Huawei Thailand aims to be the number two smartphone vendor in the local market by year-end through increased investment and growing sales of high-end devices.
Thailand is one of the Chinese phone maker's 23 top-tier markets, where the company has invested heavily in marketing and service centres.
In Thailand, Huawei for the first time ranked second in terms of smartphone units sold in January-February this year.
But complaints about Huawei's P10 and Mate9 series specifications affected consumer confidence in the brand. The situation gave its Chinese rival Oppo the opportunity to take the second spot. Samsung remained the market leader, with Apple, Oppo and Huawei switching places month by month.
"We explained the misunderstanding to consumers and we are now back on track," said Tossaporn Nisthanon, deputy country director of Huawei Consumer Business Group Thailand. He said Huawei captured 10.7% of Thailand's smartphone market in May, rising sharply from 1.6% during the same period last year.
"We aim to triple revenue growth and become one of the top two players this year," said Mr Tossaporn.
He said the company had doubled its spending on marketing and also staff number to 1,200 people this year, opening 41 Huawei shops. The company plans to launch its flagship Mate 10 handset and three other models this quarter.
"We continue to make innovative smartphones with new capabilities using artificial intelligence technology," said Mr Tossaporn.
The overall smartphone market in Thailand has grown by 2-4% this year, with monthly sales of 1.4 million units. The average selling price has risen from 6,000 baht in 2016 to 7,000 baht. Users are also demanding higher specifications, pushing those with lower-end units priced under 5,000 baht to mid-range ones priced 5,000-15,000.
In 2017, the high-end smartphone segment of above 15,000 baht accounted for 35% of the market, while mid-range and low-end smartphones captured 40% and 25%, respectively. The high-end segment accounts for 40% of Huawei's business.