Best Buy plans to stop selling Huawei smartphones

Best Buy

According to a recent report, Best Buy has ‘ceased ordering’ new Huawei smartphones, likely due to the same government pressure that caused AT&T and Verizon to cancel their carrier deals.

The report from CNET further adds that Best Buy was the one who made the call to end its partnership with the Chinese smartphone maker. The chain has allegedly stopped ordering new smartphones from Huawei and will cease sales in the next few weeks.

The move comes several weeks after AT&T and Verizon were said to have ditched Huawei phones under pressure from the American government, which is concerned that Huawei might use its devices to spy on behalf of China. There was a 2012 report accusing Huawei and ZTE of making devices that could pose a security threat, but it never mentioned smartphones and has never been supplemented with definitive evidence.

However, the US lawmakers and intelligence agencies have advised against buying Huawei phones citing national security concerns. The government has even put pressure on mobile service providers like AT&T and Verizon to cancel their carrier deals with Huawei.

It is possible that Best Buy is facing similar heat, but there’s no confirmation that this is the case; it could also reflect a purely profit-oriented decision.

Spokespeople from both Best Buy and Huawei offered no relevant comment to CNET when reached out to for comment. In a statement from Best Buy, “We don’t comment on specific contracts with vendors, and we make decisions to change what we sell for a variety of reasons”. Huawei also declined to get into specifics but referred to the retailer as a “valued partner”.

It goes without saying that this is a huge blow to Huawei’s US presence, especially considering that Best Buy was virtually the only place US consumers could physically view Huawei phones.

It is unclear whether Huawei’s Honor line is affected. Retailers such as Amazon, B&H, Newegg still offer Huawei devices through their online store for those in the US who wish to purchase them.

 

Raja Rajan Avatar

Help Us Grow

If you like this post, please share it with your friends.

You are free to copy and redistribute this article in any medium or format, as long as you keep the links in the article or provide a link back to this page.

Subscribe to Newsletter




Privacy Settings

Privacy & Cookie Overview

Our website uses cookies to provide you with the best user experience possible. These cookies are stored in your browser and perform essential functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website, as well as helping us to understand which sections of the website you find most useful and engaging.

To learn more, you can read our Privacy & Cookie Policy or reach out through our Contact form.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookies must always be enabled to ensure the proper functioning of this website and to allow us to provide you with excellent service. These cookies are also essential for saving your cookie preferences.

Google Adsense

We use Google AdSense to keep this site free by displaying relevant ads. AdSense requires essential cookies that cannot be disabled, but you can manage other cookies. We respect your privacy and provide options to control non-essential cookies.

For more details on how Google handles your data, visit Google's Data Usage Policy. Please review our Privacy Policy for more information on how we protect your data.

AddToAny

We use AddToAny for social sharing. It doesn’t store cookies, ensuring a privacy-friendly experience. AddToAny complies with GDPR and CCPA by default.

For more, see their Privacy Policy.

OneSignal

We use OneSignal to send notifications to users who opt in. OneSignal complies with GDPR and is certified under the EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield frameworks.

For more, see their Privacy Policy.

3rd Party Cookies

This website utilizes third-party cookies, which can enhance your experience and support our ongoing efforts to improve our services.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect anonymous data, such as visitor numbers and popular pages, to improve user experience and site performance. Keeping this cookie enabled helps us refine the site based on visitor activity.

For more information, see Google’s Privacy Policy.

Discover more from Prime Inspiration

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading