Huawei Mate 10 Pro launching as an unlocked phone in US for $799 on 2/18, pre-orders start 2/4; Huawei committing to two years of Android security updates
Huawei is in the top three for worldwide smartphone market share and is finally kicking off an intense effort to make Huawei a name US consumers will recognize.
Context & Ripple Effects
Huawei's US strategy has been climbing the price ladder: after budget Honor handsets like the $199.99 Honor 5X, it brought the flagship Mate 9 to the US unlocked at $600 last January. In October it launched the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro abroad with US timing left open, then said in December that carriers would sell its phones in 2018, starting with the Mate 10.
Today's announcement fills in that gap: the Mate 10 Pro arrives unlocked at $799 — $200 above the Mate 9's entry price — with a two-year Android security-update commitment attached. For a company already top-three worldwide on volume but little-known among US buyers, this is the brand-recognition play preceding the carrier push.
First-order effects
- US buyers can pre-order the Mate 10 Pro unlocked on February 4 at $799 ahead of the February 18 launch, getting a Kirin 970 flagship with a stated two years of Android security patches.
Second-order effects
- The unlocked launch sets the pricing and support template ahead of Huawei's promised 2018 carrier deals — if carriers pick up the Mate 10 line as planned, they inherit a $799 anchor rather than a discounted entry point.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds — each year a pricier flagship plus longer update pledges — Huawei shifts from its budget-Honor origins toward competing head-on with entrenched premium brands in the US, where carriers remain the main distribution gatekeepers.
The trend: Huawei is methodically buying US brand legitimacy through escalating unlocked flagships and software-support commitments, positioning itself for the carrier distribution it has promised for 2018.