Honor CEO George Zhao has a easy philosophy — make the perfect merchandise and the gross sales numbers for the Chinese language smartphone maker will observe.

In a wide-ranging and uncommon interview with international media, Zhao addressed the corporate’s technique to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung and hinted at a brand new foldable cellphone forward.

He additionally shrugged off issues that Honor, which was spun off from Huawei, might probably be hit with the identical U.S. sanctions that crippled its former guardian firm’s enterprise.

Honor launched its Magic Vs foldable cellphone exterior of China this week, with a price ticket of practically $1,700. It additionally took the wraps off the Honor Magic5 Professional, its high-end flagship cellphone.

Beneath Huawei, Honor centered on mid-tier smartphones. However the firm is now trying to faucet the high-end market the place Apple and Samsung dominate.

Zhao is conscious of the challenges Honor faces in its pursuit and it is taking a cautious method to development.

“Our ambition [is to] do issues higher for in the present day … and in future, we have now the goal is how one can fulfill our buyer. And likewise how one can construct belief and relationships with our companions. And these two issues, [if] we make this wholesome, then the expansion, the goal, the gross sales quantity will come to us routinely,” Zhao stated.

“When you simply pursue increased quantity … lastly you’ll lose it.”

Honor solely launched its first telephones exterior of China final yr after being offered off from Huawei in 2020. And it is a robust time for Honor to leap into the market. In 2022, smartphone shipments fells to their lowest stage since 2013. Nevertheless, high-end smartphones, those who value over $800, accounted for 18% of the full handset market in 2022, up from 11% in 2020, Canalys knowledge exhibits.

That is why Honor is chasing this class. However Honor nonetheless lags Apple and Samsung.

The corporate’s worldwide market share stood at 4.6% in 2022 versus 21.2% for Samsung and 18.3% for Apple, in line with Counterpoint Analysis knowledge.

On the Cellular World Congress in Barcelona this week, Honor had an enormous stand exhibiting off its newest wares, underscoring its ambition to be a worldwide participant. It was proper subsequent to Samsung’s exhibition, highlighting its want to be seen in the identical vein because the South Korean big.

Honor had a big poster for the Magic Vs with the tagline: “Unfold your magic.”

The foldable was the star of Honor’s present. Foldable gadgets had been pioneered by Samsung, which launched its first smartphone of this type in 2019. Different corporations, primarily Chinese language, have adopted. And they’re now beginning to launch them on the worldwide stage. These smartphones have a bendable display screen.

Oppo launched its Discover N2 Flip final month whereas the CEO of Lenovo, which owns Motorola, instructed CNBC one other Razr foldable cellphone shall be launched this yr.

Foldables accounted for simply 1.1% of complete smartphone shipments in 2022, in line with analysis agency IDC, and are solely anticipated to extend to 2.8% in 2026. However Zhao believes there’s a future for these gadgets, whilst he acknowledged challenges together with the load and battery life of those smartphones at present.

Zhao wouldn’t be drawn into discussing gross sales targets however stated he’s centered on making the perfect foldable merchandise which in flip will assist its development.

“Our ambition and goal is develop the perfect foldable cellphone, so be the primary know-how for foldable telephones. And if we do that, I imagine the market will turn into higher and higher, and the model, all these items can develop based mostly on this product,” Zhao instructed CNBC.

The Magic Vs at present folds like a e book. Different companies together with Samsung and Oppo have launched gadgets that fold upward like a conventional flip cellphone. Honor doesn’t have a smartphone like this however Zhao stated the corporate is “significantly” contemplating it.

“We’ve got this consideration, to be frank. How and when, I can not disclose an excessive amount of. However that route we … significantly contemplate that,” he stated.

Honor was a model underneath Chinese language telecommunications big Huawei. However U.S. sanctions in 2020 lower Huawei off from vital chips and entry to Google’s Android software program, which crippled the companies cellular enterprise. Huawei at one level was primary on this planet.

To assist the model survive, Huawei offered off Honor in 2020 to a consortium of patrons that included the federal government of Shenzhen, the town the place the corporate is headquartered.

That allowed Honor to regain entry to the vital chips and software program it wants. Honor launched its first cellphone as an impartial model in January 2021.

Thus far, Honor has remained out of the geopolitical and know-how tussle between the U.S. and China. And CEO Zhao isn’t frightened about sanctions much like these placed on Huawei finally being placed on an impartial Honor.

“Why would we fear about this? Our enterprise mannequin is like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi,” Zhao stated, referencing different Chinese language smartphone makers which have additionally not had any sanctions levied in opposition to them.

“We offer to the trade and to the top shopper, and in addition to the market, to our companions, we offer our price. Additionally that is the open competitors and open market. We observe all of the coverage, we develop our enterprise in that nation.”