As Apple is set to once again storm the smartphone market by launching the iPhone 8, competitors including Huawei, OnePlus and Samsung are planning to take on the new iPhone offering. All these three companies are developing their own marketing strategies to make things difficult for the upcoming Apple model, but will they succeed?
Huawei is the newest in the race to rival the Apple iPhone 8 with its upcoming Mate 10. In a recent media interaction, CEO Richard Yu stated that the Shenzhen-headquartered company is in development to bring features like a bezel-less display, fast charging support and an enhanced camera to the new flagship to deliver an "even more powerful" experience than the next iPhone model.
While Huawei has been a successful player in the smartphone market for the last some years, it is the first time the company is directly competing against the Cupertino company. The reason seems to be quite clear. It is to expand presence in the global markets and debut in the US with all pomp and show.
The Chinese obstacles
But coming to Huawei's homegrown competitor OnePlus -- the company which is renowned for its "flagship killer" offerings, it has the OnePlus 5 that is already reminiscent of the last year's iPhone 7 Plus. OnePlus has provided an advanced hardware on its new flagship that is enough to rival the iPhone 8. You'll get a 10nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. All that at a price less than the two-year old, 32GB iPhone 6s. As a masterpiece, the Chinese smartphone comes equipped with a proprietary Dash Charge technology that practically reduces the charging time and enhances its battery life.
Huawei and OnePlus both are working day and night to ruin the plans what Tim Cook and his team have been ideating closely. Notably, the duo is also providing custom Android to deliver distinct experiences.
The old pal (foe) on way
Apple doesn't only need to be careful of the Chinese giants but also have to consider its old fellow and the strongest competitor in mind while launching the new iPhone. That competitor is none other than Samsung that has been fighting against the iPhone maker since the launch of its first Galaxy S flagship in March 2010.
Though the Galaxy Note 7 crisis that surfaced last year wiped off 98 percent of profits from Samsung's mobile division, the company has already recovered the losses -- in terms improving its brand image -- by developing the highly superior Galaxy S8 lineup. The South Korean company is also in plans to launch the Galaxy Note 8 ahead of the iPhone 8 to grab more eyeballs.
The arrival of the new Galaxy Note model would include some advanced features to adversely affect the sales of the next-gen iPhone. Moreover, it would be the first smartphone to run on Android O out of the box. The new Android presence will help the smartphone to counter not just the upcoming iPhone but also the army of high-end Android devices that include the Huawei Mate 10 and the OnePlus 5.
Having said that, Apple is busy in making the iPhone 8 available on time -- sometime around early September. It is expected to cost $999 with an OLED display, dual-camera setup and wireless charging support.
