time Samsung said its test was rated for (100,000 folds versus 200,000 folds), our interest is high.
Nobody wants a $1,500 investment to fall apart over the course of a year or two, even though Motorola's warranty does cover a replacement.
Here's Motorola's statement on durability:
We didn't bring the new Motorola Razr to market until we knew it was ready. We have full confidence in the durability of the Flex View display, and based on our research, it will last for the average lifespan of a smartphone. We acknowledge this is a brand new technology and we are committed to continue improving as the industry evolves. Therefore, we've created a world class service package to make sure every Razr customer has an exceptional experience.
Are we looking at the future of phone screens?
Juan Garzon/CNET
If it's worth buying -- and if so, for whom
You want to know, and so do I. Is the Razr a feather in the cap for collectors with means, or will it be a practical device for everyday people? This is unfortunately a question that only the review can answer, after extensively testing the screen, battery stamina, real-life pocketability and camera.
When the review phone arrives, I'll use the device as my one and only phone. Until then, I'll keep posting updates about the Motorola Razr as new information comes in. Feel free to share burning questions of your own in the comments section, or reach out to me at @jdolcourt on Twitter.
Motorola's $1,500 Razr goes on sale in December and arrives in January.
Juan Garzon/CNET
Updated with new information about the January 9 sale date.
Leaked Motorola Razr images give us a first look at the foldable phone's new design
Leaked Motorola Razr images give us a first look at the foldable phone's new design
Update, Nov. 14: The foldable Motorola Razr has been launched, and we went hands-on . Original story follows.
Motorola's foldable Razr is expected to be revealed next month, but the leaks are still coming. Noted leaker Evan Blass shared an image on his private Twitter account that appears to give one of the first clear looks at the foldable phone's design, which Motorola has been teasing for a while. The leaked images don't give us a full look at what the device will look like unfolded, but the leak does reveal that the new foldable Razr's design will remain similar to the original Razr line, including a "chin" that looks like it could house a fingerprint sensor. As for the inside, there is just a hint of the screen's reflection over what previously was the keypad.
A second image shared Thursday afternoon by Blass gave a glimpse at the "closed" display viewing a notification.
Read: The inside story behind the creation of the foldable Motorola Razr.
The new foldable Razr, closed.
Evan Blass
Subsequent images leaked by Blass showed the phone's front screen that doubles as a viewfinder as well as what the phone looks like when fully opened.
The front display and camera on the Razr.
Evan Blass
Motorola did not respond to a request for comment.
Following in the steps of Samsung's recently released Galaxy Fold and Huawei's previously announced Mate X, CNET previously reported that while Motorola had initially planned for a summer release date of its foldable Razr, the company was now targeting a late 2019 release.
The Motorola Razr foldable, as leaked by Evan Blass.
Evan Blass
In addition to the foldable display, the phone has been reported to cost $1,500 and run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 710 processor with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of storage. It is also rumored to come in white, black or gold, measure 6.2 inches long and have a 2,730-mAh battery.
CNET's Corinne Reichert contributed to this story.
Originally published at 8:24 a.m. PT Update 3:05 p.m.PT: Added additional details and images.
That Motorola Razr foldable will squeak out a debut before year's end
That Motorola Razr foldable will squeak out a debut before year's end
Motorola missed a targeted summer launch date for its first foldable phone, but the company still plans to announce its device by the end of the year, a person close to the company told CNET. It's unclear when the device will hit store shelves, but the press and public at least will see the phone in 2019, making Motorola the latest handset maker to jump into the market for foldables.
Read: The inside story of Motorola's foldable Razr .
The device will follow Samsung's Galaxy Fold, which hit shelves in the US on Friday, and possibly Huawei's Mate X, which hasn't yet gone on sale.
Foldables are being developed in a variety of shapes and designs. One thing they all seem to have in common, however, is delayed launch dates. Samsung and Huawei both missed their initial sales plans.
Motorola, a unit of Chinese consumer electronics giant Lenovo, has been working on a secretive foldable phone that's believed to be reviving the Razr brand. Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Fold or Huawei's Mate X, which fold outward from phones into tablets, Motorola's foldable is expected to fold inward like its popular Razr flip phones, according to a patent filing from 2017.
Though Samsung and Huawei showed off their devices at events late last year and earlier this year, Motorola has said very little about its foldable. An executive confirmed the device's existence to Engadget in February and said Motorola had "no intention of coming later than everybody else in the market." CNET later reported that Motorola planned to introduce the phone over the summer.
