Source | YuanSight

Huawei’s Wide Straight Slab Phone Sparks Interest in Huaqiangbei

In September this year, Huawei unveiled the world's first wide straight slab phone, the Huawei Pura X View, boasting an innovative 16:9.5 wide OLED straight screen. This design diverges from the standard 20:9 elongated smartphone proportions, significantly enhancing the horizontal display area. The novel product form has ignited strong market demand. According to channel merchants, sales of the Huawei Pura X View have surpassed 550,000 units, with many platforms still requiring reservations and experiencing high demand.

Huawei’s wide straight slab phone is enjoying robust sales. Huawei enthusiasts who can't find the in-stock products may consider a similar "affordable alternative" from Shenzhen.

Recently, Shenzhen-based phone company DOOGEE launched a new wide-screen phone, the Note60 W. Apart from the "DOOGEE" brand logo on the back, this new model bears a striking resemblance to the Huawei Pura X View in terms of appearance, color options, and poster design.

Left: DOOGEE Note60 W | Right: Huawei Pura X View

In terms of specifications, besides running on Android 17 and featuring a 6.38-inch wide screen, the Note60 W’s standout feature is its Unisoc T615 chip. This 12nm process SOC is commonly found in entry-level models priced around 100 yuan. It can be inferred that, compared to the starting price of 5,999 yuan for the Huawei Pura X View, DOOGEE's new model is likely to be much more "affordable."

01 Emulating Major Brands

DOOGEE is no stranger to creating "affordable alternatives to major brands," and has been gaining increasing attention in recent years.

In January 2015, Xiaomi released its first Note series model, triggering a buying frenzy that lasted for months. Half a year later, DOOGEE announced the S6000 for sale. GizmoChina, a site focusing on Chinese digital products, reported that this phone's design drew inspiration from the popular Xiaomi Note flagship model. It not only adopted the same 2.5D glass front and slightly curved back design as the Xiaomi Note but also featured a 3D glass back cover and high-end CNC zinc-titanium alloy frame.

Image sourced from the internet

Additionally, compared to the Xiaomi Note's battery capacity of around 3,000mAh, DOOGEE managed to fit a 6,000mAh battery into the S6000's body. It also supported MediaTek's Pump Express fast charging technology, allowing the battery to reach 75% charge in just 30 minutes.

During the height of Xiaomi's popularity, DOOGEE consistently followed Xiaomi's lead.

In late 2016, the Xiaomi MIX was released, sparking the bezel-less screen trend. The initial Xiaomi MIX concept phone, priced at 3,499 yuan, sold out within 10 seconds of going on sale. Sensing market enthusiasm, DOOGEE quickly followed up with a new model called the DOOGEE Mix. In 2017, when Xiaomi released the MIX 2, DOOGEE similarly swiftly introduced the second-generation Mix product.

Image sourced from the internet

In 2017, Apple released the iPhone X, officially ushering smartphones into the "notch screen" era. Among the first Android manufacturers to follow suit, DOOGEE was quick to respond. At MWC 2018, DOOGEE introduced the V series, featuring a notch screen and under-display fingerprint recognition design, highly reminiscent of Apple's design philosophy. It was dubbed the strongest "iPhone X replica" by numerous domestic digital media outlets.

Image sourced from the internet

For a long time, DOOGEE has drawn inspiration from the mainstream models of leading manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi. This time, it was Huawei’s turn.

In October, the DOOGEE Note60 W made its debut. From the body color options, horizontal track camera module, striped back panel, vertical logo, to promotional posters, its design comprehensively emulated the Huawei Pura X View, attracting significant consumer attention.

Image sourced from Xiaohongshu

Despite its highly recognizable product appearance, DOOGEE's core competitiveness has always revolved around aspects such as large batteries, long battery life, and high cost-performance, emphasizing being cheaper than the originals and more reliable than white-label products. Additionally, by accessing the same suppliers as major brands like Huawei and Xiaomi, as well as establishing its own R&D and factory production lines, DOOGEE's new products have long been a focus of overseas markets.

