Report: HUAWEI is ready to directly take on Samsung and Apple by teaming up with AT&T

Plenty of speculation has begun to whirl around the Mate 10, some of which was fueled by Huawei‘s own CEO. Even so, we are not at the point where folks will purchase unlocked phones more than carrier variants, something HUAWEI might have known about, given its alleged partnership with AT&T.

According to The Information‘s sources, the US’ second-largest carrier will sell HUAWEI’s upcoming flagship device sometime during the first half of 2018. The device is expected to be the aforementioned Mate 10, which is expected to make its debut before 2017 draws to a close.

Whether it is the Mate 10 or not, HUAWEI is reportedly working to make sure the internals and software are up to snuff with the US’ telecom standards, in addition to AT&T’s own requirements. However, the deal will not be finalized until HUAWEI meets all of these expectations and more:

A deal isn’t finalized until the phone clears all the technical hurdles and the companies agree on the commercial terms of the release. HUAWEI’s engineers are working on hardware and software modifications that are necessary for meeting U.S. telecom standards and AT&T’s requirements, the people said.

This could be quite the boon for HUAWEI, since the reported deal with AT&T will allow the company to directly compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple. Looking at the bigger picture, this could finally be the means for HUAWEI to push into one of the largest smartphone markets in the world, and as the third largest smartphone company in the world, HUAWEI could increase its overall footprint.

As for the Mate 10 itself, the only information we have to go on is from HUAWEI CEO Richard Yu, who confirmed the phone’s existence and said it can compete with the likes of the iPhone. Yu also said the Mate 10 will feature a large battery, “better photographing ability,” and a screen-to-body ratio similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S8’s and the rumored LG V20’s.

We expect the Mate 10 to be announced and released in Europe by year’s end, while its U.S. debut, if the phone follows the Mate 9, might be set for CES 2018.