But summer has come and gone, and Motorola still hasn't said a word about its foldable.
It isn't alone. Early this year, foldables seemed to be the future of smartphones. In a world where phone designs have largely settled into rectangular slabs of glass, foldables represented something truly innovative: a device that's a phone when you want something compact or a tablet when you need more display real estate. Nearly every company in the handset market is believed to be looking at foldables.
Samsung and Huawei, the world's two biggest phone makers, both had grand plans to introduce foldable devices by mid-2019, racing each other to be first with the technology. The designs generated a lot of buzz and got all of us excited about phones again. Then reality hit.
Samsung's Fold woes
Early this year, Samsung seemed poised to be the first major handset maker with a foldable phone. Its $1,980 Galaxy Fold has a 4.6-inch display when folded and a separate 7.3-inch display when unfolded into a tablet. You'll be able to start using apps like Flipboard on the small, front display and then pick up where you left off when moving to the big, inside display.
Reviewers largely liked the device, but Samsung canceled the Galaxy Fold's April sales date, four days before launch, after several reporters discovered screen defects in their review units. Some peeled off a thin top layer on the display, which was an essential protective coating, not a removable screen protector. Others had detritus get under the screen itself, causing bumps and bulges.
"It was embarrassing," Samsung co-CEO D.J. Koh told reporters in late June in Korea. "I pushed it through before it was ready."
Samsung's revamped Galaxy Fold went on sale in the US on Friday.
Angela Lang/CNET
After investigating the issues for about three months, Samsung in July said it had resolved the initial device's problems. Samsung started selling its revamped Fold in September in places like South Korea and the UK. The foldable hit the US on Friday, complete with a new customer service plan to address any issues Fold buyers have.
Huawei's delays
Huawei, meanwhile, hasn't yet started selling its foldable, the Mate X. The $2,600 phone, designed to run on super-fast 5G networks in China and other regions, made its first appearance at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. CEO Richard Yu at the time said if it weren't for the need to build out 5G networks, he could ship the Mate X immediately.
Unlike the Fold, which opens like a book to reveal a bendable screen on the inside, the Mate X has its foldable screen on the exterior. It needs to be opened only when you want to access the tablet-sized display.
Huawei hasn't yet started selling its Mate X foldable.
Juan Garzon/CNET
Huawei may start to sell its Mate X foldable phone as soon as October, Yu said earlier this month in a briefing at the IFA electronics show in Berlin. He blamed the delay on the rollout of 5G and the need to give developers time to adapt their apps to the new screen size.
But he also acknowledged that building a foldable phone isn't exactly easy.
"The manufacturing of this phone is not only very expensive but has some challenges for volume and mass production," Yu said.
Samsung and Huawei aren't the only companies working on foldables. Fremont, California, startup Royole became the first company to introduce a foldable phone with its Flexpai in October 2018. CNET reviewer Lynn La, during her brief time with the $1,318 device, said that "aesthetically, it still looks like a prototype rather than a refined and polished product."
Xiaomi showed off a foldable phone prototype in videos, but it's unclear when the product could launch. Fellow Chinese handset maker TCL demonstrated its concept devices at trade shows this year but said it doesn't plan to launch anything until 2020. And potential foldables from Apple, Google, LG and Lenovo so far are nothing more than rumors.
Razr's popularity
The struggles experienced by Samsung, Huawei and other handset makers are likely the same hurdles Motorola is facing.
Foldable screens are more delicate than normal smartphone displays. They're made of plastic (foldable glass isn't yet available), which means they can scratch easily.
The devices overall have some durability problems, as Samsung has found. Though it said it had resolved the problems experienced by reporters with the first iteration of the Fold, a reviewer from TechCrunch spotted a defect after using his revamped model for only a day. There haven't been reports of issues with consumers' devices in Korea, the UK and other markets where the Fold has already launched.
Samsung said that it encourages "Galaxy Fold owners to read the care instructions included in the box and in the product manual available online. Products used within these guidelines are covered under warranty." Some of those tips include being careful when folding the device to not place any objects like cards, coins or keys on the screen and not pressing on the screen with a hard or sharp object like a pen or fingernail.
Motorola likely is also watching to see the consumer response to the first foldables from Samsung and Huawei, Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said.
"It needs to position the device very carefully," Milanesi said.