02 Carving Out a Niche

Besides creating affordable alternatives to major brands, DOOGEE has also rapidly entered the global market in recent years through the niche category of rugged phones.

According to Tianyancha data, DOOGEE's parent company, Shenzhen Kaiweide Communication Equipment Co., Ltd., was founded in 2012 with a registered capital of 6 million yuan. The founder is Xin Chao. The company's early communication address was in the Electronic Science and Technology Building, west of Shennan Middle Road and Huafa North Road in Futian District, Shenzhen—within the Huaqiangbei business district. Its business scope includes R&D, design, and sales of communication equipment, as well as the production of mobile phones, handsets, and mobile data terminals.

Information from DOOGEE's official website shows that the brand's products cover over 50 countries and regions, with access to more than 3,000 global channel merchants. According to the Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce, the brand's sales exceeded 2.5 billion yuan in 2023, capturing an 18.7% share of the global rugged mobile terminal market.

From early B2B export trade to becoming a leading brand in rugged phones today, DOOGEE has avoided direct competition in the mainstream phone market while leveraging the industrial chain advantages of Huaqiangbei to further refine its product categories and price structures.

Image sourced from the company's official website

Among them, the entry-level Blade and Fire series are priced between 200 and 400 US dollars, featuring basic functions such as dust, water, and drop resistance, primarily leveraging global channel advantages to meet volume demands. The S series follows a mid-range industrial route, mainly targeting use cases in construction sites, mines, and logistics. The flagship V series is priced as high as 800 US dollars, offering professional outdoor functions such as 50x zoom, outdoor projection, thermal imaging, 20,000mAh large batteries, and over a thousand lumens of LED lighting.

In 2024, DOOGEE officially entered the domestic market under the Chinese name "Duji" and launched two rugged phones, the Xuanwu Mini and Xuanwu 10.

03 Thriving Against the Trend

The global phone market is experiencing a new industrial downturn, but the niche category of rugged phones is showing overall growth against the trend.

According to the latest IDC report, affected by the sustained high costs of storage and materials, phone terminal prices have generally risen, further lengthening consumer replacement cycles. In the third quarter of 2026, global shipments dropped to 255.3 million units, a 22% year-on-year decline, marking the largest single-quarter drop on record. It is expected that the global and Chinese markets will only see substantial recovery around 2028.

Meanwhile, driven by industrial digitalization and the need for operations in extreme environments, the market for rugged phones has shown steady growth in recent years.

A recent market research report by The Insight Partners indicates that the global rugged phone market size is expected to grow from 3.44 billion US dollars in 2025 to 10.01 billion US dollars in 2034, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 12.6% from 2026 to 2034.

In the past, the global rugged phone market was primarily dominated by established tech giants such as Samsung and Panasonic. The entry of Chinese cross-border manufacturers has brought new variables to this niche market.

From a product perspective, certification for rugged phones requires significant time and testing costs. The development of product lines for different scenarios emphasizes localized market adaptation while heavily relying on global channel construction. The unique product market characteristics have made this category a "refreshing" segment in the highly competitive global phone market in recent years. A group of Shenzhen-based brands, including DOOGEE, Blackview, and Ulefone, are leveraging industrial chain integration and cross-border channel advantages to quickly erode traditional market shares through high cost-performance and niche product lines.

However, it should be noted that compared to the overall phone market, the absolute market size of the rugged phone category remains very limited.

Company founder Xin Chao has previously stated publicly that DOOGEE essentially re-evaluates its development strategy and future direction every two to three years. While becoming an industry leader through niche products and services, it also seeks incremental growth in lower-tier markets. Currently, besides phone products, DOOGEE's product line is also expanding into ecological directions such as rugged tablets, outdoor wearable devices, and smart earphone speakers.

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