Consumer CEO Yu Chengdong August 9th promised 5G midrange phones in 2019. He didn’t specify a price, but Oppo is selling a premium quality phone in China for US$580.
For US$290, I can buy an unlocked 4G Huawei P30 Lite (128GB, 4GB RAM) 6.15″ Display, and a triple camera.
The 5G version might cost Huawei $40 more to manufacture. The marketing department will set the price based on competition. Huawei would make money at $400.
He repeated Huawei’s expectation that the price will fall to less than $300 in 2019.
Yu also believes 5G will dominate the smartphone market in 2020. There are now 10 vendors shipping phones, enough competition to drive down prices. Parts are in good supply.
Almost all the 5G phones in the west are still priced over $1,000, including Huawei’s. Those prices will almost definitely start dropping soon, especially as phone vendors start selling online through Amazon or directly.
