Huawei has emerged as a major threat to Samsung’s smartphone dominance in the last couple of years. The Chinese company’s recent flagships have done exceedingly well in the market to be a cause of concern for Samsung. Right when Huawei was trying to make a mark in the Western markets, it has been hit with a debilitating US trade ban that bars American companies from doing any kind of business with the Chinese tech giant.
The biggest setback to Huawei from these restrictions is that it can no longer secure Google Mobile Services (GMS) license for its devices. Because of this, the company’s latest Mate 30 series lacks access to Google’s popular Android apps and services such as Play Store, YouTube, Maps, Search, etc, making its latest smartphones practically useless in markets outside China.
This is an unexpected opportunity for Samsung and, naturally, the company is taking advantage of it. When Huawei was unveiling the Mate 30 lineup in Munich yesterday, Samsung sent promotional emails in Spanish to its customers in Latin America taking a subtle dig at the Mate 30 series for lacking Google services.
The subject line reads “Disfruta de actualizaciones, apps y servicios Google,” which translates to “Enjoy updates, apps and Google services.” The email contains an image of a Galaxy Note 10 with app icons of various Google apps and services. Though there is no mention of Huawei or its devices anywhere, the timing of the email blast and Samsung’s track record in mocking rivals make the target obvious.
Samsung rarely touts its relationship with Google while marketing its devices, but given the situation Huawei is in, it has sensed an opportunity. The current situation will also help the Korean tech giant to retain its position as the world's largest smartphone vendor in the foreseeable future.
