RELIABLE, versatile, groundbreaking devices with high-end speculations at affordable prices. This is the strategy with which Chinese mobile phones have been popular in the Spanish market.

“Ever since I bought my first Xiaomi, I’ve never had the urge of trying out any other brand. It just delivers everything I need and I like its reliability,” said Eduardo Pela, a Spanish Xiaomi user.

Ou Wen is the Western Europe director for China’s Xiaomi Corp. In an exclusive interview, he said: “We are very popular in Spain because our customers realize that our products are innovative at honest prices. Having good products, good quality and affordable prices make us popular not only in Spain, but worldwide.”

Latest figures made public by the Chinese electronics company showed that its exports to Western Europe grew 386 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2018.

“It is all about building a positive environment with our potential costumers,” said Ou at Xiaomi’s Madrid office.

Huawei Technologies Co. is making even bigger stride in Europe. In 2018, the company’s annual smartphone orders exceeded the mark of 200 million, setting a new record by reaching a global market share of 14.6 percent.

“My phone works just perfectly. It has good specifications, a good camera and a long battery life. All of that at a price I could afford,” said Paula Perez, a Huawei user in Spain.

Fernando Tello, a Spanish lawyer, spoke highly of “the main virtue” of his Huawei phone.

“Battery life is what I’m after. Due to my line of work I spend long hours speaking over the phone. And two years in, it is still running perfectly,” he explained.

A study by Canalys, a leading global technology market analysis firm, published in 2018 found that Xiaomi’s market share in Spain was around 15 percent, whereas Huawei took up over 20 percent.

Both Huawei and Xiaomi are planning to increase their sales in Spain, an attractive and strategic market for them to further boost sales in Europe.

“We want to bring more innovation and more technology to our users, so that everybody can enjoy it. We want to be useful to Spaniards,” said Ou.

Sources from Xiaomi noted that the main foundation of its strategy in such a competitive market is its price policy, the key to its success.

But Xiaomi’s success is not limited to smartphone sales, as it is also trying to win over Spanish households with a wide array of products ranging from electric scooters to wearables such as the “MiBand3,” a fitness wristband that tracks metrics for calorie consumption, heartbeat or distance walked.

It is no wonder that Xiaomi is now boasting 20 official stores in Spain, not to mention the 35 other stores selling some of its products.

Huawei has announced to open in mid 2019 two flagship stores in Madrid’s Gran Via and Barcelona’s Plaza Catalunya, two of the most marketable locations in Spain.

Nonetheless, Huawei’s presence in Spain is not limited to phones as it is a leading force in the setting up of 5G networks in the country.

“As leaders in development and innovation of 5G technology, we are playing our part in this race, in a collaborative effort with telecom carriers by contributing actively to the government’s 5G plans and shaping talents so that it can soon become a reality,” said Huawei CEO in Spain Tony Jin Yong.

The company is also engaged in cybersecurity and plays an active part in a course sponsored by the Spanish National Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE). Huawei is also establishing the first 5G university studies in a joint effort with the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid.

Xiaomi and Huawei, joined by other Chinese electronics companies such as Oppo, are trying to explore new markets in Europe.(Xinhua)