Motorola's original Razr was one of the most recognizable phone brands and carried the company to success in the flip phone market. The ultrathin phone first started off at the then-outrageous price of $500 as an exclusive phone for Cingular Wireless (now AT&T). It became one of the most popular phones in history, selling more than 50 million units within two years of its 2004 debut.
But Motorola didn't take advantage of the success of the Razr, and it struggled to compete with Apple and others in smartphones. Google purchased Motorola in 2012, and then resold it two years later to Lenovo. Motorola has made its mark largely on well-outfitted budget phones like those in the Moto G line and in the Moto Z franchise, which is upgradable to 5G via a Moto Mod attachment. But it's also aiming to get into more-premium devices, especially when it comes to 5G.
While Razr is a recognizable name, Motorola doesn't have the luxury of a huge marketing budget and product lineup like its bigger phone rivals, Milanesi said.
And even those companies have found that consumers may be wary to shell out thousands of dollars for delicate phones, making it vital for the initial products to be positioned as devices for early adopters and other people who want to start experimenting with foldable designs. There are compromises with foldable devices, like having no water or dust resistance.
"Companies get carried away with ... this is the future," Milanesi said. "But they're not careful enough to position that this is not for everybody."
When Motorola finally shows off its first foldable this year, we'll find out what the company has learned.
This article was originally published on Sept. 27, 2019.
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Motorola Edge Plus hands-on: A $1,000 5G phone with premium specs
Motorola Edge Plus hands-on: A $1,000 5G phone with premium specs
Motorola, a company best known for its budget and midrange phones, on Wednesday took an enormous step forward into the premium phone market and launched the Motorola Edge and Edge Plus. Both phones join the Motorola Razr as high-end offerings from the Chicago-based company. Whereas the Razr was criticized for its middle-of-the-road tech, the Edge and Edge Plus are brimming with cutting-edge specs that rival Samsung, OnePlus and Apple. It is as if Motorola went to the specs grocery store and emptied the shelves.
The $1,000 Motorola Edge Plus has the same price as the Samsung Galaxy S20, the same size screen as the Galaxy S20 Plus and the same 5,000-mAh battery and 108-megapixel camera as the Galaxy S20 Ultra. (The Edge Plus is not currently available in the UK and Australia, but as a guide, the Galaxy S20 starts at £799 and AU$1,349 in those countries. The Edge will cost £549 in the UK.)
The Edge is meant as a slightly pared-down and less expensive option. Motorola hasn't announced the price, but the more affordable phone will launch sometime this summer. Motorola is taking a similar approach to both phones as OnePlus did with its 8 and 8 Pro, although both Edge phones use the same size display.
Motorola Edge Plus specs vs. Motorola Edge, OnePlus 8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68)
5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; 100X zoom; water resistant (IP68)
Price off-contract (USD)
$999 - Verizon exclusive
TBD
$899 (8GB RAM/128GB), $999 (12GB RAM/256GB)
$1,199, $1,349
$1,399 (128GB), $1,599 (512GB)
The Motorola Edge Plus has 5G
We've seen a lot of phones with 5G launched this year, and the Edge was designed from the start to run on 5G. The Motorola Edge Plus supports both sub-6 and millimeter wave up to 5 gigabits per second. Motorola claims its optimizations will result in the "fastest ever" 5G. We'll have to test those claims.
The Motorola Edge Plus was built from the ground up to be a 5G phone.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Edge Plus has a 108-megapixel rear camera
There are three rear cameras on the Motorola Edge Plus. The main camera has a 108-megapixel sensor which combines groups of four pixels to produce a 27-megapixel image. Motorola says that the sensor is almost three times larger than the 12-megapixel sensors used in other phones, which could help improve brightness and reduce image noise.
I'm excited to try out the Edge Plus camera system in more depth. But the few photos I took looked good on Edge Plus' screen.
The Edge Plus can record 6K videos with 20-megapixel photo grabs during recording. Despite the Edge Plus having a Snapdragon 865 processor, which is capable of 8K recording, Motorola thought 6K better paired to the main camera sensor.
There are three rear cameras: A main wide-angle camera, a telephoto camera and an ultrawide-angle camera.
Sarah Tew/CNET
There's also a video portrait mode, a special long exposure mode with a shutter speed of up to 32-seconds and Night Vision which stacks eight photos and combines them into a single shot that's brighter, sharper and has more detail.
And then on the front, housed in the hole-punch display, is a 25-megapixel selfie camera.
