A few years ago, if we had asked you if you had heard of Chinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE, many of you would have answered “no”. In 2015, you might still not be completely familiar with the name, but you should definitely remember the name going forward as ZTE has started to make a big push in the US. According to Bloomberg, ZTE is number four in the US in terms of shipments, which is pretty incredibly when you consider that the only manufacturers ahead of them are Apple, Samsung and LG, with ZTE taking out 8% of the pie.
While its increase in market share is a sign of good things to come, ZTE has only managed to get here by making some ridiculously cheap devices, like the ZTE Maven which retails for $60 USD. So despite the fact their market share has doubled since the start of 2014, ZTE’s revenue has only increased 4%, a sign that the manufacturer has had to make some serious margin concessions just to get where they are. Whether this is sustainable in the long term remains to be seen, but for the time being, the name ZTE is here to stay. As ZTE senior director, Peter Ruffo, says:
“ZTE is taking the long view. We are very patient.”
What do you think about ZTE making a push in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Bloomberg via TalkAndroid
