Going after Apple and Samsung in the premium space. Huawei may not be the first name you think of when considering premium smartphones yet the Chinese goliath is on a mission to muscle in on the territory currently occupied by Apple and Samsung.

And goliath is no hyperbole when describing the company. Headquartered out of Shenzhen, China, Huawei employs over 170,000 people, is employee-owned - 99 per cent of the private company is in the hands of the workers - and has revenue of over $60bn last year, of which around 40 per cent emanates from the Consumer Business Group (CBG) in charge of smartphones and tablets.

Huawei's main smartphone strength rests with dominating the Chinese market, with over 20 per cent market share. Total global smartphone shipments hit 108m last year and are projected to surpass 140m this year, and the company sees significant growth opportunity in the premium handset space and non-Chinese market. This strategy makes sense if it is to become closer to Samsung (321m) and Apple (231m) in the overall annual smartphone shipping stakes.