The Motorola Edge Plus has a 90Hz waterfall display
The name Edge refers to the 6.7-inch "endless edge" display that wraps around the sides of the phone. While it's not the first phone to have a waterfall display, it is absolutely stunning in-person. The edge can light up different colors to show your battery charging, alarms and notifications. There's also a neat widget you can access for shortcuts. Motorola built-in grip and touch suppression to minimize any accidental screen touches.
The display wraps around the edges and has a tiny hole for the 25-megapixel front-facing camera to poke through.
Sarah Tew/CNET
If the edges are too much, you can go into Settings and select which apps use the edges and which don't. When the edges are off, they turn black and the screen looks like a normal regular display. During my time with the phone, I didn't see an "all or nothing" switch for turning the edge on and off.
The edges get well-used in the new Moto Gametime mode. You can set them up as shoulder buttons or reposition your on-screen buttons so they're in a better place for gameplay.
I'm not sure how helpful the Edge screen will be in daily use. It's obviously reminiscent of Samsung Galaxy phones and their edge displays. But the gaming functionality pushes it toward gaming phones such as the Asus ROG Phone 2 and Black Shark 2 Pro but without the glowing logo.
Speaking of gaming phones, the Edge's 21:9 ratio screen has a 90Hz variable refresh rate which makes animations look smoother, text and images more crisp and can make gaming (especially high-frame-rate games) more immersive. You can also choose to override the variable setting and lock it in to 60Hz or 90Hz.
The 90Hz display is impressive and automatically adjusts its refresh rate depending on what content is on screen.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Motorola Edge Plus vs. Motorola Edge
In many ways the Motorola Edge is fundamentally the same phone with the same display as the Edge Plus, but made with a more svelte body. It has Sub-6 5G support but not the faster millimeter-wave flavor of 5G. Instead of a Snapdragon 865 found in the Edge Plus, it has a Snapdragon 765 processor. Instead of a 5,000-mAh battery, it has a 4,500-mAh battery. Instead of an 108-megapixel main camera, it has a 64-megapixel main camera.
The biggest difference is price. We don't know exactly what that will be yet, but we have to surmise that if the Motorola Edge Plus is $999 then the Motorola Edge will be cheaper when it's released sometime this summer.
The Motorola Edge is a slightly scaled back and more affordable version of the Edge Plus.
Motorola
Also I should note that in the US the Edge Plus is a Verizon exclusive, but the Edge will be sold unlocked. We look forward to testing out both phones for a review.
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Google adds three Motorola phones to its Google Fi phone service
Google adds three Motorola phones to its Google Fi phone service
Google is adding three new Motorola phones to its list of devices available on its Google Fi phone service, according to a Wednesday blog post. The Moto G Play, Moto G Power and Motorola One 5G Ace can all connect to Google's service. For a limited time, when you sign up for Fi, you can get any Motorola phone for free with Fi service credit, the post says.
The Motorola phones are all more affordable options, particularly the Motorola One 5G Ace, which brings 5G coverage starting at $279. The Moto G Power starts at $199, and the Moto G Play starts at $99.
In recent months, Google Fi has also added the latest Samsung and Pixel flagship phones to its Fi service, including the new Samsung Galaxy S21 series.
Google Fi launched in 2015 as low-cost phone service that uses a combination of cellular coverage from T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular, along with local Wi-Fi networks. The Fi Unlimited plan can get you unlimited data, talk and text starting at $70 for one line, or $45 each for four to six lines. The plan also includes a membership to Google One with 100GB of cloud storage.
See also: Moto G Power review: Motorola delivers on its battery life promise and then some
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Huawei, OnePlus and beyond: China's biggest smartphone brands you should know about
Huawei, OnePlus and beyond: China's biggest smartphone brands you should know about
This story is part of Generation China, CNET's series exploring the nation's technological ambition.
Apple, Samsung and Huawei have long been mainstays on the global smartphone leaderboard, but in recent years there's been a string of new players. Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo might sound unfamiliar to most Americans, outside a tech-savvy bubble, but they're right up there with the world's top brands.
While Samsung wears the crown as the world's largest smartphone company and Apple still pulls in the most profit, Chinese phone-makers have ascended rapidly worldwide and are displaying resilience amid the coronavirus pandemic. Huawei surpassed Apple to become the world's second largest seller of smartphones last year, achieving this coveted milestone without selling any phones in the US, and briefly eclipsed Samsung in April. A Shenzhen-based phone company, Transsion, meanwhile, has overtaken Samsung as the No. 1 phone supplier in Africa since its launch there in 2018.
