In 2024, the Huawei "P" series celebrates its twelfth anniversary, marking a significant milestone in Huawei's dedication to excellence in imaging and fashion on its smartphones. To commemorate this achievement, the P series is rebranded as the "Pura" series, with a fresh brand identity and philosophy showcased vividly in the Pura 70 series.
The establishment of the Pura series goes beyond a mere "brand upgrade." Recently, Huawei has registered multiple "Pura" trademarks, including the brand logo, PuraWatch, PuraKey, and PuraView, expanding its operational scope from transportation to jewelry and timepieces.
(Source: Sina Technology)
More importantly, even before these trademarks were exposed, Huawei had applied for the trademark "PuraOS," implying that the Pura series would have its own independent operating system.
From these series of actions, it seems that for Huawei, Pura is more like the establishment of a completely new sub-brand, rather than just a simple brand upgrade of the "P" series. But now, does Huawei still need to establish a sub-brand to gain a larger market share and solidify its position in the consumer market?
Independent Pura, focusing on fashion and imaging
In the official promotional video of the Pura 70 series, we can still see the fashion genes and imaging heritage of the P series.
The beginning of the P series tells a story about fashion and trends. The Huawei Ascend P1, released in 2012, adopted an integrated metal frame design. Based on this, the entire machine had a thickness of only 7.69mm and a weight of only 110g. At that time in the mobile phone market, it can be said to be a unique presence that was both light and thin. The iterative model Huawei Ascend P2, released six months later, mainly addressed the performance shortcomings, officially leading this series onto the flagship path.
(Source: Huawei)
Over the next few years, the P series has given birth to numerous classic design solutions that have led the smartphone market in terms of appearance, such as the aurora color of the P20, the AG frosted glass of the P40, and the island Deco mirror group of the P60 Art. Even in 2024, the Pura 70 Ultra, which revitalizes the brand image, still brings the star patterned leather, satisfying both tactile and visual effects.
Another core aspect of the P series is imaging, which has always been Huawei's strong suit. Huawei first chose to collaborate with the optical brand Leica on the P9, opening a new chapter in the cooperation between smartphones and professional imaging brands. The use of a color + black and white dual-camera solution also brought the term "tone" into the field of mobile imaging. With the P30 Pro, Huawei introduced a periscope telephoto lens, advancing mobile photography into the era of zooming. The subsequent P40 series and P50 series have continued to lead the development of mobile imaging.
After becoming independent, Pura can continue its stylish design and bring Huawei's influence to more consumer product categories. For example, Huawei released the HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN last year, a smartwatch that "collaborates" with Huawei's first high-end watch brand "ULTIMATE DESIGN," elevating its product positioning through the establishment of an independent high-end brand.
(Source: Huawei Mall)
In recent years, Huawei has also ventured into fashion-related products, such as the FreeBuds Lipstick earphones. While these earphones combine innovation and style in their design, some consumers may resist them due to Huawei's strong technological image. If products that blend fashion and technology like this are handed over to Pura, they may attract more attention.
Returning to the smartphone product line, considering Huawei's registration of "PuraOS," it may equip Pura's models with a unique UI. Although it remains a customized version of HarmonyOS, the interface design and functionality will be differentiated to attract more young users or female customers. Of course, Pura's independence still aims to help Huawei quickly regain its original market position.
Huawei also needs to join the sub-brand battle
Huawei is one of the first Chinese smartphone brands to establish sub-brands. After Xiaomi launched Redmi, Huawei also introduced Honor. At that time, Honor's mission was clear: to seize the cost-effective market.
After Honor officially became independent in 2020, Huawei became one of the few Chinese smartphone manufacturers without a sub-brand (excluding collaborations with other companies). This has caused Huawei to repeatedly fall behind in the current mid-range market battle.
Taking this year's mid-range market as an example, since Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and 7+ Gen 3 flagship mobile platforms, iQOO launched the Z9 Turbo, realme released the Neo6 and Neo6 SE models, OnePlus and Redmi also respectively introduced the OnePlus Ace 3V and Turbo 3, the battlefield has entered a fierce stage.
(Source: Realme)
While the performance of various mid-range models is similar, each company is focusing on enhancing peripheral features. For example, the iQOO Z9 Turbo boasts a large 6000mAh battery, and the Realme Neo6 features 120W SuperVOOC fast charging. In contrast, Huawei relies on its nova series to sustain its presence in the mid-range market, but appears to lack confidence in this competitive landscape.
On the other hand, the nova series has traditionally targeted offline markets, competing with models like OPPO Reno, vivo S, and the Honor digital series. This indicates that nova models often prioritize design over raw performance. If Pura can retain some of nova's design elements while emphasizing cost-effectiveness, then the sub-brand rivalry may truly intensify.
(Source: Huawei Mall)
As a sub-brand, Pura will have greater independence in the future, including in design, imaging, and access to more resources and channels, thereby significantly increasing Huawei's influence in the mobile phone market. The recently released Pura 70 Ultra, which has sparked widespread discussions online, showcases remarkable versatility in its design, particularly with its innovative retractable lens.
What does Pura's independence really mean?
In August last year, Huawei made a strong comeback in the smartphone market with the launch of the Mate 60 series, becoming one of the most talked-about brands at the time. The return of the Kirin chipset, 5G connectivity, and cutting-edge satellite communication technology contributed to the rapid growth in sales of this series, laying the groundwork for Huawei's resurgence to the top spot in the market.
According to the latest report from market research firm IDC, Huawei secured the top spot in terms of smartphone shipments in the Chinese market in the first quarter of 2024, with a market share of 17%, marking a 70% year-on-year growth. In terms of shipments, Huawei also reached 11.7 million units in the first quarter of this year.
The success of the Mate 60 series is foreseeable. The Mate series has always been popular among consumers due to its strong business appeal. The underperformance of the previous generation was mainly attributed to the lack of advanced networking, leading to the loss of some users. In contrast, the P series has traditionally been the top choice for photography enthusiasts. However, with various brands focusing on mobile photography in recent years, the competitive edge of the P series has been diluted, resulting in a decline in popularity compared to previous years.
The difference in the initial sales performance between the Mate 60 series and the Pura 70 series hints at this trend: Xiao Lei personally experienced the launch of these two phenomenal products, with the former not only generating higher discussion but also experiencing longer periods of being sold out. This indicates that Huawei needs to regain the market dominance and former market heights for the Pura series.
(Source: Lei Technology)
The market space left for Pura, on one hand, is to continue to strengthen its presence in the imaging field, competing head-on with Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo. However, the reality is that Huawei is still in a restricted period, making it difficult to procure advanced sensors. With the hardware lagging behind, it seems quite challenging to benchmark against the current imaging flagships. Nevertheless, if Pura decides to focus its main battlefield on the online market, I believe that with its unique design, it can break through the current fierce competition.
Of course, whether Pura will operate independently is still just speculation. Huawei is expected to hold at least two events this quarter, including a summer new product launch and a HarmonyOS developer conference. If the leaked information about PuraOS appearing as an independent UI under HarmonyOS NEXT is true, then the HarmonyOS developer conference will surely reveal more information. Regardless of Pura's independence, consumers are more concerned about the products themselves. If the product is powerful enough, does it really matter whether it operates independently or not?
