Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

African Consumers Still Want Huawei Smartphones Even Without Google’s Services

South African telecom operator Telkom's best-selling high-end smartphone brands in 2021.

When Huawei was added to the U.S. entities list in August 2020 that blocked the Chinese telecom giant from using American technology on its smartphones, most notably Google’s Android operating system, many commentators wrote obituaries for the company’s once-dominant handset business.

Few thought that in today’s bifurcated Apple OS <> Android OS world, a third mobile operating system would be able to survive.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.