Earlier this year Huawei taunted Apple, jeering that the “real AI smartphone” would arrive with its Mate 10 – now it seems the Chinese company has taken on Google, with the release of a “Made for Huawei” certified accessories program, shortly after Google’s own launch.
Google announced its “Made for Google” certified accessory program at its Pixel event earlier this year, featuring third-party accessories tested and approved by Google to work with its suite of devices.
Reportedly the second largest smartphone manufacturer, Chinese-based Huawei has also joined the bandwagon – the first certified accessories will include USB-C to HDMI cables, approved to use with its recently released Mate 10 phone.
The cables enable a Mate 10 smartphone to seamlessly connect with a TV/monitor, set to appeal to a range of consumers.
Some market commentators affirm that such cables are often inconsistent in performance, as such Huawei is offering a notable point of difference by making this decision easier for consumers.
As a Chinese-based vendor, Huawei has clearly recognised that the quality of third-party accessories significantly varies, ultimately impacting the performance of their devices. It makes the rollout of a certified accessory program very appealing.
By having a say in the quality of “green lit” third-party accessories, Huawei is also better able to control the overall user experience.
Some commentators wonder how Huawei plans to regulate its certified accessories program, speculating that inferior vendors may simply ‘print’ the relevant certification logo on their packaging.
