Huawei launched the Mate 9 to relatively good reviews, offering up a no-compromise smartphone with premium hardware and a premium design. Even though it's a little pricey compared to what we usually see from Huawei, the price tag was absolutely justified for what you get.
Huawei also mentioned that they wanted to bring the Mate 9 to the US to try and pierce the highly competitive (and potentially profitable) market against the likes of Samsung and Apple. That plan is still on the table, but it's looking like Huawei will take an unusual approach to get their flagship to customers.
Instead of the typical carrier partnership we see with pretty much all major smartphones in the US, Huawei wants to sell outright through Amazon directly to customers. Motorola tried this with decent success, but Motorola also has a little more brand recognition in the United States and isn't mired with a stigma of being a Chinese company. It also obviously wasn't enough for Moto to dethrone Samsung or Apple in the market here.
The Mate 9 is also a pricey option for customers looking for an unlocked device, so Huawei will have a ton of competition on Amazon. I hope they go through with it, but it's going to be an interesting few months while they work the kinks out of trying to tap the US market with a $700 unlocked flagship.
source: Wall Street Journal
Smartphone market is very tough. I don’t think they will be a household name but will sell enough to be profitable.