"Chinese smartphone-makers have captured around 40% of the global market share, showing that Chinese firms are increasingly capable of building consumer products with global appeal," said Dan Wang, technology analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics, a research firm.
In addition to enticing shoppers around the world to buy their handsets, Chinese vendors have worked hard to shed the reputation that they're merely cheap copycats -- they're starting to drive innovations such as foldable designs or pop-up cameras, which offer a window into the future of smartphone technology. Royole, a Shenzhen-based company, unveiled the world's first flexible smartphone, beating Samsung to the punch, although the South Korean electronics giant is often mistakenly credited for it. Nevermind that it was a spectacular failure. Xiaomi, meanwhile, unveiled the first trifold foldable phone that much of the world had ever laid eyes on. Vivo and Meizu both made waves when they released phones without a single physical button and almost no ports.
Generation China is a CNET series that looks at the areas of technology where the country is looking to take a leadership position.
Along with these innovative designs, Chinese phone brands are increasingly churning out high-end phones and pushing price boundaries, aiming to transcend their budget phone image and compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple after focusing on the budget or entry level market for years. Critics say they still have a long way to go.
"These competitive pressures drive changes in pricing, innovation and marketing, but I'm not convinced that Chinese vendors, aside from Huawei previously, pose a significant threat to Apple's brand," said Tuong Huy Nguyen, senior principal analyst at Gartner. "Apple is a high-end brand and an ecosystem-driven experience."
To be fair, China's smartphone industry has witnessed its fair share of failures along with the meteoric rise of companies like Huawei and Xiaomi as the smartphone market consolidates. Gionee, a Shenzhen-based manufacturer that was among the first Chinese firms to break into the lucrative Indian market, went bust last year. There was also Vsun, a Chinese contract manufacturer that laid off all its employees on the same day it filed for bankruptcy in May last year. Small players have been squeezed even tighter amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in Chinese phone-makers refocusing their efforts back to their home market, according to industry analysts.
But the rapid emergence of China's phone-makers on the global stage underscores the country's rising technological prowess. It comes as Beijing seeks to catch up and eventually overtake the US as the global technological leader across 10 high-tech sectors including robotics, semiconductors and even electric vehicles, as part of Chinese President Xi Jin Ping's ambitious master plan known as Made in China 2025. It's this very plan that fueled the costly trade war between Washington and Beijing. In May, Beijing unveiled a follow-up plan that details China's involvement in setting the standards for key tech like 5G.
Still, some Chinese phone-makers are poised to gain market share from Apple and Samsung in the second quarter despite the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged the global economy and disrupted supply chains, according to a TrendForce report published in April.
But who are the key players? The following is a breakdown of all of the Chinese phone-makers you should know, according to how recognizable they are in the US.
Huawei
US chipmakers continue to sell product to Huawei, despite a Trump administration ban on the sale of US technology to the Chinese telecom giant.
SOPA Images
Of all the Chinese phone manufacturers on this list, Huawei is probably the name that needs no introduction. It's the world's second largest smartphone company, and it's at the center of an international battle for technological dominance between Beijing and Washington.
Once virtually unknown to most Americans, the telecommunications giant was splashed across newspapers when top executive (and daughter of the company's founder) Meng Wangzhou was arrested in Canada for an alleged violation of US sanctions with Iran. Since then, the Chinese telecom has regularly made international headlines, especially since the US Commerce Department banned American companies from doing business with Huawei without first obtaining a license.
For Huawei, that meant it could lose access to crucial technological parts including semiconductors, which are key components used in its base stations and phones. It also meant Huawei's handsets were cut off from the full power of Google's Android operating system, along with several popular apps including the Google Play store, Gmail, Google Maps and apps that rely on Google like Uber and eBay.
At its launch in September, the Mate 30 was Huawei's first major phone to launch without Google's proprietary apps. Despite US efforts to constrain Huawei, the company reported first-half earnings this month showing revenue grew more than 13% from a year ago to around $65 billion.
But in May, Washington tightened its entity list measures in a move that blocked Huawei's global chip supply from key supplier's like Taiwan's TSMC, which could put Huawei's future in genuine jeopardy. "It might cripple Huawei, which I consider China's most important technology company," Wang said.
