By Raymond Liu, HONOR South Africa CEO

Technological advancements within the mobile device arena are ever changing, with new features and innovations arising with the advent of every new model. It is not surprising, then, that some of the pioneers of the mobile phone industry have fizzled away over the past few years. Many attribute the fall of these former industry giants to their failure to adapt to the fluid tech landscape.

Having spent the majority of my career within the HONOR brand and the larger Huawei Group, I have been fortunate to witness first-hand the successes accomplished by these two brands in a relatively short space of time. I believe that there are key components to consider that will ensure that a brand can not only be successful in this competitive market, but will be able to sustain themselves within an environment of constant change.

Doing business with commitment

At HONOR we abide by our motto – HONOR My World – and instil this spirit into every aspect of our business. We as HONOR staff have made a commitment to put our all into our jobs. This passion and enjoyment is testament to the drive of our youthful staff complement.

I’m a firm believer that the youth market are the true influencers for the majority of society. Having been presented with more opportunities than our parents, the youth appear more ambitious and driven to succeed. It’s this ideology that I appreciate from my staff, and it translates into a dedication to quality, and pushing the boundaries of what is expected.

Emphasising what differentiates you from the competition

It’s imperative to let your current and potential customers know what separates you from other manufacturers on the market. By highlighting your true value proposition, you make it easier for consumers to consider your brand rather than go with ones they are more familiar with.

For HONOR, our differentiator is undoubtedly the fact that our high quality technologies are at a price point significantly lower than the majority of our competitors. We are able to offer our segment-leading products at a lower price point, as all R&D, sales, marketing, and manufacturing are done in house, mitigating the need to outsource the manufacturing of hardware or software to third parties.

Knowing who your target market truly is and addressing their needs

From our inception, HONOR has aimed to manufacture devices to suit the youthful, chic market – the segment that we believe are the major social influencers. To further enable us to think about what our customers want, the majority of our staff complement is made up of 20 to 35 year olds, further emphasising our commitment to truly understanding and adapting to what our customers want.

One such need is powerful camera functionality and features. In the era of the selfie, we have ensured that our devices have segment-leading innovations such as advanced front-facing cameras. For example, on our latest flagship device in South Africa, the HONOR 10 Lite, the selfie camera is equipped with a staggering 24 MP resolution, together with AI and AR capabilities, delivering exceptional images every time.

Quality, consistently evolving technological advances and value for money

The enhanced features on the HONOR 10 Lite are usually only seen on devices that carry a heftier retail price. These advances have allowed us to position our products as being quality devices and great value for money. Although we have only been in this country for less than a year, we are already seeing tremendous growth, as South African consumers can see the value that our brand brings to their lives.

In terms of evolving, HONOR is committed to introducing new devices to this country as soon as they are available, as long as the correct infrastructure and demand is met. One such device is HONOR’s 9X-series, which will supersede our HONOR 10 Lite. The Pro version of the HONOR 9X series will see a triple camera setup on the rear, with a staggering 48 MP lens taking centre stage, flanked by an 8MP variant for ultra wide shots and a 2 MP depth lens.

HONOR is committed to making consumers’ lives easier with continued innovations, technologies, looks, quality, and a price point to allow everyone to experience what the future of mobile telecommunications can offer.