One of the many interesting observations I had while I was in India was the variety of Chinese phones that have flooded the Indian market. These phones range from dirt cheap to really expensive, high-end ones that match the prices of Samsung and Apple flagship phones. The features that are available on these Chinese phones are also interesting.

If you have lived secluded from Chinese tech for many years, like me, you probably now have a very standardized vision of a smartphone. When you think about a Samsung smartphone, you have a specific standard phone layout that comes to your mind. Similarly, when you think about an Apple iPhone, you can visualize what it looks like. That image has not changed since the last few years. However, Chinese manufacturers have actually defined their own landscape of what a smartphone can be. And that definition or the range of that definition is mind-boggling.

The most recent example is the launch of the latest flagship phone by Huawei. Chinese  telecom company Huawei recently launched their trifold mobile phone. You can watch the video of the phone launch below. Unfortunately, there is no other way to put it than to say that the phone is a few years ahead of the phones we are used to. You may choose to disagree, but look into this specific model and do your research in some flagship models of Chinese phone manufacturers. Even before this model was launched, the company has been making phones with technology elements that unfortunately surpass Apple’s and Samsung’s technology.

Even when folded thrice. the thickness of the phone is similar to Samsung’s Z fold (a bifold). So it is not just Apple that is lagging behind. But let us disregard this latest model. Remember the phone control side button that has been introduced in the recent version of the iPhone? Turns out that a similar feature has been available in Chinese handsets like Oppo for a few years now. The gist is, if you have been embedded in Galaxy and iPhone ecosystem for a few years, you won’t believe some amazing (some being not so useful) features Chinese phone manufacturers have developed.

Where am I going with all this? The core issue here is that Apples of the world have been protected from competition from these Chinese manufacturers. This means that there is not enough pressure to catchup. The results are being experienced in many different sectors. We have seen Apple’s sales dwindle in China. It is trying to foray into other markets to make up for the lost sales but that is not a sustainable approach. While iPhone is considered a luxury brand in some markets, that will not stick for long. And without that, the competition comes to features.

Sure, Apple has a quality paradigm that is unmatched. You can bury an iPhone in the ground, dig it out a few months later and may find it functional. You cannot say the same for Chinese handsets. But if the features are clearly a differentiating edge, then there is a problem. Because though Apple’s phones may last for years, that is not what customers look for in many markets these days.

The impact of protected competition can be felt in other industries like automobiles and EVs. The crux is that while security is important, the West can not follow the ostrich approach and turn away from the Chinese advances in technology. Doing that will be suicidal. There are ways that security issues like backdoors in devices and spying can be addressed. That solution is not within the scope of this article. But what is urgently needed is to expose many companies in the West to a healthy level of global competition. Because when it comes to technology, healthy competition spawns innovation. The goal should be to get ahead in the race and keep the edge.