ZTE
ZTE launched the Axon 10 series in the US last year, which marked its comeback into the United States after being swept up in a trade fight with the Trump administration.
Angela Lang/CNET
You may remember ZTE from when it got embroiled in a trade fight with the US government. Once the fourth largest phone vendor by market share in the US, ZTE saw its operations come to a grinding halt after the Commerce Department in 2018 barred the state-owned Chinese telecom from buying components from American companies over sanctions violations.
Although the ban was lifted several months later as the result of Trump's surprise intervention, ZTE paid the US $1.4 billion in penalties, the Chinese telecom took a reputational hit and suffered a $1 billion loss in 2018.
The 35-year-old company had spent years building its brand in the US, where it sold low-cost smartphones through wireless carriers including AT&T and Verizon, selling 19 million phones in 2017, according to Canalys. It had achieved what none of its homegrown competitors had been able to in the US. Much of that evaporated with the controversy.
Last year, ZTE quietly reentered the US market with its "comeback phone," the Axon 10 Pro, its first major phone launch since it was banned. Still, industry analysts say they have doubts over whether ZTE can shake off the impact of the US ban even after installing company veteran Ni Fei at the helm of its consumer electronics business.
"ZTE is expected to face challenges from both its Chinese competitors and the US-China tensions," said Will Wong, research manager at IDC Asia Pacific. "Since ZTE has been banned by the US in the past, the current tensions between the US and China are expected to make its channel players more cautious while working with them."
Lenovo
Angela Lang/CNET
Lenovo is a giant in the PC industry. It can even lay claim to the world's first 5G laptop. But it's also the owner of one of the most iconic American phone companies: Motorola, which it bought from Google for a cool $2.9 in 2015. Still, it's been a long road back to the black for Lenovo's phone business. After years of bruising losses and layoffs, Lenovo's mobile unit turned a small profit last year, its first since it acquired Motorola, thanks to a "clear focus on selected markets, a competitive product portfolio and expense control." This year, the company released a string of phones across the price spectrum under its Motorola label like the revamped Razr, and it's gearing up to release its Legion-branded gaming phone as the company seeks to grow those gains in its phone business.
OnePlus
Launched this month, the Nord is OnePlus' inaugural midrange phone from a brand-new line by the same name.
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Unlike most of its Chinese competitors, OnePlus has emerged as an unlikely success story in the US, breaking into the brutally competitive American smartphone market within the seven years of starting out. The young company, which has roots in tech metropolis Shenzhen, started off there as an online-only supplier of high-end yet affordable phones.
But it truly broke into mainstream America in 2018 when it launched the 6T flagship series with the support of a key US ally: T-Mobile. It was the first time OnePlus had the backing of a major US carrier, which marked an important milestone for OnePlus since most Americans still buy their phones from carriers. It also meant that the phones would be available in T-Mobile's vast network of retail stores around the country.
Jump ahead to 2020, and OnePlus is one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in the US after its phone sales more than tripled in 2019, according to Counterpoint Research. Although its market share remains minuscule compared to those of Apple and Samsung, it has managed to snatch a small slice of the pie from both juggernauts, as well as curry favor with some of the most discerning gadget enthusiasts out there.
In April, it launched its OnePlus 8 flagship series amid the coronavirus pandemic with the backing of Verizon, and is set to launch the more wallet-friendly Nord this month via an augmented reality launch.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi's flagship for this year is known as the Mi 10 series.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi is one of China's earlier homegrown success stories. Founded in 2010, Xiaomi, which was once widely ridiculed for blatantly copying Apple, has matured into one of China's domestic champions, shipping more than 124 million phones in 2019 in more than 90 countries worldwide.
For many years, Xiaomi's not-so-secret weapon has been selling quality phones at near cost. It has even released a $100 phone. This low-margin strategy has helped Xiaomi cultivate a loyal fan base, especially in price-sensitive countries in Asia like India, where its slick Android phones often sell out within hours of release.
Xiaomi generates most of its revenue from selling phones, but recurring revenue from the sale of software and services that ride on its phone allow the Beijing-based company to sell its handsets for cheap. It also sells a portfolio of its own smart products to help boost its brand.
In addition to phones, Xiaomi relies on a portfolio of smart products including bedside lamps and air purifiers to help build its Mi brand internationally. An upgraded electric scooter (pictured above) was launched in July.
