Huawei Smartphones: The Rise, Fall, and Lingering Legacy

There was a time when Huawei felt unstoppable. Sleek designs, powerful hardware, and surprisingly affordable prices made the Chinese tech giant one of the few brands that could genuinely challenge Samsung and Apple. For many people, Huawei wasn’t just another phone maker – it was a symbol of how quickly a company could rise to global prominence.

I still remember my first Huawei device, a proper smartphone that felt like stepping into the future. You never forget your first.

Then came the ban. When the U.S. cut Huawei off from American companies, the blow was devastating. More than losing access to the U.S. market, it meant no more Google services on Huawei phones. No Gmail, no YouTube, no Play Store – a death sentence for international growth. Overnight, some of the best smartphones in the world became nearly impossible to recommend outside China.

What followed was a collapse. Huawei’s once-rising dominance shrank quickly, even in markets where its low prices gave it an edge. Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and a host of other brands filled the vacuum. Meanwhile, consumers looked elsewhere, unwilling to give up the conveniences of Android or iOS.

But Huawei didn’t quit. In China, it reinvented itself around HarmonyOS, its in-house operating system that now powers everything from phones to wearables. The ecosystem is seamless, rivaling – and in some ways improving upon – Apple’s famous device integration. The company also hasn’t lost its taste for innovation. Huawei was first with a tri-foldable phone, and the upcoming Mate XTs shows it’s still willing to push boundaries that others hesitate to cross.

Globally, though, Huawei is no longer the giant it once was. Most of us watch from the sidelines, wondering what might have been if politics hadn’t reshaped the smartphone race. The world fawns over Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series, while Huawei’s bold experiments remain largely confined to China. Importing a Huawei device is possible, but switching fully to HarmonyOS is a step few outside its homeland are ready to take.

And that’s the bittersweet truth. Huawei still makes world-class devices, but the dream of it standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Apple and Samsung worldwide feels like a memory. For those of us who remember its glory days, it’s hard not to sigh and say: I miss Huawei.