HUAWEI explains why it walked away from the Google Pixel

Following its development on the Nexus 6P in 2015, HUAWEI was in the running to collaborate with Google on its next smartphone, the Google Pixel. However, HUAWEI later backed out of the project for an unspecified reason. Now, an executive has spoken out about the decision.

Colin Giles, the Vice President of Huawei Consumer Business Group, talked to WinFuture.de regarding HUAWEI’s Pixel involvement, confirming some previous rumors about the project.

According to Giles, HUAWEI decided not to pursue the Pixel development after Google said it wanted to use its own name exclusively on the handset. The last smartphone the two manufacturers collaborated on, the Nexus 6P, featured both HUAWEI and Google branding on the device body.

Keen to increase its reputation in the US, HUAWEI didn’t want to act purely as a contractor on the Pixel with no visible recognition of its production efforts on the device itself. So HUAWEI said no, and the Google Pixel was eventually manufactured by HTC. HTC’s involvement, while clear throughout the phone’s design principles, doesn’t appear in the branding of the device.

Despite this, HUAWEI and Google’s relationship doesn’t appear to have been harmed by their differences over the Pixel; HUAWEI may even develop a Google product in 2017 (presumably with its name attached). Learn more about that, and other rumors surrounding Huawei’s Pixel involvement, at the link.

Did HUAWEI miss out on a great opportunity? Or was it the right decision for the Chinese manufacturer? Give us your thoughts in the comments.