Screenshot by Sareena Dayaram/CNET
In recent years, however, Xiaomi -- like many of its rivals -- has prioritized selling more high-priced phones as the global smartphone industry and its margins shrink. This strategy seems to have paid off, with the company reporting nearly 14% revenue growth in the first quarter despite the business challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. It stands in contrast to Samsung and Apple, which have both warned of a challenging year ahead.
Oppo and Vivo
Vivo has broken ground for a 32-story highrise, which will house its headquarters, in the southern Chinese tech metropolis of Shenzhen. It's scheduled to be completed by 2025.
NBBJ
If you're not familiar with the name Vivo, there's still a good chance you have seen some of its phones, which appeared in Marvel's blockbuster Captain America: Civil War. As with its older and larger sibling Oppo, the Chinese phone-maker's trademark marketing style involves using high-profile product placement and sponsorships to win over European shoppers. Although Oppo and Vivo aren't household names in the West, both have vaulted up the global rankings to place within the top six smartphone manufacturers in a comparatively short period of time, due partially to the popularity of their affordable phones among young consumers.
Oppo and Vivo (along with Xiaomi) are expected to have gained even more market share in the April-to-June quarter despite the pandemic, according to IDC. That's mainly because both companies enjoy a strong foothold in Asia, including the world's two largest smartphone markets, China and India, where most of their regional sales are generated, according to Wong. Even though Oppo and Vivo stress that they're competitors, both companies were spun out of the same parent company. BBK Electronics is a privately held, media-shy Chinese conglomerate believed to be the world's third largest manufacturer of smartphones. Along with Vivo and Oppo, it counts OnePlus and RealMe as part of its stable of brands.
RealMe
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RealMe is the baby of the bunch, a 2-year-old company founded by a former Oppo executive. RealMe phones found success quickly because they were cheap but juiced up with cutting-edge technology.
Last year, the company, which is also owned by BBK Electronics, said it shipped 25 millions phones -- a figure it hopes to double by the end of 2020.
"Their connection with Oppo allowed them to form a partnership with channel players in a more efficient way, which might be difficult for new smartphone-makers as channel players may not be familiar with a new brand," said IDC's Wong.
The brand originally piggybacked on Oppo's success, and was known back in 2010 as Oppo Real before it spun off into an independent division. It also rapidly entered new international markets, finding success in India and parts of Europe in recent years. Earlier this year, the company unveiled its first 5G phones as part of a push toward the premium end of the market.
TCL
TCL is the new kid on the smartphone block -- after a fashion. The Shenzhen-listed company has had a long history of designing, manufacturing and marketing phones under brands that are not its own: TCL has produced handsets carrying the Alcatel name, the once-popular Blackberry brand and even has the tiny Palm handset.
In April, the company, better known for making televisions, launched the moderately spec'd TCL 10 series, the debut line using its own brand that included a 5G phone, internationally.
But the Chinese company is also vying to become the next big name in foldable phones, teasing radical designs including a trifold phone and a rollable phone.
Founded in 1981, the Chinese consumer electronics company built its reputation selling value-for-money TVs that mostly kept up with competitors in terms of specs.TCL will continue selling these TVs along with the bevy of consumer electronics under its portfolio, but it's aiming to boost its brand through the more personal smartphone, echoing a strategy employed by industry giants Samsung and LG.
Meizu
The Meizu Pro 6 (center) looks a lot like an iPhone.
Dave Cheng/CNET
Formerly a maker of MP3 players, Meizu was one of the earlier Chinese firms to make a foray into the hypercompetitive world of smartphones. The Zhuhai-based company rolled out its first phones in 2009, quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with domestically, and eventually entering overseas markets like India and parts of Europe.
At its height, it was China's sixth largest domestic manufacturer, shipping approximately 20 million smartphones in 2015, which was a 350% jump from the year before. Huawei sold about 100 million in 2015. In a sign of confidence in its business that same year, Meizu garnered a near $600 million investment from Alibaba, as part of the e-commerce behemoth's push of its own mobile operating system into Meizu's popular handsets.
But Meizu has failed so far to break into the upper strata to join the ranks of China's smartphone elite. Today, the once high-flying company is struggling to stay afloat amid the consequences of misguided business decisions that included the over-release of smartphones and intensifying competition from its homegrown rivals. As players with more financial firepower refocus on the Chinese market, "there is little room left for smaller vendors," said Canalys research analyst Hattie He in a 2018 report.
