Why ZTE pushes into U.S. market

Why do Chinese smartphone makers come to America when their home market ships 400 million smartphones a year? In other words, why is America special?

既然中国每年的智能手机出货量达到4亿台，中国的智能手机制造商又为什么要进军美国市场？换言之，美国对他们有什么特殊意义？

The Chinese brand ZTE describes its strategy as ACW—'America, China, Worldwide.' In that order.

中国品牌中兴（ZTE）提出的策略名为ACW——"美国，中国，世界"。顺序没错！

It boasts of its U.S. smartphone shipments growing 30% last year, to 15 million phones, and being the only Chinese maker with sizeable sales in the U.S. market. "Look at all [original equipment manufacturers] in China"—including Huawei, oft-discussed Xiaomi, Lenovo's Motorola—"we're the only one with sizeable market share," says Waiman Lam, ZTE's senior director of technology and partnership.

2015年，中兴在美国的智能手机出货量增长了30%，达到1500万台，是唯一一家在美国实现如此大规模销量的中国制造商。中兴终端技术与合作高级总监林玮民表示："在中国所有原始设备制造商当中，包括华为、小米、联想的摩托罗拉在内，只有我们在美国取得了巨大的市场份额。"

ZTE's is fourth in U.S. smartphone market share, behind Apple, Samsung Electronicsand its Korean rival LG, according to IDC and Counterpoint Research.

据IDC和市场研究机构Counterpoint Research的统计，中兴在美国智能手机市场的份额排在第四位，前三位分别是苹果、三星电子和其韩国竞争对手LG。

ZTE has sponsored five NBA teams since 2013, including last year's champions the Golden State Warriors, and a PGA golfer named Danny Lee. It has expanded phone offerings with all the big carriers since it came to the U.S. in 2010.

自2013年以来，中兴共赞助了五支NBA球队，包括2015年的冠军金州勇士队，还有美国高尔夫球巡回赛选手李明真。从2010年进入美国市场以来，中兴一直在增加与所有大型运营商合作的手机产品。

Despite China's size, Americans still spend more than anyone in the world on expensive smartphones—those around $500 and up. It is not just the prestige of having a brand in the world's richest country; it's the promise of selling to consumers willing to pay a high sticker price.

尽管中国的市场规模庞大，但美国人在昂贵的智能手机上的消费，依旧超过其他任何国家——平均在500美元甚至更高。中兴进军美国的动力，不仅源自在全世界最富有的国家树立一个品牌所带来的声誉；也是源自愿意支付高价的消费者所带来的销售前景。

Last year ZTE debuted its flagship phone called Axon for $449 notably first in the U.S., then two weeks later in China.

2015年，中兴首次在美国高调推出了售价449美元的旗舰手机Axon，这款手机两周后在中国上市。

There's another trend in the U.S. boosting companies like ZTE, which market themselves as high-spec, lower-cost: the carriers are giving up on subsidizing expensive phones.

此外，美国还有另外一种趋势吸引着中兴等公司：运营商正在放弃对昂贵手机的补贴。中兴一直宣传其产品是高质量、低成本的手机。

AT&T, Verizonand the others have done away with two-year contracts. Now customers pay the phone cost upfront or split the payments over two years. It makes the retail price of a top-end Samsung, Apple or even LG a little more shocking, and is one reason ZTE is confident saying it expects to pass LG in U.S. market share in three years.

美国电话电报公司、威瑞森和其他运营商，均取消了两年合约。现在，消费者要么预付购机费，要么在两年内分期付款。这将导致三星、苹果甚至LG等高端品牌手机的零售价进一步提高，正是基于这个原因，中兴才会自信地表示，公司预计，未来三年内在美国的市场份额将超过LG。

Before ZTE sponsored the Houston Rockets in 2013, it had 1% name recognition in the U.S.. Last year, that grew to 16%. That's not much to brag about, but then again, not too many expected a Chinese smartphone company to join the top five U.S. market share a few years ago.

在中兴赞助休斯顿火箭队之前，其在美国的品牌知名度仅有1%。但2015年已经提高到了16%。这不值得吹嘘，但话说回来，几年前也没有太多人会预料到，一家中国智能手机公司会进入美国市场的前五强。

ZTE's growth, as well as rival Huawei's, may continue amid the favorable trends. Huawei, a Chinese telecom equipment maker with a smartphone brand (ZTE's main business is also telecom equipment) plans to sell its flagship $600 phone in the U.S. this year for the first time.

在各种有利趋势的推动下，中兴及其竞争对手华为或许将继续保持增长势头。中国电信设备制造商华为旗下也有智能手机品牌（中兴的主营业务也是电信设备），公司计划2016年首次在美国销售其600美元的旗舰手机。

The U.S. still has the biggest spenders, so expect the Chinese brands to keep coming.

美国依旧拥有全世界最大的"土豪"消费者，因此未来将有更多中国品牌蜂拥而至。