Report: Best Buy Cuts Ties With Huawei

Word has information technology that Huawei has lost one of its only friends in the US: Best Buy.

CNET on Thursday reported that the big box electronics retailer has decided to cut ties with the Chinese smartphone giant. The news outlet, citing an unnamed source, reported that All-time Buy "has ceased ordering new smartphones from Huawei and volition stop selling its products over the next few weeks."

In a statement to PCMag, Huawei said it "values the relationship it has with Best Buy" and all of its other retail partners. "As a policy, we do not discuss the details of our partner relationships," the visitor added.

Best Purchase's official statement on the affair is similarly vague: "We don't annotate on specific contracts with vendors, and we make decisions to modify what nosotros sell for a variety of reasons," a Best Buy spokesperson told PCMag.

On Twitter Thursday, GlobalData analyst Avi Greengart called the conclusion "devastating for Huawei" given that Best Buy was its "sole U.S. concrete retail distribution channel for its phones."

A handful of United states of america retailers, including All-time Buy, opened pre-orders for Huawei'south latest flagship smartphone, the Mate 10 Pro, in February. Meanwhile, United states carriers similar AT&T and Verizon decided not to sell the handset, reportedly due to pressure from the US government. Huawei came under scrutiny from Congress in 2022 about potentially spying for the Chinese government, which it denies vehemently. Since and then, the company has faced trouble finding a foothold for its phones at carriers, which command the vast majority of US telephone sales.

In its argument to PCMag today, Huawei said its products are sold "by 46 of the top l global operators," adding that it has "won the trust and confidence of individuals and organizations in 170 countries around the world."

"Nosotros are committed to earning that aforementioned trust with Usa consumers and making our products attainable in every bit many ways equally possible," Huawei added.

About Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo is PCMag's expert on fitness and smart home products. Teaching yoga for nearly 10 years has helped her in evaluating a range of connected wellness products including fitness trackers, heart rate monitors, rowers, smart scales, stationary bikes, strength training machines, treadmills, and more than. Angela besides tests smart habitation devices from her ranch in Florida, including air purifiers, kitchen appliances, and robot vacuums, just to name a few.